BY AILEEN MURPHY
Some £800,000 is due to be spent on the roads in Fermanagh this year. However, Councillors here have branded this investment 'pretty pathetic'. An outline of development and improvements schemes to be undertaken were detailed to Councillors in the County recently.
Roads Service representative, Conor Loughry, met with the Development Committee of Fermanagh District Council where he explained that over £800,000 would be invested in minor capital schemes. Ulster Unionist Councillor, Robert Irvine responded to this by saying "I think this is pretty pathetic and I will probably be drawing my old age pension by the time these schemes get off the ground." Mr Irvine continued: "One of the reasons we are not getting jobs in Fermanagh is that our infrastructure is not up to standard some of the agencies require. So we are being discriminated on in two respects - the maintenance, upkeep and spend on the roads, and this in turn is inhibiting us attracting outsourced civil service jobs."
The DUP's Bert Johnston said the County was suffering from "30 years of underspend on the roads here". While Tom Elliott, UUP added "Why can't they just get on and do the work? They can build miles of roads around Omagh, Newtownstewart, and Strabane, every major town has a by-pass except Fermanagh."
Schemes recently completed were identified as the B82 Kesh Road at Ballycassidy Bridge; and traffic calming at Windmill Heights, Coleshill and Rossorry Church Road.
He explained there were a number of schemes which, he hoped, would be taken forward during the this financial year, ie before March 31st next. They include the provision of a roundabout at Trory junction; visibility improvement on the Sligo Road, Enniskillen in the vicinity of Abohill Road; and traffic calming at Clabby and Brookeborough.
New schemes for 2007-2009 include a road realignment and a change of priorities at Brookeborough Road /Main Street, Maguiresbridge, and a sightline improvement at Springfield Junction on the Monea Road, Enniskillen.
As regards the proposed A32 Cherrymount Link Road at Enniskillen, linking the Irvinestown Road with the Tempo Road, Councillors were told that the development of two options for the scheme were at an advanced stage and would be presented at a Public Information Day in early 2007 in order to gauge public opinion.
In response to a question, Mr Loughry admitted that no land had as yet been purchased by Roads Service to facilitate the route of the Cherrymount Link onto the Tempo Road scheme. Councillors expressed concern about the general upkeep of the A32, Irvinestown Road, in particular from the point of view that the new hospital will be situated along this route. Dangerous conditions on the Kilgartnaleague Bridge to Sydare Cross, were highlighted, as were delays on the work at Trory Junction. Comparisons were drawn with schemes undertaken in the Omagh and Strabane areas. Mr Loughry assured them that £10 million had been earmarked for improvements on the A32, and a further £5million for the hospital project. It was probable, he added, that the Enniskillen by-pass scheme and the Fivemiletown by-pass scheme, along with additional schemes on the A4 (Belfast Road), would also go ahead by 2015. Reporting on the works at Henry Street in Enniskillen, it was explained consultants had produced working drawings for the preferred provision of a three lane carriageway and a dedicated parking bay on the northern side of Henry Street. One Councillor suggested to him that, as part of the Henry Street Scheme, a proposed footway would remove part of the parking facilities at business premises on the street. He also queried whether the provision of the third traffic lane would hinder traffic flow from the Brook into the town centre. Mr Loughry assured the member that consultation had taken place with businesses along the route and amendments had been made.
He agreed that the provision of the third lane might compromise traffic on the approach from the Brook, but better free-flow of traffic along the third lane should compensate for traffic delays.
An up-date was also given on the work at Faughard, Lisbellaw, where Mr Loughry explained, design work on a scheme to provide an overtaking lane in the eastbound direction was well planned. On competition, the overtaking opportunity would complement a similar scheme on the recently completed Maguiresbridge overtaking scheme.
Construction work was expected to commence towards the end of the financial year, and if additional money became available, work would begin earlier, he added.
