Twin bridges near longwood leading to chaos for high hgvs says local cllr

A Fine Gael councillor has described the presence of heavy good vehicles (HGVs) on the R160 road outside Longwood as 'an accident waiting to happen'.

Cllr Joe Fox raised the issue at a recent meeting of Trim Municipal District council.

According to Cllr Fox, the two consecutive bridges at the Boyne Dock outside Longwood, which carry the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line, are preventing HGVs of a certain height from passing safely underneath.

Local residents have also expressed concern, as HGVs which find they cannot negotiate the twin bridges have to use the gateways to their properties to turn around or - more dangerously - reverse for a considerable distance to a suitable junction.

'There are a lot of trucks using that road and they are higher than the bridges,' said Cllr Fox. 'They arrive at the bridge and have to reverse into someone's driveway or back up the road. There's a blind turn as you approach it, so it's an accident waiting to happen.'

While the exact height of the bridges are signposted on the approach road, Cllr Fox maintains that many of the drivers involved are foreign nationals and may mistake the stated height for metres rather than feet. Drivers' over-reliance on satellite navigation devices may also be another factor in the constant flow of unsuitable traffic on the R160, according to the Fine Gael councillor.

Vincent Collins, council area engineer, said that the height limit is well signposted on the R160 as vehicles approach the bridges and suitable diversions have been in place for a number of years.

'The road is okay for a normal HGV but if you're over a certain height, they obviously can’t go that way,' he said.

Meath County Council has committed to a review of the signage on the approach to the Boyne Dock.

It was also suggested by Cllr Fox that the National Roads Authority (NRA) be contacted to update the information provided to sat-nav service providers in an effort to deter HGV drivers from using the R160 route if it involves passing underneath the Boyne Dock.