Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
New lay-bys on the Poolboy Bog Road will prevent accidents and cars falling down steep inclines to ditches on either side of this road.
Senator Aisling Dolan noted
‘This road over the motorway from Poolboy and into the bogland area is becoming very popular with walkers, cyclists as well as people going to Kellysgrove or Clontuskert.
‘With my father’s turfbank located down this road, I know since I was a child how busy this road is especially in the summer and also how dangerous as there is a particularly narrow stretch from the end of the motorway overpass and out towards the lanes that bring people into the back of the Golf Club. This narrow section crosses over the Fair River which is the natural parish boundary between Ballinasloe & Clontuskert however treacherous with steep drops on both sides means that if a car goes off the road – it’s straight into the ditch.
‘Most locals wait on each end of the long section to allow vehicles pass however it’s become so much busier with cars, tractors, JCBs as well as people out for a walk or cycle trying to navigate this narrow section.
‘In January with the bad weather another vehicle ended up in the ditch and I requested a safety review with Ballinasloe Municipal District. Thank you to Enda Mulryan and Eamonn Lydon our engineering team who developed a quick fix solution to an urgent safety issue and with these lay-bys people can now travel this road and know there are safe places to stop. As well as that we discussed the quality of road with dangerous dips in different sections and potholes outside of Poolboy Landfill.
The landfill has been closed since 2005 and regular monitoring and EPA compliance reports are ongoing. However there is also an outflow of water from the landfill which crosses the road and has caused complete destruction of the road as it is covered in potholes from this overflow. The environmental engineers at Galway County Council have confirmed that surveys will start this week to review solutions such as swales or shallow channels to manage the flow of water down the sides of the landfill. A solution should be in place for June of this year. The longterm plan for this site once it is safe as per High Court Orders in 1999 is that this area will eventually be developed as a recreational amenity for the community of Ballinasloe. I have requested further actions on the maintenance of the grounds of the landfill to discourage dumping in the area. Please do report dumping and we will be organising community clean-ups with Galway County Council in safer times later this year.
We have a paradise on our doorstep and there is such pride in our unique countryside and boglands with the Hymany trail which is part of the national waymarked Beara Breifne Trails and all within 2-5kms of our town centre.’
