Cape Clear roads and water will be worth waiting for

FROM the worst to the best – that’s what the island community of Cape Clear can expect of their new water supply and their new road network.

Irish Water’s upgrade of 10km of watermains has meant that 14m litres of water will be saved on the island each year.

Islander Seamus Ó Drisceoil pointed out the irony of the fact that Cape used to experience water shortages, or restrictions, on an annual basis but now it has an abundant supply despite the fact that it has been the driest summer in decades.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council confirmed that following the successful competition of the water scheme, the local authority and Irish Water have agreed a schedule of works in relation to the permanent reinstatement of the island’s road network.

Drainage works will start in the next couple of weeks and by mid-September the entire road network will be substantially repaired and upgraded.

The Council said the road surface will be dressed with 150mm of limestone wetmix, which will be sealed and double surfaced dressed to provide ‘a high-quality finished product’.

When the matter came up at a recent meeting of the West Cork Municipal District, Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said: ‘This is fantastic. They will go from having the worst roads to the best roads in the county because the type of road they are getting is top of the range and will last a lifetime.’

Cllr Mary Hegarty (FG) said: ‘These works will go a long way to alleviating the frustration that the islanders experienced during the construction phase.’

Mr O Driscoll admitted that he and other islanders had hoped that the roads would have been repaired before the summer season, particularly the South Road, which is in very poor condition, but, he said: ‘We have been told that the new roads will be fabulous and we certainly hope that will be the case.’