O'Hara wants movement on run down roads 

A local councillor has highlighted an ongoing issue at two roads within the Ballina Municipal District.

Cllr John O’Hara said that two link roads, one from Grove Road to Chaffhill in Bonniconlon and another from Ardagh to Grange Road, Crossmolina cannot be repaired as there are bridges in both areas that have been deemed not up to standard and would cost a significant amount to upgrade to the required standard.

He said this is despite the fact that trucks carrying huge loads and other vehicles use these bridges on a daily basis and have done so for years.

He called on the MD to address this issue and repair the roads.

Area engineer Orla Bourke said the upgrades of the bridges have not progressed as the roads have not been taken in charge. She said both bridges would require significant financial input to be brought back to an adequate standard.

She added that the Council are obliged to consider the financial implications when declaring a road as public and taking it in charge.

Ms Bourke said it may be possible to progress works at either or both locations through the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) fund and has requested the area engineers to determine if the roads meet the LIS criteria.

Cllr Michael Loftus, who spoke in support of Cllr O’Hara’s motion, said this was not a fair outcome.

“It is unfair to expect us to put these roads in under LIS considering what the budget for LIS roads has been in the last few years,” he said.