Uisce Éireann criticised over ‘abysmal’ road reinstatement works in Drogheda
Uisce Éireann has come under criticism in Drogheda over what councillors described as poor reinstatement of roads following water and wastewater works.
The issue was raised at a recent meeting of Drogheda Borough District, where Cllr Pio Smith said the standard of road repairs after works carried out by Irish Water was unacceptable in several areas.
Cllr Smith highlighted Park View and Yellowbatter, where he said works had recently been completed but road surfaces were not returned in good conditon.
“I would ask that engineers from the council would go out and inspect these areas,” he said.
He questioned whether inspections were being carried out in a timely manner and whether Irish Water was being held sufficiently accountable.
“I don’t know whether we are too late going out to inspect the roads, or whether we are letting Irish Water off too easy,” he said.
Cllr Smith added that he understood photographs should be taken before and after works were carried out by Irish Water, but said the finished standard remained unsatisfactory.
“The standard of the works carried out on the roads has been abysmal,” he said.
In a separate query, Cllr Smith raised concerns about speeding on the Ballymakenny Road, noting that the council had already acknowledged speeding was an issue in the area. He asked whether a plan was in place to address the problem.
In response, Mark Johnston, senior engineer with Louth County Council, told the meeting that more than 900 road opening licences are issued every year across the county.
He said a number of council staff are tasked with monitoring these licences and that inspections of road reinstatements are carried out after works have been completed.
“We are doing a lot of inspections, there is still more to do,” he said, adding that the specific locations raised by councillors would be inspected by council engineers.
Addressing the Ballymakenny Road query, Mr Johnston said engineers would examine the route and prepare a proposal to tackle speeding.
“This could include traffic‑calming measures such as a raised crossing,” he said.