The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
COW dung got a large share of the blame for the state of the L2000 road, at last week’s meeting of Kilrush and Ennistymon area councillors.
Councillor Cillian Murphy called for repairs to the road, in a motion he put to the meeting which asked that, “an assessment of the works required to bring the L2000 up to a standard expected of a primary route for tourism on the Loop Head Peninsula, including to the Bridges of Ross, be carried out, including a timeline for undertaking them.”
However in a written reply, Senior Executive Engineer Alan Kennelly said livestock are causing an issue which would need to be resolved first.
“The L-2000-0 is the access route to the Bridges of Ross and Ross Bay and is an important tourist route. While the road surface overall is in reasonable condition there are sections of it that would benefit from resurfacing works. Shorter sections require both road reconstruction and resurfacing works.
“There is a complicating factor along the route in that some local farmers move their cattle along the road on a daily basis.
“While it is understood that cows need feeding and milking it is a fact that cows leave dung deposits in their wake. An unfortunate consequence is that if this cow dung is not removed
from the road, over time, chemicals in the dung affect the road surface and accelerate its breakdown.”
“I believe that a number of nearby farmers have purchased road sweeping brushes and water tanks (which are mounted on a suitable tractor) and clean the road daily.
“If the farmers with herds along the L-2000-0 could be persuaded to do likewise then the lifetime of the road surface would be extended and it would be easier to make a case for road resurfacing works.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
