COUNCILLORS in Letterkenny say plans to upgrade and improve safety on the Windyhall Road are now a matter of urgency.
They claim that the amount of traffic on this stretch of road which leads from the Kilmacrennan Road towards Glencar, is busier than ever, yet road-users and local residents are constantly highlighting traffic dangers.
At Tuesday’s Letterkenny-Milford Municipal district meeting, Cllr Gerry McMonagle said that plans which councillors thought were in place to make the Windyhall Road a ring road around the town had now been “pulled out from under them”.
He had a motion before the meeting asking for the council to request a delegation meeting with the Minister for Transport in order to apply for a Specific Road Funding Grant to upgrade and make safe the Windyhall Road for all road users.
Cllr McMonagle told the meeting that the amount of traffic and dangers were increasing on the Windyhall Road. However, they have now learned that the Office of Planning Regulator (OPR) had “pulled” this plan.
“We know this can be done but we do not have that money within the roads budget in this county,” he said.
“We need to go to the minister and ask for money and keep it up there at the top of the agenda. We cannot wait six months or six years. This road needs to be upgraded.
“When we were there with the engineers we saw the difficulties road users and pedestrians had,” Cllr McMonagle said.
Seconding the motion Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh said there was not a month when someone does not approach a councillor about that road.
“We need to do something on an emergency basis,” he added.
Cllr Ciaran Brogan said councillors need to “get their ducks in a row” with the executive.
“We need to have a shared document among ourselves before meeting the minister and the executive have not done that,” he said.
“Funding was allocated and that went to the consultants. It would be very embarrassing if we went to the minister and were told we got money.”
Cllr McMonagle said his motion was a way of “putting extra pressure on the roads department to put in place an application”.
He wanted to know when the OPR decided that the plan for Windyhall Road should be removed from the Letterkenny Plan.
Senior Executive Engineer David McIlwaine told the meeting there were three issues involved – the Northern Relief Road long term; to improve traffic movement around the town and the whole Glencar area.
“These are one of eleven schemes for the town currently being developed by consultants.
“A safety scheme may help – some measure to improve safety while realigning bends,” Mr McIlwaine added.
Mayor Donal Mandy Kelly told the meeting it had been very informative to have the site meeting at Windyhall Road with the roads design team.
“We were told this work was three years away and then we were told it was pulled by OPR. There was an accident there the week before our meeting on the site,” Mayor Kelly added.
Director of Services Liam Ward said he would put in a request to meet with OPR, and councillors and executive members would have a special meeting in advance of that.
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