'17 farm buildings to be removed for dual carriageway' - senator
17 farm buildings will have to be removed to build a dual carriageway between Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, and Ardee, Co. Louth, according to Fianna Fáil Senator, Robbie Gallagher.
According to Senator Gallagher, the stretch of roadway is infamous for having a high collision rate.
There have been 17 fatal collisions on the stretch of road in the past 10 years and 24 fatalities in the past 18 years.
Gallagher told Agriland the farming community is frustrated that funding hasn't been granted yet.
"There’s frustration locally. Despite the fact that the local community, have been more than accommodating as regards to Monaghan County Council's land take, they’ve been put on hold," he said.
"The families have been co-operative. Nobody wants to see their farms being cut away, but for the greater good. Not for the first time the people of Monaghan have been extremely accommodating in regards to this."
According to Senator Gallagher, the process began in 2018, and a preferred route corridor was published in 2021.
So far, Monaghan County Council, through Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has spent "somewhere in the region of €5.5 million on this piece of roadway."
"On the land take, which is quite significant, I pay tribute to the local community who have stepped up to the plate. As a result of this new projected roadway, seven family homes will have to be demolished, and one commercial building and 17 farm buildings will have to be removed," Gallagher told the Seanad.
"For the people concerned, such measures bring a great deal of stress and annoyance. What is compounding this is the fact there has been so little progress on moving this particular stretch of roadway on," he added.
Senator Gallagher said that last year Monaghan County Council sought additional funding to complete phase three of the process, but did not receive any funding.
"l understand that allocations are being considered and an announcement is expected in the coming weeks. It is essential that this piece of roadway is included for funding. In the overall scheme of things, €900,000 does not seem to be an awful lot of money," Gallagher said.
"I think it’s, quite frankly, insulting to the good will that has been forthcoming from the local community, but hopefully we’ll get good news in the next couple of weeks."
"It is vitally important we make a statement that this government takes road safety very seriously, and that it is serious about this piece of roadway, which is notorious for a high accident rate," he concluded.
