SAFETY concerns have been raised at the Kilmaley junction on the R474, with councillors warning that worsening flooding issues are affecting one of West Clare’s busiest routes.
The issue was raised by Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Michael Shannon (FF), at the July meeting of the district, where he called on Clare County Council to address water accumulation on the road surface at the junction.
Cllr Shannon welcomed the council’s response, saying the flooding issue had “gotten worse and worse over the last couple of winters”.
He highlighted the level of activity around the junction, pointing to nearby sports facilities, childcare services and schools, and said the R474 is “extremely busy”.
Cllr Shannon said the council was also looking at the possibility of rearranging the junction to improve safety in the future, adding: “I’d like to see the work carried out before the winter and flooding season.”
The motion was seconded by Cllr Dinny Gould (IND), who said there had been “a lot of issues” at the location, including a serious accident last year which caused the road to be held up.
He said the issue was primarily about getting water drainage off the road, adding: “It’s not an awful lot of work to put this right.”
Cllr Gould said he would “like to see work done sooner than later.”
In a written response, Senior Executive Engineer Alan Kennelly said West Clare Municipal District had successfully secured funding in late 2025 through the Department of Transport’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Works grant scheme to address the drainage issue.
He said the council hoped to commence drainage works at Kilmaley “soon”.
–Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
