N5 surface was 'not to blame' for recent treacherous conditions
A Mayo County Council report stating that the surface of the N5 Turlough to Westport dual carriageway complies with accepted road standards does not resolve the problem of water and ice that are making the road unsafe for motorists during bad weather, according to local councillors.
Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne told council management at the February meeting of the authority everyone driving the road on the morning of January 10 last described it as "lethal" and it is "by the grace of God nobody was killed".
"It really needs to be examined. The report from the chief engineer says it complies with all safety rules, even though a bird couldn’t land on the road. It reminds me of the Titanic, that too met all the standards, yet it ended up on the bottom of the ocean.”
Fine Gael Cllr Ger Deere agreed that the report doesn’t solve the problem and there is definitely an issue with the road.
“We all got emails about it. Over a year ago I already highlighted it being treacherous where it joins at Islandeady. Something needs to be done before a freeze-up happens again. You can give us all the positive reports you want but there is a problem and we need it solved."
Fianna Fáil Cllr Blackie Gavin said the council needs to provide the staff to go out and grit the roads, adding: "Never mind your reports.”
However, Independent Cllr Richard Finn said he did not understand all the fuss about the dual carriageway, saying: “Most counties would be delighted to have a road like it. Look at our local roads and all the potholes in them. No matter what road you travel on there is danger involved and we have to accept that.”
Independent Cllr John O’Malley said he was one of the people caught on the road on January 10, adding: “I never stood on anything as slippery. I played a bit of broom hockey in America and even it wasn’t as bad as that. It should be surface dressed to give it more of a grip because the older road to Westport is fine. It’s certainly not going to get any better by doing nothing with it.”
Chief executive Kevin Kelly said he wished to remind members that the engineer’s report outlined that six of the 21 routes gritted by the council had to be abandoned due to conditions on the morning in question.
“The scale of the freezing nature of the weather and precipitation on the morning of the gritting was very unusual, but it was right across the county and a number of trucks went off the road, so it wasn’t just the N5 that was affected.
"The report outlines the road is constructed the same as many other roads and is up to standard. The bottom line is with any morning precipitation and freezing temperatures you are going to have problems and every single year there will be one or two mornings where that happens.”
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
