Road crew which held up Wexford traffic described as looking like they were searching for ‘a lost earring’
Wexford PeopleAn unannounced road crew which held up Wexford traffic during peak hours have been accused of “looking like they were searching for a lost earring” by one local councillor.
The crew took to the N80 last Tuesday morning to conduct surveys at the most inopportune of times, resulting in tailbacks all along the road as frustrated commuters travelled to work and schools.
“I received a call informing me the build-up of traffic behind it was ridiculous,” said Cathaoirleach of the Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD) Councillor Barbara Anne Murphy. “It seemed like they were surveying for something, people were walking along in front of a truck, it sounded like they were looking for a lost earring.
"There was no prior warning to say this was happening, no warning for motorists who ended up stuck behind it, and this was at 7.45 a.m. so there were a lot of people commuting to work or school, what was it?”
Cllr Murphy’s question was posed at the November meeting of the EMD where senior engineer Neil Dempsey admitted he had not been informed of the crew’s arrival either.
“It could have been Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) carrying out surveys, and they wouldn’t inform us beforehand when they’re doing national roads,” he said.
In further bad news for those using this stretch of the N80, Cllr Murphy said there were road hazards in her native Bunclody which were driving her half-mad.
Today's News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, November 27
“The loose manholes on the N80 in Bunclody are driving me cuckoo. There are heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) coming through the town and rattling against them, I don’t know if the crews are doing a good enough job when they fix them. If a smaller car hits these manholes there’s a risk of serious damage.”
Mr Dempsey was also at risk of losing his sanity over the manholes.
“They’re driving me loopy as well,” he said. “Another issue on the N80 are the overhanging trees which I’ve been trying to get funding for, there’s no sign of that funding yet. These are smaller issues but they pose a big problem due to the volume of traffic on the road. I’ll keep pushing to see if we can get some funding for those jobs.”