Councillor 'gave up counting number of potholes' on Cork road after reaching 250

A county councillor and members of a local community organisation “simply gave up counting the number of potholes” on a small section of road in East Cork when they reached 250.

Independent councillor John Buckley said he had been asked by community representatives in Dungourney to look at the state of the L7628 road from the village to Billberry Cross.

“I walked a section of it with the locals, and we simply gave up counting the potholes when we reached 250,” he said.

He made the statement at a meeting of the East Cork Municipal District Council, and it prompted Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty to add that “it’s in a really shocking state". 

The proliferation of potholes in the region is getting worse, despite the efforts of county council crews to fix them, the council heard, with snow, ice, and rainfall all exacerbating the problem.

Council engineers said patching is not a viable solution for the Dungourney road, with part of it requiring a complete overlay. They said they will examine what works can be carried out

Mr Buckley said Hillside Rd, Lower Aghada, needs major repairs as it is crumbling due to rainfall damage.

He was told the council’s roads operations and area services is seeking funding to advance surface water drainage works under the Climate Change Adaption and Resilience Works Programme. Once the necessary drainage works are completed, the road will then be considered for resurfacing in future roads programmes, he explained.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said that a number of roads are pitted with potholes in the Ballymacoda area, especially at the townlands of Ballyfleming, Gortavella, and Curragheen, all of which require urgent attention.

Council engineers acknowledged the state of these roads and said they will carry out repairs on them as soon as possible.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern asked that Goulds Hill, Killeagh, be addressed as it is in a poor state having not been resurfaced for many years. Engineers agreed that it falls under the category for resurfacing under the Government’s Severe Weather Programme but will only be done if funding is released for it.

East Cork senior executive engineer Dave Clarke said a number of roads damaged by the severe weather had previously been repaired in the region using this grant aid, but how many more will be completed depends on the next round of funding.