Mayo making good progress on road repairs with nearly 400km of roads upgraded in 2024
County Mayo has made good progress in road maintenance and improvement over the last 12 months.
Comparing the 2023 Local Authority Performance Indicator Report to the 2024 report, the county shows both a modest increase in regional road upgrades and a more efficient approach to local road resealing.
The report looks at the kilometres of regional and local roads that were strengthened, representing major works to rebuild or reinforce the road structure, and the costs involved.
It also covers the kilometres of roads that were resealed, a preventative measure that extends road life, along with the cost of these works.
In 2024, Mayo strengthened 20.8km of regional roads, a 5pc increase from 19.8km in 2023. Expenditure rose from €6.8m to €7.3m, however, this reflects the increase in kilometres of road strengthened.
As costs and materials become increasingly expensive, it is positive to see that the average price per square metre of road remained largely unchanged, increasing by just €0.23 per square metre.
There was a slight decrease in the number of regional roads resealed, with 10.4km worked on in 2024 compared to 11.8km in 2023.
This could be due to a greater focus on larger regional road strengthening schemes, or it may represent a prioritisation of local road improvements.
121.9km of Mayo’s local roads were strengthened in 2024, increasing from 116.1km in 2023.
Even with the increase in road work, spending on this decreased by just under €500,000, from €14.8m in 2023 to €14.3m in 2024.
The county also resealed the second most local roads nationwide in 2024, treating 254.2km of the primary, secondary and tertiary local road networks in the county.
This is a 7.6pc increase from 227.9km in the previous year. Expenditure remained similar over the two years, increasing by just under 0.7pc between 2023 and 2024.
This highlights an increasingly efficient maintenance strategy from the local authority, covering more local road improvements without significantly increasing expenditure.
Focusing more money and efforts into resealing roads will also ensure the preventative care needed to reduce future repair works that would be more expensive than these preventative measures.
Over the past 12 months, 398.3 km of roads in Mayo were either strengthened or resealed, with approximately €26.9 million invested in the county’s road network.
Compared to its neighbouring counties, Mayo outperformed both Sligo and Roscommon across most roadworks measures.
Galway County, however, completed a greater volume of work overall, and in some cases, managed to do so at a lower cost.
While Mayo’s investment in roadworks is among the highest in the region, this can be understood in two ways.
On one hand, it shows the county is prioritising its rural road network, ensuring vital roads are resealed and strengthened to maintain a good condition.
On the other hand, it also reflects a greater underlying need. Mayo’s roads face heavier wear and tear due to their exposure to the Atlantic coast. This, combined with an extensive rural network connecting small towns and villages, means that more projects and more investment are needed to keep the roads in good condition.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.