This article is from page 22 of the 2006-12-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
CLARE County Council has admitted that the delay in repairing damaged crash barriers on one of the counties busiest dual-carriageways is unacceptable. The Local Authority has blamed the six week delay on heavy workloads.
The council, which is responsible for crash barriers within Clare, says that two to three weeks would be considered an adequate timeframe to repair or replace damaged barriers but at the moment it can take up to twice as long.
Many local authorities across the country are also slow to carry out repairs to damaged barriers despite being provided with funding from the National Roads Authority to do so. Clare County Council says the availability of contractors to carry out the work is the main problem in Clare.
The National Roads Authority has also confirmed that there is a problem in many areas with delays in repairing damaged barriers. Funding is provided to councils for maintenance and operations of roads and this includes repairs to crash barriers.
The money is provided from the NRA’s National Primary Maintenance Budget.
A Road Safety Authority spokesman said that if the barriers are damaged they are no longer capable of doing the job they were intended to do, which is to try and protect motorists and to help prevent cross-over crashes where vehicles end up on the opposite side of the roadway in the path of oncoming traffic.
“Damaged barriers should be repaired as soon as possible because the risk always exists that where a barrier has been compromised, another collision could happen at that location,” the RSA said.
A council spokesperson said they try to repair damaged crash barriers as soon as is practical but it is difficult to source a contractor to repair barriers.
“We have installed 50 kilometres of new crash barrier in the past year and the amount of crash barrier installed nationally is phenomenal, thus putting pressure on the few available contractors.”
At one location near Bunratty, a 50-metre stretch of the three-cable crash barrier was levelled in a recent collision. There are also at least three other locations along the busy roadway where the different types of barrier have been damaged.
The NRA recently confirmed that it has opted for a concrete barrier system, also known as the Jersey Barrier, for the new section of the N18 eastern bypass of Ennis, which will run 14 kilometres from Dromoland to just north of Crusheen. The almost metre-high concrete wall will run the entire length of the Ennis bypass and is thought to be a safer barrier than others already in use in Clare and across the country.