LIVE: Safety concerns over lorries using minor roads in Tipperary due to €2m project

Upgrade works on a 1.16km section of the N24 at Cahir are having the knock on effect of diverting lorries and other traffic onto minor roads causing upset and road safety fears among residents.

Two councillors highlighted residents’ road safety concerns at Tipperary County Council’s monthly meeting about the huge increase in traffic on rural roads due to works ongoing as part of the €2m Knockagh Pavement Scheme.

Clogheen Cllr Marie Murphy said it was good to see these road works taking place except for the fact that huge lorries were travelling instead on a “very narrow road” in the Moorestown area that was causing “huge consternation” among residents in that area

“They are seeing vehicles they never saw before,” she told council management.

She asked the Council to erect “Local Access Only” signs at the turn off to this road to stop the influx of traffic on it.

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Independent Cllr Andy Moloney from Poulmucka highlighted how the N24 at Knockagh was to be closed nightly from May 21 to 24 at this week due to this road project, which meant every car and truck will be directed by Barne and New Inn.

He asked before any road diversions take place that the Council carry out hedge cutting along the major “pinch points” on the diversion route to improve road safety and avoid serious injury being caused due to a road accident.

“Walking on the road is a thing of the past because the traffic is bumper to bumper. People can’t put their noses out of their entrances due to the traffic,” he complained.

Tipperary County Council Senior Roads Engineer John Nolan gave a commitment to meet with the project team to examine the issues they raised and see if anything can be done to address them.

He told The Nationalist a Local Access Only sign was erected at the entrance to the narrow road highlighted by Cllr Murphy in the past few days.

He explained that traffic backed up on the N24 due to the road works began using this very narrow road as it was near them. He stressed the Council was not directing the traffic down the road.

In relation to Cllr Moloney’s concerns, he said in the past week the Council staff assessed the hedges along the diversion routes to see if cutting was required.

Mr Nolan pointed out that Knockagh Roundabout Pavement scheme wasn’t just a simple pavement overlay project, which would only cost between €300,000 and €400,000. There was a very serious crossfall problem on this road contributing to the large number of accidents at bends in that area.

“We have been trying to get that addressed and it’s a significant project. We are raising the road and there has been quite a lot of work done on services.”

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