by Ronan McSherry
RESIDENTS of the Curramore Road in Cranagh say they are at breaking point following the closure of a local bridge since last August which is forcing them to make a detour of almost ten miles.
The bridge was also closed during a part of last year, causing serious disruption to people living in the vicinity. However, a spokesperson for the Roads Service has told the UH that landslides have led to the closing of the 40 metre stretch of the road and there is no guarantee the situation will not re-occur in the future. Declan McBride from Road Service expects the road to be re-opened in two weeks.
Paddy McGarvey is a farmer living close to the bridge and said his life has been a "nightmare" since the work began.
Mr McGarvey believes that the problem appears to be a pipe which is unable to take away the access water.
Mr McGarvey explained, "Over 40 officials have been out and they don't seem to have a clue what to do."
Highlighting the inconvenience to the local community, he added, "It affects families and young and old people. It affects delivery services and causes problems for farmers moving livestock. It is a terrible situation."
However, Declan McBride of Roads Service stated that the problem is much more complex than it appears because of the danger of landslides.
"Road Service takes any road closure as a serious matter to resolve," he said. "A substantial landslide occurred in the hills above it and came down a gorge and backed up against a culvert. The first priority was to make it safe so that no road users would find themselves walking across a narrow road with both parapets actually washed away. It is a major incident for a minor road such as this. The system works adequately for normal rainfall but last year was a landslide literally stripped the blanket bog off the hill. We estimated it at over 400 cubic metres of material slipped."
Mr McBride said it is possible further landslides will occur.
"We will be starting a programme on Monday (December 8). We will basically bring the gorge back to what people knew it to look like with water flowing at a much lower level. At the moment the water is flowing over the road. Unfortunately up on the hill another landslide could occur.
"If it all goes according to plan we should be well through in a fortnight with the material removed and the parapet walls rebuilt. Certainly it is an inconvenience and we regret that."
