Impending N3 madness

DMC

From this week's Meath Chronicle and here.

Chaos For Commuters, Residents Looming By Ann Casey

TRAFFIC chaos on the busy N3 Dublin-Navan route is being predicted early in the New Year as work gets underway on the multi-million euro Dunshaughlin Sewerage Scheme.

Proposals to re-route traffic through Ratoath village during pipe-laying work in Dunshaughlin also have been criticised by Ratoath councillor Nick Killian.

Meath Co. Council proposes re-routing traffic from Dublin to Navan from Ross Cross into Ratoath village and back to the N3 via the Fairyhouse Road. Traffic from Dublin to Navan will be re-routed through Batterstown. I'd say this is a typo. Traffic TO Dublin will turn left at Ross Cross and come out at Fairyhouse.

The move is likely to lead to delays for thousands of Meath commuters driving from Navan and other local towns to work in the city each morning and evening. The diversions will be in operation for six months, it is understood.

Colr. Killian says he is strongly opposed to the re-routing of traffic through Ratoath for the next six months. The traffic will be re-routed because of the laying of sewerage pipes in the main

street of Dunshaughlin, which is due to start in January as part of the E24 million Dunshaughlin Sewerage Scheme.

“While I welcome the E24 million investment in the Dunshaughlin Sewerage Scheme, I most certainly do not welcome its serious traffic impact on Ratoath and the other surrounding villages it will affect,” said Colr. Killian.

He said that as far back as last May, he indicated his clear opposition to any proposed re-routing of traffic from Navan to Dublin through Ratoath. “My main reason for opposing this is the simple fact that Ratoath is already a rat run for the county’s traffic, particularly the Skryne Road and Kilbride Road. Local residents are already living with thousands of cars travelling on these roads and they experience the excessive speed that some idiots drive at on what are essentially local county roads,” he said.

He pointed out that there are also huge volumes of heavy

goods traffic on the Curraha/Fairyhouse road.

Colr. Killian added that consultation had already taken place with the business and residents associations in Dunshaughlin, but Meath Co. Council has not consulted with any of the other villages that will be impacted by the proposed re-routing of traffic.

At a recent area council meeting, he voiced his complete opposition to the traffic proposals and requested that the Co. Council officials and the contractors come up with alternative plans. He suggested working from 8pm at night to 6am in the morning and weekend working.

He also called on the Co. Council to carry out a major information exercise with every household in the affected areas. He said those involved in the contract must bear responsibility and inform the entire population of the county as they all will ultimately be inconvenienced by the works.

“My main concern is for the residents that I represent in the Dunshaughlin Electoral Area who will bear the brunt of the inconvenience. It is time for imaginative work methodologies to be taken on board by the main players in these sewerage works,” he said.

The E24.03m sewerage scheme will provide a sewer network and wastewater treatment and disposal facility for the town of Dunshaughlin and villages of Kilmessan, Dunsany and Drumree

cournioni

As if it wasn't bad enough going through Dunshaughin, we have to go through narrow roads now! Christ, the N3 is probably the most under funded National Primary road in Ireland and its one of the busiest roads too. When are the government gonna do something about the roads?

LFCFan

I think the N2 gets has the accolade of the most under funded road in Ireland. It's the biggest joke of a road ever. What is it about Meath and the roads? It's no wonder the Dublin/Meath/Louth area is the worst for traffic accidents. Either Meath CC are the most useless bunch of morons ever(my opinion) or the government have forgotten about the County.