Dangerous junctions to be raised with roads authority

Junctions on the N52 between Borrisokane and Nenagh are to be mentioned at an upcoming meeting between Tipperary Co Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

The N52 north of Borrisokane; traffic calming measures in Carrigahorig, and the flood-prone section of the N65 between Carrigahorig and Portumna are to be the three priorities when Nenagh Municipal District holds its annual delegation meeting with TII.

But at last week's district meeting, several councillors called for junctions along the N52 to be also highlighted with the national roads authority. Cllr Ger Darcy spoke of several minor accidents and “an awful lot of close ones” on the junctions between Borrisokane in Nenagh. The right-turning junctions at Congar, Ardcroney and Ashley Park have seen a lot of these incidents and the N52 is becoming a lot more dangerous, said Cllr Darcy, who lives on the route and has never seen such volumes of traffic. He added that TII removed arrow markings from the road and never replaced them with anything.

Cllr Joe Hannigan had a similar opinion about the N52 between Nenagh and Borrisokane. “It's lethal, and that really needs to be hammered home,” he said of the TII meeting.

NENAGH N52 JUNCTION

Cllr Hughie McGrath agreed, and pointed out that a similar situation exists at the Dromin Road junction with the N52 in Nenagh. He suggested that a filter lane or traffic island would serve to make the well-used junction more safe. Cllr McGrath asked if line markings on the N52 need to be replaced with greater frequency.

Cllr John Carroll described the Nenagh junction as dangerous in that motorists approaching from the Dromin Road have poor sightlines of fast-moving traffic on the N52. He pointed out that the route is used by a lot of school traffic. A similar problem with sightlines exists at Congar and Ashley Park, he said.

Cllr Michael O'Meara believed the Lahorna junction on the N52 also warrants attention. He suggested that a full survey of the route is needed.

District Director Marcus O'Connor said the council did not have updated figures for traffic volumes on the Nenagh-Borrisokane stretch of the N52. Nationally, traffic volumes have almost returned to pre-pandemic levels. He said TII made the decision to remove right-turning arrows on the route and the council had no say in this. Line markings were part of a separate contract, though these issues could be discussed with TII at the meeting.

THREE PRIORITIES

Traffic calming in Carrighorig, where a design allocation is in place, and preventing flooding further out the N65 at Balleiragh, were, however, among the priorities. Mr O'Connor described the flood-prone section of the national route as “absolutely shocking”; an expert who recently inspected the section found it to be the second-worst he had seen anywhere. There is no simple solution to the problem, Mr O'Connor warned.

Cllr Darcy said the N65 is the only national road in the country that is regularly blocked because of flooding at Balleiragh. Minor roads in the area have been “destroyed” by diverted traffic and pressure must be brought to bear on TII to do something, he said.

Cllr Séamie Morris said the section has been a problem since as far back as 1957. “We need to bite the bullet and get that job done,” he told the meeting.

Mr O'Connor said there had never been a geo-technical investigation of the route before now. A major difficulty has been identified, and while there is no lack of willingness among the authorities, there would be no “quick fix” solution either.

Cllr O'Meara spoke of an “accident waiting to happen” on the N65 at Milford House, while Cllr Hannigan spoke of a serious accident that occurred at the Ballingarry turn-off for Shinrone on the N52 earlier this year. The national route is in excellent condition in all the other counties it passes through, and it is “high time” something is done about the local sections, he said.

Mr O'Connor agreed that the section north of Borrisokane is one of the poorest on the route, which is why the local authority wants to prioritise the matter with TII.