Dale Rd to close completely
THOUGH it is already ‘closed’, the treacherous Rathscannel ‘Dale’ Road is to be completely blocked off to traffic within a matter of days.
The unprecedented move comes as many motorists continue to drive through the singlebarriers that have been in place there since July last.
Council management has moved to close it down completely, with a road-wide barrier to be erected shortly at Ballinclogher Cross – in place of the staggered, single-lane barriers in place since July last.
The closure is expected to be in effect for at least 18 months. But that’s only if Roads Minister Shane Ross coughs up the funding needed by the end of this month – if he does not, it means the road could be closed for as long as two-anda-half years.
But Council management has moved to assure local politicians they are as confident as they can be that the money will be allocated in the Specific Improvement Grant package at the end of January.
In response to the latest query from Fine Gael Cllr Aoife Thornton on the road at a meeting of the Listowel Municipal District on Monday, Listowel area senior executive engineer Eamon Scanlon said there was considerable ‘ tic-tac’ing between Council and Department of Roads officials on the matter of the funding at present.
“Nothing we’re hearing from the Department gives us any concern that the funding won’t be granted,” Mr Scanlon said.
He said the road was also being completely closed to local traffic, but that the move was in response to the wishes of the majority of residents over fears about ‘messing’.
Probed on the need for a similar barrier at the opposite end of the stretch, Mr Scanlon said: “They will drive until they meet the barrier and they will have no choice but to drive back and around. They will only do it once.”
It is likely the Council will now move for a special planning meeting to consider the application for the new road design in the very near future. Cllr Thornton also called on the Council to improve the state of the Derryvrin road that locals will be forced to use.