Patience wears thin on Dale Road closure
Anger at public meeting in Ballyduff over Dale Rd closure
PATIENCE is wearing thin among motorists and business people in North Kerry over the ongoing closure of the Rathscannel/Dale Road between Abbeydorney and Ballyduff.
The treacherous section of road was closed by Kerry County Council to protect motorists following a slew of crashes over the years; with diversions put in place via Lixnaw and Killahan.
But a public meeting convened by Fianna Fáil deputy John Brassil in Ballyduff on Monday night heard increasing frustration on the issue from businesses and motorists as the road remains closed indefinitely. It is hoped funding will be allocated in the near term, but no guarantees have been given by Government.
The road is emerging as a key general election issue in the North Kerry part of the constituency – as it was in the local elections, just months out from polling.
Deputy Brassil said people would be a lot more amenable to the closure if there was an end in sight. “The consensus that emerged was that people want it reopened now to cars, until the works commence... [it] is inconveniencing everyone, from commuters to businesses in Ballybunion and Ballyduff,” he said.
PATIENCE is wearing thin with the continued closure of the treacherous Rathscannel Road between Abbeydorney and Ballyduff, a public meeting heard on Monday.
Business people and motorists from Ballybunion to Abbeydorney, who attended the meeting in Ballyduff, voiced concerns over an array of inconveniences they are facing as a result of the continuing closure.
And the anger is increasing with no funding in sight to provide a safe, new roadway along the Rathscannel stretch, closed earlier this year by Kerry County Council over safety fears.
The public meeting on the issue was convened in Ballyduff by Fianna Fáil TD John Brassil, keen to canvass the electorate on it just months out from a general election.
“We had a good turnout and there were many who voiced their concerns and dissatisfaction with the ongoing closure.
“The consensus that emerged was that people want it reopened now to cars, until the works commence.”
It’s hoped that work could begin on the road sometime next year. However, with no funding guaranteed or even in sight, it’s feasible it could take even longer to tackle the dangerous roadway.
“Works might commence in the summer, but it could be another year if the funding is not secured. As this is a primary tourism route between Tralee and Ballybunion, it cannot remain closed indefinitely,” Deputy Brassil said.
He is now calling for it to be reopened to cars on a restricted, reduced-speed basis to make it safe in the interim.
Residents of the Killahan area of Abbeydorney, through which cars have been diverted, are meanwhile getting more frustrated over the volume of heavy traffic their road is carrying due to the closure.
“It seems that many truck drivers are not following the truck version through Lixnaw onto Ballinclogher but are going via Killahan instead, which is intended as the diversion for cars...Killahan needs substantial works to take the volume of traffic that it is seeing at the moment.
“The closure is inconveniencing everyone, from commuters to businesses in Ballybunion and Ballyduff, and I’m calling for it to be lifted now.”