Councillor raises concerns over "torrents of water streaming across Tipperary motorway'

The elected members of the Municipal Council for the Roscrea, Templemore and Thurles area will soon submit a report to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) about issues they feel need to be addressed most urgently on the local road network and a dangerous junction in Roscrea and issues relating to the M7 motorway near the town were among the four selected by the members.

The junction on Roscrea’s bypass at Tullaskeagh which leads to the Knock Road and the site of fatal accidents in the past, will again be highlighted for TII this year after making the same list of blackspots last year.

The junction will soon be carrying an even greater burden of traffic as large-scale residential developments are underway on the road which serves as the main route for people travelling on foot and by vehicle for work and school.

Cllr Shane Lee raised the issue at a meeting of the Municipal Council and warned there will again be a tragic accident at the junction if remedial works to promote safety are not soon performed.

This was echoed by Cllr Michael Smith, who said the junction became a priority in the aftermath of a fatal accident, but “fell down the list” and was neglected for several years.

“We have to get serious with TII on this. We need results”, Cllr Smith said.

Issues with standing water and torrents of water streaming across the M7 motorway were also highlighted by Cllr Lee, who said over 20 cars were forced to pull into the hard shoulder of the M7 recently because the motorway had become “unusable” during severe downpours.

The stretch of motorway between Junction 22 Roscrea and Junction 23 Moneygall has been singled out as particularly treacherous in poor weather and experiences a micro-climate of fog and rain, previous meetings heard.

Another issue to be raised is the surface of the N62 road from Templemore to Junction 22 on the M8 at the Horse and Jockey, which Cllr Noel Coonan told the meeting needs urgent repairs.

Public demand for a bypass in Thurles, which remains the only major town in the county to not have a bypass to ease heavy goods traffic congestion in the town centre and the crossroads at Turtulla near Thurles, which has been the site of serious road traffic accidents in the past, are the other items which will again this year be highlighted as urgent when the local authority meet with TII.