Shovel may be replaced by pothole machine

THE tried and trusted method of council road workers fixing potholes with a shovel and bitumen could become a thing of the past in East Clare if local councillors get their way.

Clare County Council was asked to purchase a second pothole machine (velocity patcher) at a recent electoral area meeting, with councillors claiming that road workers could be redeployed to drainage works on some roads.
Senior executive engineer, Seán Lenihan, told councillors it would cost €187,000 to purchase another machine, while the council also had the option of hiring one at a cost of €4,000 a week.
Mr Lenihan said that it has the capacity to deal with up to seven tonnes of material a day filling potholes.
He explained the road department paid the machinery yard for the use of the driver.
Councillor Pat Burke proposed the council should seriously consider purchasing a new velocity patcher, considering up to 15 road workers in the Killaloe Electoral Area were not replaced, the national recruitment ban and resultant staffing shortages. He suggested road workers could be re-deployed to carry out drainage works.
He was supported by Councillor Pat Hayes, who suggested the council consider taking a percentage of the overall road budget to finance a new patching machine.
“The work done by a velocity patcher is more substantial than the traditional way and it adds up to a cheaper option in the long run. People living in Ballinruan and on county and minor roads throughout East Clare are entitled to have decent roads as much as those using national routes.
“However, this shouldn’t be used as an excuse to lose more road workers or funding for roads. There is plenty of drainage work to be carried out by road workers,” he said.
Mr Lenihan said he would make a submission to the council outlining the benefits of obtaining another patching machine. He also pointed out that some people rated patchers while others do not.
“Regardless of how many velocity patchers the council has, you will still get potholes because of wear and tear and water erosion. I have my own views on it and if you have a lot of potholes in a localised area, it can be very effective,” he said.