PATCHING a notorious stretch of the N71 road from Bandon Rugby Club to the civic amenity site is not a substitute for adequate, sustained investment in our roads, according to a Bandon-based Cllr.

Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) was responding to repaving repairs works which were carried out by Cork County Council last Friday on that stretch of road which is in need of serious resurfacing.

“Funding was allocated by TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) to carry out patching works on this stretch of road. While this is a welcome step towards addressing the deplorable road conditions, let’s be clear: patching is a step in the right direction, but it is not a substitute for adequate, sustained investment in our national roads,” said Cllr Bambury.

“I have consistently raised the need for proper annual road funding allocations for County Cork. Years of underinvestment have left our national road network in a serious state of disrepair and we cannot expect to play catch-up when funding is allocated on a piecemeal, year to year basis.”

She also pointed out that TII is responsible for the national road network but it is local authority resources are being sued to address the condition of roads that fall under its remit.

“This places additional pressure on already stretched local roads departments and raises serious questions about how our national roads are being funded and
maintained.

“The people of County Cork deserve better than a cycle of deterioration followed by temporary repairs. We need proper, consistent annual investment and a long-term plan and adequate funding to bring our national roads up to an acceptable standard not just piecemeal allocations to deal with the problems they arise.”

A council spokesperson confirmed that extensive repaving repairs were carried out and completed two weeks ago.