*Cllr Gabriel Keating. Photograph: Eamon Ward
A ROAD along the Wild Atlantic Way in West Clare “won’t break the bank” if officials in the local authority decide to make a late addition to the roadworks programme for this year.
An appeal from Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) for surface dressing to be completed on the L2006-27 from Hugh Roche’s hill westwards met resistance.
Senior executive engineer in the West Clare Municipal District, Alan Kennelly outlined, “The L-2006-27 is not included on the recently adopted 2024 Schedule of Municipal District Works. It can be considered for inclusion on future Schedules. I have spoken with the Area Engineer and the local roads senior General Services Supervisor and asked them to ensure that the road is maintained in a passable condition”.
Speaking at the May meeting of the West Clare MD, Cllr Keating commented, “it is a special one because it is on the Wild Atlantic Way, it is a pity we can’t do that bit of road because the rest is quite good. We’ve some cycling races coming up. We’re stretched for funds but we can strain a point to get this done, it will be appreciated by local people and cyclists. We have to support the people and have the roads in the best shape we can”.
According to Cllr Keating, a former financial advisor, completing the job “won’t break the bank”. He recalled, “We had a problem when Paddy Matthews came to Kilkee, he told us the Wild Atlantic Way was finishing in Kilkee but it has come on a bit further”.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) stated, “it is a road I travel a lot, there isn’t 100m in it, the piece if we did a drainage we’d know it is a major section on the road, whatever works we do we’ll do the drainage alongside it”.
