Renewed calls for safety measures on Trim/Longwood Road after lorry crash

The need for urgent works on the Trim to Longwood Road after a lorry crashed in almost the same spot as a bus carrying local schoolchildren last year, was raised by Cllr Dave Boyne at today's meeting of Trim Municipal District Council.

Meath County Council confirmed that site investigations are due to take place in the coming weeks to come up with a suitable design.

Cllr Boyne referred to the stretch of road between Brannockstown Cross and Ardenew Cross and said he was sure councillors were aware that a lorry went in again on the side of the road in almost the same place that a bus full of school children went in last year.

"Can we just do whatever it takes? Take an emergency measure or something and fill up those gripes either side or put a barrier or something in, because someone will lose their life," he said.

Council engineer Donna Pringle said she had been out on site at the accident. She said they did not know the cause of it but thankfully nobody was hurt and the council had worked with gardai and they got the road cleared.

She explained that they can't just go ahead and fill in the sides and must come up with a suitable design first taking into consideration issues such as drainage.

"In relation to filling the side, you can't just go along and fill it in. There has to be a specific design so that it suits the ground. There is funding in place to do some site investigation and that will be done in the coming weeks. There is already a contractor appointed to do that and they need that ground investigation to do an appropriate design."

Cllr Boyne welcomed this news and asked that it would be prioritised.

In September of last year, two people were taken to hospital suffering minor injuries after a school bus overturned on the R160 Trim to Longwood Road at Ardenew. The collision prompted calls for safety measures on what Cllr Boyne described as a "notorious" stretch where the road is significantly higher than the land on either side.

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