Funding shortages hold up urgent road safety works

Lack of funding has stalled plans for long awaited safety improvement works at the Blackcastle junction on the Proudstown Road in Navan after tenders came back well in excess of what had been budgeted. The busy junction of Aisling Place and the Proudstown Road also includes the entrance/exit to the Circle K garage and Beaufort Place in the immediate vicinity as well as two local primary schools nearby.

The scheme included two additional controlled pedestrian crossings, one just off the junction at the entrance to Blackcastle and St Oliver's Church and one on the main road north of Circle K close to the bus stop as well as an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing at the entrance to Beaufort Place and the entrance to Aisling Place. Also part of the scheme were traffic calming measures, improved path surfaces with dropped kerbs, improved lighting and resurfacing. The project was ‘shovel ready’ having undergone public consultation and all reports and audits were completed but funding constraints mean it will not go ahead as planned and Meath County Council is now looking at interim measures to improve safety in the short term.

Cllr Yemi Adenuga asked for an update on the planned works at last week's Navan Municipal District meeting asking what funding constraints have led to the postponement of the scheme and if there is a timeline for when funding may become available.

She also queried “what interim safety measures are being considered for this dangerous junction, given the continued reports of red light breaking, illegal exits from the Circle K garage, and the serious risk to schoolchildren attending St Oliver Plunkett and St Paul’s Primary Schools?”

The response from Meath County Council outlined that the scheme was tendered but “regrettably the tender prices returned were significantly higher than budget forecasts” and they did not have availability of additional funds and resources to deliver the project in its original planned form due to other commitments of delivering the LDR4 project requiring the upgrade of the Proudstown/Clonmagadden Road junction and bridge across the Blackwater.

The council confirmed that it is in discussions with the Circle K service station to get entrance and boundary works completed which will control the entry and exit of vehicles from the station into the junction and that these works are required to be completed by the service station in advance of delivery of the planned scheme.

The meeting heard that the scheme is at shovel ready stage with ESB connection agreements in place, Road Safety Audits completed and critical long lead time components in stock, however the required funding is still outstanding.

“That said, Meath County Council have been in discussions with the NTA to help fund parts of this project to enable the critical aspects of controlled road crossings to be delivered in the short term. St Oliver's School is on the Safe Routes to School programme for next year, however, we intend to deliver the controlled crossings this year, subject to the funding being made available,” the response said.

Cllr Yemi Adenuga said she had observed the junction several time and it was a miracle there hadn't been an accident there that took a life.

“There has to be something done, this is a really dangerous junction. I have been working on this with the residents of Beaufort Place for five years,” she said.

“It is not the fault of Meath County Council, it is the system,” she said.

She also cited the R161 Pathfinder scheme on the Trim- Navan Road which was to provide a cycle path linking the two towns including a 2km shared walking and cycling path as a project that was stalled due to funding.

“Like the Aisling Place/Proudstown Road Scheme, the funding never materialised despite NTA backing,” she said.