In the aftermath of the series of severe storms that hit the country this winter, local authorities have been assessing the damage caused, making estimates for repairs, and restoring what needs to be done immediately. Offaly County Council has copied my Department with details of costs of remedial / repair works up to that date which it submitted in mid-February to the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
The submission covers clean-up costs, the removal of fallen trees, the provision of sandbags, providing relief drainage and the restoration of road surfaces. I understand that the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government is in the process of quantifying in detail the likely costs arising for repairs of local authority infrastructure from the more recent storms, in addition to the €70m estimated cost from the storms up to 6 January 2014, and intends to make a full report to Government on the costs and funding in the coming weeks.
The remedial works for County Offaly are similar to those required throughout the country following the severe weather over the winter and are not unique to roads which overlie peat subgrades. Roads over peat have their own set of very particular problems in that they are susceptible to differential settlement and there are no easy or inexpensive ways of dealing with them. A technical guidance document entitled Guidelines on the Rehabilitation of Roads over Peat is available to local authorities to assist them in making decisions on roads with peat subgrades.
