FLOW RESTRICTIONS have been blamed for the “continuous flooding” of the road leading to Loop Head.
Road improvements from Bella Co-Op to Tullig Cross have been requested by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) who also wants the local authority “to investigate the cause of continuous flooding at Geata Buí and flooding at Moveen near Dinan’s Bridge”.
Inclusion of the R-487 between the Kerry Agri Shop at Bella Cross to Tullig Cross in the current three year draft roadworks programme was confirmed by senior executive engineer in the West Clare Municipal District, Alan Kennelly who was hopeful for its completion in 2023.
Clare County Council has carried out “extensive drainage works in the last three years in the Moveen area,” he stated. “We maintain the drains along the public road network. Clare County Council are not responsible for maintaining drains in private lands, and I suspect that some of the flooding issues at Moveen are caused by flow restrictions in drains that are not maintained by Clare County Council”.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the West Clare MD, Cllr Keating remarked, “I mentioned it before, this is a very busy road and it’s the road to Loop Head, we always have a bit of flooding, we put up a sign when we have a flooding and then take it down. This time I think we should do a bit of work before we take it down”.
Keating encouraged local authority officials to engage with local farmers, “it is in their interest for it to improve, they can help with drainage. The best man to talk to farmers in West Clare is a Kerryman, maybe we could arrange something to get the drain cleared and then we would have no more flooding. I hope 2023 will see it being done”.
Support was also voiced by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) who emphasised how any delay in getting a sign out to notify motorists of flooding along the road is putting them at risk. “The condition of the road can get to a state in a couple of hours and if it’s flooded people are heading into a potential hazard”.
