CORK County Council has taken advantage of the current closure of Market Street to resurface the road from the new library as far as Church Lane junction, a meeting heard last week.

Senior executive engineer Richard Cahill told members of the Bandon Kinsale Municipal District last week that Cork County Council took the decision to lay down a new road pavement from Bandon Library to the Church Lane junction, while contractors work on Market Street, which is closed until mid March as part of Bandon TPREP (Town Public Realm Enhancement Project),

Councillors had previously raised the issue of this section of the road and said it would look out of place compared to all the recent transformation of the town’s streetscape.

Executive engineer John Duggan also updated councillors on the ongoing works on Market Street which is currently closed until St Patrick’s bank holiday weekend.

He said the contractors are carrying out a full depth road reconstruction of the street as well as installing a raised pedestrian crossing at the Chapel Steps.

‘They are expected to complete the works ahead of schedule and it could be done by Friday 13th even which will complete works on Market Street,’ he said.

The final piece of works will then move to St Finbarr’s Place in April which is expected to take approximately six months which won’t involve full road closures and will tighten up the junction for all road users.

This will involve the installation of a raised pedestrian crossings by the Cracked restaurant as well as at Harte’s Car Park which Mr Cahill said will improve connectivity for pedestrians across the town centre and may help with the long queues of traffic on the Glasslyn Road and give traffic a better chance to exit from that junction.

He also said two raised pedestrian crossing have also been installed on the newly resurfaced Macroom Road and that the Council is seeking to install two new bus stops in the town centre, one to be located by Kevin O’Leary’s garage on the New Road and the another at Bandon GAA car park, which will be going to tender soon.

Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF) said business owners in the town have been very complimentary of the works being carried out on Market Street and noted that the pavers were working last Saturday morning in heavy rain. She also welcomed the funding secured for the tidying up of St Finbarr’s Place.

Cllr Alan Coleman (Ind) said there is excellent work being carried out on Market Street and welcomed the fact that contractors may be ahead of schedule. ‘The works too at St Finbarr’s Place are vital too so we can link it all within the town centre,’ he said.

Cllr John Michael Foley (FG) praised the work of the contractors in what he said are ‘shocking conditions’ and he also welcomed the resurfacing of the road to Chapel Lane junction while Market Street is closed.

Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) said a pedestrian crossing at Harte’s Carpark will be a great asset for the town centre as she said she is constant fear that someone would be knocked down while trying to cross the road. She said that once works on St Finbarr’s Place are completed it might help alleviate congestion along the Glasslyn Road which has become problematic for many of her constituents