Galway Bay FM Newsroom - A Connemara County Councillor has claimed that an abundance of trees, branches and bushes impinging on the N59 is putting people’s well-being and lives at risk.
Councillor Gerry King told this week’s meeting of the Municipal Authority that the N59 roadsides in Mayo were much better maintained than those in Connemara.
Councillor King instanced roadside growth between Clifden and Leenane as being a particularly serious problem given the heavy summer traffic.
He said that this stretch of the N. 59 had proven to be a problem area for accidents and that the roadside growth should have been cleared much earlier this year
Councillor King said this section of road contrasted badly with the well-controlled growth alongside the Mayo part of the N. 59 all the way to Ballina and beyond.
Senior Executive Engineer, Damian Mitchell told the meeting that Transport Infrastructure Ireland has a contract for the purpose of clearing roadside growth on the N. 59. On the broader issue, Mr Mitchell said that money for the cutting back of roadside growth comes from the road maintenance fund which is a limited amount of money.
Councillor King said that the roadside growth on the N. 59 was a health and safety issue and should be done in July rather than waiting until later in the year.
Máirtín Ó Catháin reporting from the Connemara Councillors meeting.
