KILCOCK a bridge too far (beyond repair)

umpire bat

Will anyone from either Meath or Kildare county council take responsibility for the very dangerous condition of the road surface at the narrow bridge approaching Kilcock from Summehill. Is it a no mans land ?
Its time to ACT on road safety. Road safety is not one way traffic. Driver behaviour has improved a lot. But local authorities still fall short. WILL the traffic corps prosecute the county managers/ engineers for failing to meet minimum standards?

TheUsual

Kildare County Council.

Take some photos and send them an email and send the email to your local politician too.

Might happen but the council lives off money from businesses and they are losing a lot of cash from the recession.

Archeron

the holes on that bridge are pretty unbelievable alright. I seen a truck going completely onto the wrong side of the road this morning trying to avoid them. I was wondering myself whether it was Meath or Kildare that was responsible, and it would be good to see them fixed. I'm guessing that a lack of money though will mean at best we can expect to see a blob of wet tar with a fat man in a high viz jacket jumping up and down on it to make it fit.

(and I have seen this before on the back roads around Dunderry. A truck farting out wet tar and a fat man squashing it into place)

newmug

TheUsual wrote: »

Kildare County Council.

Take some photos and send them an email and send the email to your local politician too.

Might happen but the council lives off money from businesses and they are losing a lot of cash from the recession.

Businesses in Kildare? Hmmm, let me see: Intel, Hewlett-Packard, the Curragh Racecourse, the K club, Kildare Village shopping outlet, not to mention the percentage of planning permission fees Kildare County Council would have creamed off during the boom years in areas like Lucan, Cellbridge, Maynooth etc. Surely the poor fcukers could afford a bit of tar?

PauloMN

The lack of cash excuse doesn't wash with me tbh. It's a tiny stretch of road, and I'm sure if you added up the costs of all the patch-up jobs they have done on it, doing a proper surfacing would be cheaper in the long run. And of course that's completely aside from the safety issue.

TheUsual

Not disagreeing but the bad roads are down to County Councils spending all their money on stupid stuff like street furniture (lamps, benches, fancy lights etc), road-ramps that are a menace.
And then they have no money to fix a bad road surface that they are responsible for. In the UK if you damage your suspension or wheels, you can take a claim against the council responsible. Never heard of it here though.

umpire bat

Agree with the point about street furniture. I think it was Frank McDonald in the Times who described it as the "bollardisation of Ireland" a few years ago.
The traffic corps should prosecute local authorities. The ministers of Transport and Justice are always patting themselves on the back about road safety.

They could get extra pats on the back for putting the minister for Environment or a negligent local authority in the dock for "maintaining the public highway in a derelict manner" or similar charge.

Archeron

I dont know what the road surface version of cillit bang is, but they've used it. BANG and the holes are gone. (for a few weeks anyway)

umpire bat

In the words of BORAT.......Success!

The road did have a certain Kazak quality

PauloMN

Archeron wrote: »

I dont know what the road surface version of cillit bang is, but they've used it. BANG and the holes are gone. (for a few weeks anyway)

They must read Boards.ie.....

Is it the usual patch-up job, or something a bit more permanent?

falabo

Mickey Mouse job. give it 1 month and it will be back to square one.

umpire bat

falabo wrote: »

Mickey Mouse job. give it 1 month and it will be back to square one.

YOU ARE RIGHT
Its getting frayed at the edges already. Which council is responsible thought?

umpire bat

Took this from the NRA homepage.


About Us

The National Roads Authority (NRA) was formally established as an independent statutory body under the Roads Act, 1993 with effect from 1 January, 1994.

The Authority's primary function, under the Roads Act 1993, is to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of National roads. For this purpose, it has overall responsibility for planning and supervision of construction and maintenance works on these roads.

overshoot

umpire bat wrote: »

The Authority's primary function, under the Roads Act 1993, is to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of National roads. For this purpose, it has overall responsibility for planning and supervision of construction and maintenance works on these roads.

NRA is only responsible for n & m roads, regional and local roads are the co co's responsibility

TheUsual

umpire bat wrote: »

YOU ARE RIGHT
Its getting frayed at the edges already. Which council is responsible thought?

Not already !!

Used to be before election time in North Dublin all the potholes would get a quick fill of tarmac and a few whacks with a shovel.
After the elections, roads would be back to the same state.


Kildare County Council are responsible as far as I know.

PauloMN

umpire bat wrote: »

YOU ARE RIGHT
Its getting frayed at the edges already. Which council is responsible thought?

What a joke. Why can't they just spend the money to do the job properly? Surely it'll be cheaper in the long run.

umpire bat

Surely road safety and the condition of the roads for which we pay road tax, petrol/diesel duties and some tolls should be SAFE irrespective of county boundaries.

swordofislam wrote: »

This is a Kildare forum. Those who use the Bridge are by definition NOT KILDARE. It is an old Bridge and a landmark with good roads on either side. Hey Meathie you know what SLOW DOWN.

It should be closed anyway. Meathies should be forced to use the N3. Or go up to Enfield and pay the toll.

Stop RATRUNNING through Kildare!

KILDARE ABÚ

Above was the reply which my query got on the Kildare board

Archeron

umpire bat wrote: »

Surely road safety and the condition of the roads for which we pay road tax, petrol/diesel duties and some tolls should be SAFE irrespective of county boundaries.

I agree, but can see this getting worse. The rough part entering Summerhill from Kilcock (on the corner as you turn right onto the main street) is getting pretty bad. I've seen cars go onto the wrong side of the roads there to avoid it, and on a corner into a main street, that wont end well.

PauloMN

Archeron wrote: »

I agree, but can see this getting worse. The rough part entering Summerhill from Kilcock (on the corner as you turn right onto the main street) is getting pretty bad. I've seen cars go onto the wrong side of the roads there to avoid it, and on a corner into a main street, that wont end well.

Yup Summerhill is getting bad again, but as with everything in this shíthole country, it's because the job that was started was not finished. On the approach to Summerhill from both Kilcock and Trim, there are manhole covers protruding over the existing road surface, so it's clear another few layers of tarmac were suppose to be added. It must be like that around 2 years - I can understand delays, but 2 years? Fecking joke.

That bend you talk about is dreadful, awful surface and no road markings, so those unfamiliar with the area have no idea who has right-of-way at that junction. I slow down to a crawl there for safety and so as not to damage my car. And the village itself is also missing a few layers of tarmac.

Then I see a whole long stretch of road from Glasnevin cemetery right down to Phibsboro completely resurfaced when it was absolutely fine before hand. Different council I know, but you would think that give the times we are in, priorities should be decided on a national basis.

Rant over. :mad:

pullandbang

Yay! The bridge was done today

PauloMN

pullandbang wrote: »

Yay! The bridge was done today

"Done" as in properly done? :eek: Not just the usual patch-up?

pullandbang

PauloMN wrote: »

"Done" as in properly done? :eek: Not just the usual patch-up?

No, properly done with a whole new surface from one side to the other.

Archeron

Why Embassador, with these properly tarmacced bridges, you really are spoiling us.

Nice one on the job they done, its a pleasure to drive over now.

INCONFIDENCE

PauloMN wrote: »

Y. On the approach to Summerhill from both Kilcock and Trim, there are manhole covers protruding over the existing road surface, so it's clear another few layers of tarmac were suppose to be added. It must be like that around 2 years - I can understand delays, but 2 years? Fecking joke.

The road works in Summerhill have been taking place since 2004 , 7 years. They willl shortly enter the Guinness Book of Records..Another first for Meath.

umpire bat

Bridge done . Crossed it this morning. Well done.

Subaru have expressed an interest in using Summerhill to test their WRC cars for the 2012 season.
What is the real reason for the rickety surface.?

Archeron

Looks like they may have started on the bad part of Summerhill mentioned above, there were works there last week. Here's hoping anyway, my 12 year old Hyundai is not cut out for off roading.

PauloMN

Are they reading Boards.ie?

Mr.Applepie

Archeron wrote: »

Looks like they may have started on the bad part of Summerhill mentioned above, there were works there last week. Here's hoping anyway, my 12 year old Hyundai is not cut out for off roading.

Yep it's all fixed up (at the bad section anway). I dunno I have gotten used to swerving to avoid giant holes in the ground (I think that it couldn't be classed as a pothole in the state it was in) and manhole covers sticking out of the ground. It felt very weird driving straight.

Archeron

Mr.Applepie wrote: »

Yep it's all fixed up (at the bad section anway). I dunno I have gotten used to swerving to avoid giant holes in the ground (I think that it couldn't be classed as a pothole in the state it was in) and manhole covers sticking out of the ground. It felt very weird driving straight.

haha, funny you say that. Somebody mentioned to me the other week about when in Summerhill, it looks like everybody on the road is drunk. There tends to be traffic coming from everywhere (out of the roads off the main street, and the car parks) and not one of them is driving in a straight line

Fair play though, delighted to see these problems being fixed.

INCONFIDENCE

You see a fella leaning on a shovel and have an orgasm thinking the road has been fixed.
You are all wrong they are back messing again this morning. Nest year these road works will be going on 8 years.

Archeron

INCONFIDENCE wrote: »

You see a fella leaning on a shovel and have an orgasm thinking the road has been fixed.

Maybe THATS why nobody can drive through Summerhill in a straight line.