Busy north Mayo road will not be treated for ice this winter

Motorists using the Crossmolina to Ballycastle road in north Mayo this winter will travel on an untreated road after Mayo County Council claimed they don't have the resources to treat it for ice.

Mayo County Council confirmed that the 22km long R315 linking Crossmolina to Ballycastle will not be included in this winter's Winter Maintenance Service Plan as there is no capacity to do so. The Winter Maintenance Service Plan prioritises the roads which are salted and gritted during freezing weather and the R315 has never been included

Last winter there were reports of vehicles jackknifing on parts of the road during freezing weather which led to calls for the road to be treated in the future. Local councillor Michael Loftus called on Mayo County Council to have the road included in this winter's maintenance service plan but council officials have informed him it won't be happening.

In a response to Cllr Loftus' notice of motion calling for the R315 to be included in the Winter Maintenance Service Plan, Paul Dolan, Head of Roads, explained that to do so would require purchasing an additional gritting lorry and the council do not have the funds to do so.

“There is currently no spare capacity in the gritting routes with the number of available lorries and salt gritters fully utilised. This is particularly the case for the two gritting routes for Ballina MD [Municipal District] and accordingly there is no capacity in these routes to grit the 22km of R315 from Crossmolina to Ballycastle,” Mr Dolan wrote in response.

He added: “Any additions to the gritting programme moving forward can only be accommodated by the purchase of additional lorries/gritters. Additional funding for the Winter Maintenance Programme would also need to be provided in the Annual Roads Programme.”

Mayo County Council currently treats approximately 1,350km of roads across 21 treatment routes which equates to 100 percent of the national primary and secondary roads, 90 percent of regional roads and 5 percent of the local road network. Approximately 65km of the regional road network including the R315 is not gritted in Mayo.

In making a call for the road to be included in the Winter Maintenance Service Plan, Cllr Loftus said that there does be 'absolute bedlam' on the Crossmolina to Ballycastle road when temperatures freeze.

“This is a regional road and the only regional road in Mayo that is not gritted,” he told a Ballina Municipal District meeting last January.

“I want to see that road put on the winter schedule. I said it to Kevin Kelly [Chief Executive of Mayo County Council] at the council meeting and his words were they will have to look at it and it might be down to finances. That is not good enough.

“It is a regional road and the people from Ballycastle to Crossmolina are entitled to have that done. I am saying it has to be done whenever there is another situation of frost.”