IT emerged this week that the Barnagh N21 Realignment Group secured 5,000 signatures in their campaign to have section of the road realigned, following a series of accidents in recent years.
The group presented their findings at a packed county hall on this Monday, and expressed their disappointed that officials failed to attend a recent meeting in the Devon Inn, where they had planned to present their petition.
Spokesperson Seamus Collins, addressed council.
“The people in the gallery are residents of Barnagh and loved ones of those who have died.
“I want to stress our disappointment at the non-attendance of officials, who hung the councillors out to dry at our recent meeting. It was an insult.
“We’re not looking for heads, we just want answers”.
Mr. Collins alleged that in the early ‘90’s, markings had been placed on residents land with a plan to realign the road, but that engineers had then walked away.
“There were five fatalities in five months on the road where a motorway leads into a bottleneck, but it has been washed over and ignored”.
Siobhán Kelly said that, having conducted an investigation into the council’s application for realignment, discovered that it was not valid as the application was made for a 300 metre stretch.
Ms. Kelly learned that application to the NRA for realignment must be for a stretch of road of at least 1KM in length.
“It’s only a matter of time before a truck jackknife’s and then you will have to get off your backsides and do something,” said Liam Madden, who lives on the dangerous stretch of road.
Local Cllrs Michael Collins, Patrick O’Donovan, Jerome Scanlan, Francis Foley and Liam Galvin all voiced their concerns and pressed for the road to be made a priority by the NRA.
“We need to apply ‘the three Es’ of enforcement, education and engineering,” said Cllr O’Donovan.
“We have failed as councillors to get answers. The road is a chicane. A highway into a bottleneck with a right hand turn and we are told this is not a priority. The buck must stop here.
“There isn’t even an accident blackspot sign at Barnagh.
“We have enough of families ripped apart”, said Cllr Foley. “This has to be priority. We have every right to answers”.
Director of Services in the roads section Paul Crowe, said that the matter had been prioritised in recent months by the NRA and the council for funding, when it becomes available.
“We have it at number one. I’m confident the realignment will be allowed,” added Mr. Crowe.
“We hope to get funding in the coming year and I have been assured that it is priority”.
He continued: “We want a commitment that when this is commenced we can see it through, whether it takes one or two years. We must operate under the rules of legislation there.
“We may get funding next June, but its a tall order. If we resort to a compulsory purchase it could take longer”.
Mr. Crowe estimated that the project would cost between €2 and €5 million to complete.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Richard Butler, requested that a progress report on the issue be placed on his desk in three months.
