A pot-hole strewn stretch of a busy road in Letterkenny is not the responsibility of Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District Council and is in fact a private road, local councillors have been told.
Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh submitted a motion to the March meeting of the local authority calling on the Council to “again look at some means of addressing the serious condition of the potholed section of College Farm Road and try to find a solution for residents of that area.”
However, in an official reply, he was told that this is a private road and not in the charge of Donegal County Council. Furthermore, there is currently no funding mechanism available for the Council to carry out repairs to this road.
Addressing the meeting, Cllr Kavanagh said: “It is a small section of road with huge potholes which make it almost impassable after rain.”
He said that to get the work required privately is “too expensive” for people in the area to take on.
And he maintained that if a wake or funeral was to take place in the area “it would be nearly impossible for people to attend.”
While he accepted the Council’s position, he hoped it would be a priority if there is any solution.
Cllr Gerry McMonagle, meanwhile, felt the Council had to do something. “We give out planning permission for houses up there so there is some responsibility on us,” he stated.
He continued: “We need to bite the bullet, I think people are entitled to something, even if it is the repair of potholes and in the long term they could get the money gathered up to do a proper job.”
In response, David McIlwaine, Senior Executive Engineer, re-iterated the Council’s position.
“Unfortunately, we are constrained. It is a private road in an urban area and there is no access to funding. We cannot set a precedent,” he said, adding there are also drainage issues, and he reckoned to complete the whole job “will cost hundreds of thousands”.
Mayor Cllr Ciaran Brogan said they were all familiar with what was going on, and suggested a meeting with local people could be arranged.