"It's basically about cutting our cloth to suit our measure" - O'Boyle

Cllr Sean McGowan said that "the local community were annoyed and angered over the decision to only do half the planned works" on a road in the Annaduff area and asked Darragh O’Boyle, District Engineer, to include the section of road on the Antfield to Finnalaghta Road (No. L-7472-0), that was cut from this year’s road works programme, in the 2024 roadworks scheme.  
He was advised that the section of road would be submitted this road for inclusion in the next three year programme.

Cllr McGowan said he hoped the second half of the section, which measures a kilometre in total, will be completed next year. 

Cllr Des Guckian asked, "How can you change your opinion, once you have promised a certain amount of road surfacing?"

Mr O'Boyle said that for the three year road works programme, which goes before all elected members, "we produce maps with a line in them and they are indicative where the location grant is being applied; we put down a kilometre in length but it's not a guarantee we can do a kilometre."

He continued that some grants take more work and there is an "X amount of money to carry out drainage, fencing if required, blacktop, lining, surface dressing, cat's eyes."

He said for the above project, the road was in "particularly bad condition and it was on the programme for the last two years."

He added: "It's basically about cutting our cloth to suit our measure; on the plus side, we can propose to put the remainder of that road, which links back to the N4, on the next three year plan. Another option is that I have applied for a climate action grant on the lower road which is a popular walkway."

Cllr McGowan asked, "If at all possible, you would try and get it done next year."

Cllr Guckian said he was "surprised" that Mr O'Boyle was not able to "assess the cost in advance" with Mr O'Boyle saying that council have a "set budget for a road and advise the people on the road that this is going to happen."

He said that he has written to four people on the road "to have their entrances ready for blacktopping; if they are ready, we can blacktop. We can't price that because those people either carry out the work, or don't."

He continued that part of the grant was "blacktopping up to one of the entrances because they carried out what they were requested to do. That cost could not have been taken three years ago when we were estimating the cost of these roads; you're asking the impossible councillor."