Pinkeens halt bridge work

We’ve seen this situation before with snails and frogs. Now it’s the turn of pinkeens and bats to bring urgent bridge repairs and reconstruction to a halt in the midlands. Angry Laois residents claim that while they are all for nature, they are sick of people coming off second every time.

“It’s only a small river, we didn’t even know there were pinkeens in it or that they were an endangered species, maybe it’s just an excuse but we’re tired of it.” says a dismayed John Melvin whose family are among the dozens discommoded by bridge closures and lengthy detours.

The problem in the Mountrath area of Laois stems from the massive multi-million construction of the M7 /M8 motorways which are currently carving their way through the county. Irate residents claim that they warned the authorities in July 2008 that the country roads and old bridges were not fit to take the heavy construction traffic but they were ignored. Now the Council and NRA are in a spat over who is responsible and who is to blame. But local authority engineer, Michael Malone is in no doubt as to the potential danger and risk to life involved. “The NRA are well aware that the only thing holding that bridge together is the ivy, that’s how bad it is.”

Over a year after the first complaints the Council have finally closed the Parkavilla bridge as it and others in the area are damaged and deemed too dangerous. Not much consolation to the campaigning residents who are facing into a winter of what they view as dangerous diversions along narrow country boreens, such as the route to a holy site nearby to St Fintan’s Well.

“When we told the Council that these roads weren’t fit for the big lorries as far back as last summer they just laughed at us and it took a year later until they finally admitted the bridge is in trouble,” maintains Peter Rice.

Road Closed

But it’s not just the inconvenience and delays that concern the residents, they fear fatalities on the narrow roads which have been designated as detours by the Council.

“Two cars can’t safely pass on the diversion, there are no margins, no speed limit signs, our concerns is that there will be a fatality, it’s so dangerous but now we’re told by officials that we’ll have to wait as the pinkeens can’t be disturbed, it’s ridiculous,” says Maresa Melvin who has spearheaded the campaign to highlight their plight.

Neighbour Seamus Lalor agrees. “At 8 o’ clock in the morning you’re in danger of getting killed out on that narrow road with all the construction traffic, low loaders, dumper trucks, artics, readymix, and sand and gravel lorries as well as the motorway men going to work. There are other bridges crumbling too, there’s going to be an accident and now we’re told we’ll have to wait until next year because of pinkeens, it’s just crazy.”

However, with the approach of winter there is no respite in sight for the furious residents. This week in a written response the National Roads Authority confirm that while the NRA have had ongoing discussions with Laois County Council and the M7/M8 Contractor, but that it is the responsibility of the Council not the NRA to close the bridge and to repair it. “It is a matter for Laois Council to determine how they wish to proceed at this time and they can make a formal submission to the NRA on the matter for consideration,” states the NRA’s Sheila Flanagan in a letter dated September 1^st.

Maresa Melvin is furious. “They are just passing the book and giving us the run-around, will someone have to be killed first before they listen to the local people?”

Vital bridge repairs proceeding at a snail’s pace? Cllr Michael Lalor has seen it all before and has every sympathy with the residents.

“I have the exact same situation going on with Northgrove bridge in Camross which is waiting for repairs for six years. Now they tell me they have to carry out a survey at night time of the bats living in the bridge over the Monasop River. One stubborn official and pinkeens and bats are more important than people and can hold up everything. I’m very vexed, everyone’s afraid of these officials and engineers and country people can’t take much more of it,” he warned.

Laois Council’s Area Engineer, Michael Malone also has sympathy for the residents and in a forthright fashion has no doubts as to who is responsible for the bridge repairs and the hold up to date.

“The NRA designated this road as a permitted access route in the contract for construction of the motorways. They were warned that the bridges weren’t suitable to take the heavy traffic but they are the geniuses. What if a school bus or a milk lorry crashed under a collapsing bridge? I had no choice but to close it and I realise the diversion is not ideal. The Council has sent a comprehensive submission to the NRA months ago to repair this bridge but we can’t get the money out of them. They still owe the Council €200,000 for other bridge and road repairs we handled for them and that’s hard to carry. It would take about €150,000 to fix this bridge, out of a budget of €500m the NRA have for this motorway, but I can’t budge until they give us the funds, so I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t,” he frankly explained.

Exacerbated Residents

Mr Malone also confirmed that there were wildlife issues relating to any bridge repairs after September 30^th involving the Fisheries Board and the Parks and Wildlife Service as the river is a tributary of the Nore and there are spawning considerations for salmon, lamprey, the endangered pearl mussel and not just pinkeens!

*The good news on this story is that after it was reported in the Sunday Independent on September 6^th, the authorities got their act together and repaired the dangerous bridge and re-opened the roads. On the last week in November it only remained for the Council to resurface the damaged roadway.