MINISTER RYAN INVITED TO MONAGHAN TO SEE “ATROCIOUS CONDITION” OF LOCAL ROADS

Monaghan Co Council agreed on Monday to invite Minister for Climate Action, Communications and Transport Eamon Ryan TD to the county to view what Fianna Fáil local public representative Seamus Coyle branded the “atrocious condition” of some local roads. Councillor Coyle proposed a motion requesting Minister Ryan and the Government to allocate additional road restoration funding to the county due to the deterioration in local road conditions and the “huge increase” in the cost of repair materials and fuel.

The motion extended an invitation to the Green Party leader to visit Co Monaghan “to travel and view the terrible condition of many roads in the county, causing enormous suffering, expense, etc to residents and road users.” Councillor Coyle hoped that a visit by Minister Ryan would prove a more fruitful one that a previous sojourn to Monaghan undertaken by his predecessor in the Transport portfolio Shane Ross, recalling with dissatisfaction the then Minister Ross’s refusal to visit some local roads or to get his photograph taken at locations where the road surface had deteriorated.

Councillor Coyle told the meeting that he was “embarrassed and ashamed” by the condition of some of the roads in the Ballybay-Clones Municipal District area. He referred to a road in the Scothouse area which was in “an atrocious condition”. Later in the discussion he remarked that it could take up to 30 years to bring all the county’s secondary and tertiary roads up to an acceptable condition. Director of Transportation Services Patricia Monahan pointed out that prices had not increased very significantly on last year and tenders which the Co Council had received for road works had been very competitive.

Ms Monahan also noted that the Council had surveyed every road in the county last year and this would help them make a more targeted investment in the current and future years. Councillor Coyle’s proposal was seconded by….