Roads money to run out
Entrance to Roseville Estate, Dublin Road, Naas. Photo Tony Keane.
THERE is not enough money available to Kildare County Council to carry out many road repairs in the Naas area.
Requests for improvements and upgrading work to be done at a number of locations around the town and its hinterland are increasingly being refused by council officials.
And if the members of Naas Town Council or Kildare County Council can’t secure relatively minor sums for infrastructural repairs it calls into question the role they’ve been elected to by the public.
A second attempt to provide a yellow box junction near Roseville, (Dublin Road) Naas, was rejected.
Cllr. Paddy McNamara sought to have it approved but was told at a KCC area meeting that there is no funding in the 2012 budget allocations to provide new yellow boxes.
Area engineer Brendan Sinnott told the council meeting that there is not enough money to hand to improve the existing boxes “never mind to do a new one.”
A new junction box, Mr. Sinnott said, would “cost a minimum of €1,000” or more - depending on the size.
Elsewhere, no money is available to carry out road resurfacing repairs from Mullacash Middle to Dunshane. According to the council, however, routine maintenance and “remedial patching” will continue on an ongoing basis “subject to budgetary and personnel constraints.”
Residents living in Mullacash -likened to a war zone - have complained about the condition of the road and some have had their cars damaged.
Councillors have complained that very little work is being done in the Mullacash area.
Cllr. Seamie Moore said he is exasperated at the response.
“I am not blaming the area engineer. I have to say that all I hear is that there is no money. I know there is not enough money but there is a budget and we’d like to see a fair allocation given to the Naas area; otherwise we are misleading people into believing that there is money available,” he said.
Sallins councillor Paddy McNamara said the councillors used to have individual discretionary grant of €40,000 a year to be used on projects chosen by them.
“There should be some recognition of the role we play,” he added.
Mr. Sinnott predicted that the money would run out by mid-September.
He warned: “. I get calls about this every day; the funding is not there except for the most basic of basic maintenance work.”
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Weather for Naas, Ireland
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 17 C
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