Repairs to ‘third world’ Skibb road on hold til drainage works are done

REPAIRS to a section of the Cork Road in Skibbereen which is in urgent need of resurfacing won’t take place now until substantive and necessary drainage works are first undertaken.

The section from the roundabout out towards Connolly’s Spar petrol station is falling apart with councillors having raised this issue with Council officials on numerous occasions before.

Just last weekend, online posts about the road drew the ire of many motorists and it became apparent that it’s not just this road that needs repair but several in the town centre as well. 

One person posted that this road is destroying their ‘car and tyres and really needs fixing,’ while another criticised the methods used by Council to repair potholes. Another person said it ‘beggars belief that this major transport route was left like this.’

Many described some of the roads in West Cork as ‘third world’ and called for urgent repair work on the Skibbereen to Drinagh Road as well as the bypass at the Mill Junction in Skibbereen.

A Council spokesperson told The Southern Star that because the N71 Cork Road is a national route, the surfacing of this road falls under the remit of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

‘There are substantive and necessary drainage works requiring excavations on this section of the roadway scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2023. The re-surfacing of the road will not commence until these works have been completed.’

Cllr Karen Coakley (Ind) said that some of the roads, including the Cork road are ‘atrocious’ and she is calling on engineers to push this drainage project forward so that the Cork road can be resurfaced.

‘Peoples’ cars are being damaged and it’s very unfair as they pay their road tax and deserve better. It’s also not a good look for people coming into Skibbereen to drive on such a bad road surface,’ said Cllr Coakley.

‘Bad weather before Christmas has also made the situation worse. There’s a huge workload out there but there aren’t enough outdoor staff to cover these jobs.’

This comes on the back of councillors in Bandon last week calling for major repairs to be carried out on the N71 from Bandon to Gaggin. A three-vehicle collision took place on the section of the road just hours after the issue was raised.