“It was chaos” – €300 million Mayo road was “like a sheet of ice”

MAYO County Council is facing mounting criticism over the management of icy roads across the county, as prolonged freezing conditions have left residents unable to leave their homes and motorists stranded on major routes.

Conrad Harley, Head of Roads at Mayo County Council, revealed that gritting crews have been working at maximum capacity throughout the cold snap. “So far this year, we’ve had 45 callouts,” Mr Harley said at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the council, noting that crews were deployed from December 23 to last Saturday, working twice daily except for one day.

The scale of the operation is substantial, with Mr Harley confirming that 1400 km of roads gritted across the county. Each gritting route takes between two and a half and five hours to complete.

Mr Harley acknowledged the limitations facing the local authority: “We are at max capacity in what we can do in relation to costs and resources. It’s going to be extremely difficult to alter any of the routes.”

However, he pointed to technological improvements on the horizon: “We have new technology coming in. It increases the amount of salt left on the road.”

However, he cautioned that comprehensive coverage remains impossible. “When we say the roads are gritted, that doesn’t mean they are clear,” Mr Harley explained. “It’s impossible to get every road done at the appropriate time. Everyone has to be driving at the appropriate speeds.”

The head of roads said the persistent cold has created unprecedented challenges: “The ground temperatures are getting below zero almost on a daily basis. That’s what happened on Thursday and Friday when the heavy frost came.”

Adding to the difficulties, Mr Harley confirmed that “one of our trucks is badly damaged” and that “these conditions are out of our control. It has to do with timing of weather conditions.”

Gritting crews ‘heroic’

SEVERAL councillors and Mayo County Council Chief Executive, Kevin Kelly, expressed appreciation for the work of road crews operating in difficult and dangerous conditions.

Cllr Michael Burke said he wanted to “compliment the workers putting their lives at risk.”

Cllr Harry Barrett commended the “heroics of staff who gritted roads” noting that “taking control of a twenty ton truck is no mean feat.”

Serious questions have been raised about the road surface on the new N5 route, with councillors expressing alarm at the treacherous conditions experienced on the recently completed infrastructure.

Cllr John O’Malley recounted a harrowing three-hour ordeal on a bus last weekend that highlighted the severity of conditions on the new Westport-Castlebar road.

“Last weekend, we left Westport on a bus. We knew the N5 wasn’t great,” he said. The bus encountered treacherous conditions, just past the Claremorris turnoff.

“It was chaos. I don’t know how these gritters are set—the gritters are not set high enough,” Cllr O’Malley said. “I never stood on anything as slippy. We had to hold onto the bus. The bus was nearly across the road.”

Passengers were left stranded from 8.20 am until 11.05 am. “We were marooned,” the councillor said.

Eventually, passengers took matters into their own hands. “We had to make a phonecall ourselves to an agricultural contractor we know. He was freely available,” Cllr O’Malley said, naming Pat Mulchrone as the contractor who responded. “The gardai escorted him and he gritted the road and put enough on it. Ten minutes later and we were away.”

Cllr Chris Maxwell was also on the bus and thanked Pat Mulchrone for coming to their rescue.

Cllr Michael Kilcoyne said: “It’s the luck of God no one was killed.” He revealed that he had received “a number of letters from residents in Islandeady” about conditions on the new road, which “was like a sheet of ice.”

Investigation

CLLR Kilcoyne noted that “the main problem seemed to be with the new €300 million euro road,” and called for a report on the road’s finish. “How is it that part of the road is like a piece of glass and on the old road, you can get a grip?" he asked, urging the council to “carry out an investigation, what is the risks of the finish on that road?”

Cllr Ger Deere raised additional concerns about the design of the new road. “In this day and age, €280 million spent on the new road, why isn’t there a slow lane?” he asked. “There’s only one or two lay-bys. If something falls off a trailer, the road is closed.”

He added: “It beggars belief —the old Westport road was fully functional”

However, Cllr Deere also acknowledged the limits of what gritting crews could achieve. “Thank the drivers, gritters—they were out gritting, it rained and froze over. That’s out of everyone’s control. People are going to have use common sense.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme