Section of bridge wall in carlanstown collapses

An eight-foot section of wall at the bridge in Carlanstown collapsed on Tuesday morning, causing significant traffic delays on a major national route.
The collapse prompted the immediate installation of safety measures by Meath County Council, which will see single file traffic on the bridge for the next few months.
Fears that the village will see traffic chaos at peak traffic times have been expressed and local councillor, Eugene Cassidy, has called for repair works to be carried out urgently.
The bridge is on the main N52 national route and carries very heavy volumes of traffic, including heavy goods vehicles, and there are fears locally that traffic will be backed up in the village due to delays at traffic lights.
Council workers were out on Tuesday morning erecting traffic lights, warning signs and traffic cones on the narrow bridge.
Cllr Cassidy warned that the damage to the wall would make the rest of the structure insecure and that repairs were needed urgently. He said the work needed to be completed as soon as possible as he feared the traffic lights system would see traffic backing up in the village at busy times, especially during school hours.
The National Roads Authority (NRA) was due to inspect the damaged bridge on Wednesday and is making emergency funding available to secure it.