NRA Sub-contractors quality of work

ForiegnNational

Last summer, the N71 going through Innishannon (West Cork) was patched to repair subsidence. The road is administered by the NRA rather than Cork County Council, so I presume they would have used their own sub-contractors on this work.

However, these patches have now subsided to a worse extent than what they attempted to patch last summer. Does anybody know if the NRA writes "guarantee" clauses into their contracts for the quality of work carried out?

The road is now truly beyond third-world in quality and is subsiding further daily.

Is there any accountability (which I have come to learn is the elephant-in-the-room, in the Civil Service/Oireachtas recently) in the quality of this work and can the NRA therefore force the sub-contractor to make good on what has turned out in less than a year, to be an appalling quality of work?

quitepossibly

I travel that road most weeks, its an absolute disgrace. There's almost a step up at one point on the east bound side of the road just after the lights. It's been like that for a few months now but no doubt it will be left that way.

About the same time as Innishannon was done CCC resurfaced the N71 through Ballinascarthy using 'tar and chip'. That was an awfully bumpy stretch of road, even with a speed limit of 60kph. But it's actually worse now then before it was resurfaced.

So whether the resurfacing contractor is private or the CC the result seems to be the same. Just crap.

Victor

The NRA is merely a funding and standards agency. The council own and maintain the road, whether with their own work crews (increasingly rare) or with contractors. Of course the problem is patching, patching will only hold for so long. Long term, Inishshannon and Bandon are both slated for a bypass.

Complain to the council, in particular local councillors - there is an election coming.

invincibleirish

I'm hijacking the thread but can anyone tell me more about the dispute between Cork CoCo & The NRA over the refusal of the NRA to let the council upgrade parts of the N71 themselves? read about it in the local media a few weeks back but can't find a link at the moment.

corktina

Has this something to do wtih the fact that the signposts etc from Bantry to Cork tkae you via an R road which is more direct than the N71 (which diverts via Skibbereen) and has an uprated 100km/h speed limit?

invincibleirish

As i recall it had something to do with plans for the Council to do some works on the N71 far west by Castletownbere. But my memory is hazy so it could well be the signpost issue.

It leads onto wider question if the NRA is unable to allocate funds to projects on the lesser green routes, is there a precedent for local councils to plan and pay for upgrades themselves?.

I note there has been another tranche of rural roads funding being released, would an upgrade of the N71 be better for West Cork then various minor upgrades?

ForiegnNational

I heard two radio reports on the Cork County Council taking on the NRA for lack of funding of the N71 over the past two weeks, but can find nothing further on the web about this.

The only item I can find dates back to a Cork County Council meeting in 2007 (http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/395269736.doc):

FUNDING FOR N71 BANDON – INNISHANNON ROAD

18/4-1

Members noted letter dated 27th March, 2007, from the National Roads Authority, in response to Council’s motion of 26th February, 2007, regarding funding for the N71 Bandon – Innishannon Road.

Members expressed dissatisfaction with its contents and that the matter should be referred back to the NRA to request that serious consideration be given to prioritising the N71 for funding as in their view the road in its current condition is dangerous.

The A/County Engineer said that Cork County Council submits its proposals annually to the NRA and that this section of the N71 continues to be a priority. He said he was hopeful that the funding would be provided before the end if the year.

I don't know whether they were just picking up on old news, or there simply is nothing published about this yet!

AugustusMinimus

Anyone know what the current status of the Chetwynd Viaduct Scheme ?

http://www.corkrdo.ie/n71_-_chetwynd_viaduct_dual_carraigeway.php

From what I can tell, it will be complete dualling from Bandon Roundabout to a new roundabout at Spur Hill.

Website above isn't very informative.


Any chance of including the name "N71 thread" in the title as this is the designated N71 thread as per the listing.