No progress on Medebawn junction

THERE is still no progress on traffic calming works at Medebawn on the Avenue Road and the situation led to frustration being expressed by Dundalk councillors.

Cllr. Maeve Yore asked council officials at the recent local meeting whether there had been any progress on getting a pedestrian crossing close to Medebawn ‘ that was supposed to be done three years ago, along with traffic calming works on the Avenue Road’.

She was told that the road works programme had already been approved for the year and there is ‘ no proposal to carry out further works’.

Cllr. Jennifer Green said the issue ‘ has been going on for three years’ and had been raised a number of times. She added she had not yet seen any report about what could be done at Medebawn and added: ‘It seems like the council doesn’t want to do it’.

‘Residents want it done, there are safety is- sues down there. It was stated that it would be discussed, but it hasn’t and it has been raised time and time again’.

Engineer Pat Finn said he was willing to look at the issue ‘in the context of next year, look at it in more detail, and consult with councillors’.

Cllr. Mark Dearey remarked that if councillors had ‘ had more time to consider the road works programme’, Medebawn may have been able to be included, but instead ‘ there was a very short time to consider it when we could have made recommendations with more time’.

Cllr. Conor Keelan said he agreed with Cllr. Green and recalled how it had been raised at the Town Council.

Director of Service Frank Pentony said: ‘If there is money available at the end of the year – you don’t know what will happen with other schemes - we will have an update for the next meeting’.