Local elections 2024: Funding needed for West Cork road network

POTHOLES and flood damage are affecting already small, twisty West Cork roads, which were the location of a huge percentage of road fatalities in 2023, it has been claimed.

Driving these roads is not only dangerous, but takes longer, isolating people in rural areas even more than if they had better-maintained roads, many residents believe.

All of the West Cork councillors raised the issues of the roads, saying they hear complaints about it constantly, but that central Government will not provide the necessary funding for better, safer roads.

West Cork has one of the longest road networks of any local electoral area, but other areas are getting more money for the maintenance roads, with the funding working out at about €6,000 per km, while other places are receiving as much as €10,000-€15,000 per km.

Mr Hayes explained: “At a recent meeting of the West Cork Municipal District, a council engineer stated that they only get enough funding to surface and maintain only 2% of the road network in the area.

“Cork county is near the bottom of the league table of counties when it comes to investment from central Government in our roads. We have over 12,000km of rural roads in the county and quite simply, we just don’t get enough funding for our road network.”

Independent councillor Declan Hurley said: “The main issue in West Cork is the state of our road network – it’s in a shocking, appalling state.” He explained that the amount of money they received for the roads was €70m in 2008, which should be €140m today with inflation, but instead it was cut down to €35m, and though “it has crept up bit by bit”, it never got to the equivalent of the level it was at 2008.

“We are seeing a total neglect of the road network,” he continued.

“The engineers here told us that the amount of money that they got here in West Cork is only going to upgrade 2% of the roads, so if you get a road done now, they would not be able to get back to it for 50 years.

“We don’t have the privilege of trains or Luases, we need our roads to function, or it’s going to affect quality of life.”

Mr Murphy also outlined that their road network as an area in need of serious investment, explaining that other, smaller counties have more money to allocate to roads.

“We have a huge network of roads, especially with the three peninsulas going in and out, and they are not up to scratch,” he said. “Yet at a recent Municipal District meeting we learned that we can probably only resurface less than 2% of our roads with the funding we’ve been given.”

Mr Heinhold said that he was “hearing a lot” about the state of the roads from his constituents, saying: “In Bantry there’s a really bad stretch of road waiting for works.

“People are all rattling around in their cars because we are not keeping our roads up to the standards.”

Ms Coakley said: “There’s limited resources and constrained budgets limiting the ability to get the roads fixed — investment in infrastructure in general in West Cork is way behind.”

She said she raised a motion asking for the streets of Skibbereen to be resurfaced, but “the engineers told us we wouldn’t have enough money”.

Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll said: “Investment in infrastructure is lacking — a lot of people in the community are very upset about not having proper roads and streets, the distribution of financial resources and services is not equal.”

Mr Collins called the roads “deplorable”, saying: 

“It’s a massive issue, and we are getting less money per km than any other local authority. If people realised the roads I have to travel out to, Beara, Mizen — difficult roads, boreens — but people from these rural areas still like to see people making the effort to call out canvassing.”

Ms Cronin added: “The continued rain in West Cork has left many roads in a terrible state, with potholes and surface damage bringing risk to drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

“Maintenance of road infrastructure becomes challenging during prolonged wet weather, as potholes and erosion worsen, requiring frequent repairs and maintenance to ensure road safety.

“Acknowledging the efforts of maintenance crews and workers on the ground who work tirelessly to address road issues, we must prioritise road maintenance funding, equipment, and more men on the ground to improve the overall road conditions in West Cork.”

Labour Party candidate Evie Nevin said: “Every day, motorists brave treacherous conditions on our crumbling roads.

“The recent spate of bad weather has only compounded the problem, leaving roads in a state of disrepair that endangers those who travel on them. It’s not just inconvenient; it’s a matter of life and death.

“The junction at Clonakilty Hospital and Ballinafrin Cross, for example, have been the scenes of crashes on numerous occasions. I fear no meaningful action will be taken until there is a fatality.

“Our local councils are being forced to stretch already thin budgets to cover the costs of repairs, leaving essential services underfunded and communities isolated.”