N11 TAILBACKS HIT HARD
ROADWORKS AT FERRYCARRIG CAUSING DELAYS OF UP TO 40 MINUTES DURING PEAK TIMES
WHILE there was some brief respite for motorists last week as the weather called a halt to roadworks on the N11, those travelling between Wexford and Enniscorthy have been facing significant tailbacks since works got underway two weeks ago. The works are due to run until March 29, much to the despair of those who regularly use the route, some of whom have reported delays of up to 40 minutes.
The resurfacing works aim to ensure that the stretch of road between Oylegate and Wexford will be up to scratch by the time it links in with the new M11 bypass, just north of Oylegate.
Last year, a stop-go system was in place as works were carried out on the road between Oylegate and Kyle Cross, lasting some 13 weeks.
‘Basically we had identified that the whole road was in need of strengthening from Oylegate to Wexford,’ said head of communications at Wexford County Council David Minogue. ‘While the surface may look fine on top, in actual fact it’s not. It hasn’t had a significant repair for around 20 years. Over the past nine months we’ve been carrying out these works and at this stage we’re covering Kyle Cross to Ferrycarrig.’
With motorists sitting in tail-backs of up to 40 minutes at peak times, many have once again questioned why this work could not be carried out at night time.
‘ There are a couple of issues there,’ said Mr Minogue. ‘A big part of it is a road safety point of view. It just wouldn’t be safe to have workers out doing that work in the dark. Another point is to do with temperatures. The actual material that they’re laying has to be laid at a certain temperature and once it drops below, it can’t be done.’
Mr Minogue pointed out that this was why work halted on Thursday, with temperatures plummeting and talk of snow and although some of the digging and groundwork can be done in adverse weather conditions, the road surface itself cannot be laid.
‘ That’s the reason work has to stop,’ he said. ‘It’s not a case that the council don’t go out and work when the temperature drops below a certain point. The weather situation is something that we’re continuing to monitor, but it is a possibility that work may come to a halt again as temperatures drop.’
The council has also pointed out that, where possible, they try to have two lanes of traffic on one side of the road to keep traffic flowing, but at Ferrycarrig, due to road width, this simply isn’t an option.
Speaking on the often lengthy tailbacks, Mr Minogue said unfortunately, they’re unavoidable.
‘Around seventeen thousand cars use this road on a daily basis,’ he said. ‘Obviously when you interrupt that, there will be tailbacks. Unfortunately, there is no easy way of carrying out work to a road that carries that volume of traffic each day. We’ve urged people to try and use other routes where possible and many have, but obviously for the likes of HGVs, this isn’t an option. We do, however, appreciate the patience of the public while work is ongoing and we understand that this is not fun for anyone.’
While temporary speed limits of 60km/h have been imposed on the stretch of road while roadworks are ongoing, Mr Minogue says that the speed at which traffic is travelling along the route is a major call for concern.
‘We are very concerned about the speed of the traffic passing through,’ he said. ‘It’s absolutely lethal to be honest. People aren’t paying attention to the temporary speed limit at all. Unfortunately, if we don’t get more co-operation from the public on it, we may have to call upon the gardaí to enforce it that bit more as they’ve done in similar situations in other areas.’
A further phase of roadworks between Ferrycarrig and the Maldron roundabout is also scheduled to take place this year but plans are in the early stages and it will be some time before these works commence. In the meantime, the current works are on schedule to be completed by mid-March and it won’t be a moment too soon for motorists.
THERE IS NO EASY WAY OF CARRYING OUT WORK TO A ROAD THAT CARRIES THAT VOLUME OF TRAFFIC EACH DAY