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TWO MAJOR ROADS IN DONEGAL TO BE CLOSED - Disassociated Press
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29-10-2009 10:26am#1Major Roads to be closed in Donegal for several months
Thursday 29th October 2009
By Disassociated Press
Recent decisions made by An Bord Pleanála in Donegal have raised a few eyebrows but their latest decision to close two of Donegal’s main roads with immediate effect is sure to cause major concern and disruption not only in Donegal but throughout the Northwest.
Last week permission was refused for the proposed Aldi store at The Mullins, Donegal Town and only yesterday planning permission for the proposed Ballybofey/ Stranorlar bypass was refused after observations by local residents were upheld. Although these decisions, however expected they were, met with murmurs of disapproval in some quarters the decision by An Bord Pleanála and The National Roads Authority to close the N15 at Barnesmore and the N13 near Drumkeen is about to cause uproar in the area.
One of the many signs awaiting positioning near Barnesmore
The closure of these two busy sections on highway linking the north and south of the county will take place at 6 a.m. tomorrow Friday 30th October. It was confirmed today that council officials aided by members of the Gardai and defence forces will begin the closure of the roads around 3 a.m. tomorrow morning. Heavy earth moving equipment had to be brought in from outside the area after several local contractors refused to assist in the closures. The pictures below show the scene on the roadside near Donegal Town yesterday afternoon as the heavy equipment arrived in preparation for the blockade.
Why, you may ask, are the two main arterial routes within the county beginning closed immediately and until further notice? Well it seems that EU regulations with regard to safety and traffic volumes have been breached on both routes for several months now so immediate and drastic action was required to avoid incurring a multimillion euro fine from Brussels. The breach in regulations was brought to the fore when two locals near Clar were overheard, by an EU official, discussing the increased traffic volumes. The worrying phrase ‘a fierce numbers of yocks on this road’ was believed to have been used.
It is believed that the blockades on the two roads in question will be manned by local Garda Traffic Corps members to prevent the substantial barriers from being breached. The exact location of the Barnesmore blockade will be approximately 400 meters north of Biddy O’Barnes and the Drumkeen blockade will be approximately 500 meters south of Jameson’s Bar.
Superintendant I.P Knightly, head of Donegal’s Gardai Traffic Corp, confirmed that alternative routes have been mapped and out carefully signposted. He stressed that the routes had been devised to limit disruption and ensure the safety of the thousands of motorists who use the routes on a daily basis.
Traffic travelling from Letterkenny to Donegal Town will now have to take the following route.
Letterkenny to Lifford (N14) – Lifford to Ballybofey (N15) – Ballybofey to Glenties (R253) – Glenties to Donegal Town (R262 & N56).
All traffic travelling in the reverse direction must take the following route
Donegal Town to Pettigoe (R232) – Pettigoe to Kesh (A47) – Kesh to Ederney (B4) – Ederney to Castlederg (B72) – Castlederg to Barnesmore (Unapproved Foresty Road) – Barnesmore to Lifford via Ballybofey (N15) – Lifford to Letterkenny (N14).
Despite protests from traders in the effected towns An Bord Pleanála and the National Roads Authority has stated categorically that the blockades will go ahead from dawn on Friday and that they will remain in place until at least 1st April 2010.
Suggestions that Donegal was chosen as the first county to be affected by the closures because of its recent No vote in the Lisbon vReferendum have been strongly rejected by authorities in Dublin.
ABP and the NRA stressed that blockades on national primary routes may become commonplace in the coming months as the country tries to limit the amount to be paid in fines to the EU. It is thought that these blockades were devised by public service chiefs as a way eliminating the need for pay cuts within several government departments. It is thought that blockading national primary routes throughout the country will be less disruptive than prolonged industrial action by public service unions.
For the next six months it seems that the famous Hills of Donegal will be a much quieter place.4
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Major Roads to be closed in Donegal for several months
Thursday 29th October 2009
By Disassociated Press
Recent decisions made by An Bord Pleanála in Donegal have raised a few eyebrows but their latest decision to close two of Donegal’s main roads with immediate effect is sure to cause major concern and disruption not only in Donegal but throughout the Northwest.
Last week permission was refused for the proposed Aldi store at The Mullins, Donegal Town and only yesterday planning permission for the proposed Ballybofey/ Stranorlar bypass was refused after observations by local residents were upheld. Although these decisions, however expected they were, met with murmurs of disapproval in some quarters the decision by An Bord Pleanála and The National Roads Authority to close the N15 at Barnesmore and the N13 near Drumkeen is about to cause uproar in the area.
One of the many signs awaiting positioning near Barnesmore
The closure of these two busy sections on highway linking the north and south of the county will take place at 6 a.m. tomorrow Friday 30th October. It was confirmed today that council officials aided by members of the Gardai and defence forces will begin the closure of the roads around 3 a.m. tomorrow morning. Heavy earth moving equipment had to be brought in from outside the area after several local contractors refused to assist in the closures. The pictures below show the scene on the roadside near Donegal Town yesterday afternoon as the heavy equipment arrived in preparation for the blockade.
Why, you may ask, are the two main arterial routes within the county beginning closed immediately and until further notice? Well it seems that EU regulations with regard to safety and traffic volumes have been breached on both routes for several months now so immediate and drastic action was required to avoid incurring a multimillion euro fine from Brussels. The breach in regulations was brought to the fore when two locals near Clar were overheard, by an EU official, discussing the increased traffic volumes. The worrying phrase ‘a fierce numbers of yocks on this road’ was believed to have been used.
It is believed that the blockades on the two roads in question will be manned by local Garda Traffic Corps members to prevent the substantial barriers from being breached. The exact location of the Barnesmore blockade will be approximately 400 meters north of Biddy O’Barnes and the Drumkeen blockade will be approximately 500 meters south of Jameson’s Bar.
Superintendant I.P Knightly, head of Donegal’s Gardai Traffic Corp, confirmed that alternative routes have been mapped and out carefully signposted. He stressed that the routes had been devised to limit disruption and ensure the safety of the thousands of motorists who use the routes on a daily basis.
Traffic travelling from Letterkenny to Donegal Town will now have to take the following route.
Letterkenny to Lifford (N14) – Lifford to Ballybofey (N15) – Ballybofey to Glenties (R253) – Glenties to Donegal Town (R262 & N56).
All traffic travelling in the reverse direction must take the following route
Donegal Town to Pettigoe (R232) – Pettigoe to Kesh (A47) – Kesh to Ederney (B4) – Ederney to Castlederg (B72) – Castlederg to Barnesmore (Unapproved Foresty Road) – Barnesmore to Lifford via Ballybofey (N15) – Lifford to Letterkenny (N14).
Despite protests from traders in the effected towns An Bord Pleanála and the National Roads Authority has stated categorically that the blockades will go ahead from dawn on Friday and that they will remain in place until at least 1st April 2010.
Suggestions that Donegal was chosen as the first county to be affected by the closures because of its recent No vote in the Lisbon vReferendum have been strongly rejected by authorities in Dublin.
ABP and the NRA stressed that blockades on national primary routes may become commonplace in the coming months as the country tries to limit the amount to be paid in fines to the EU. It is thought that these blockades were devised by public service chiefs as a way eliminating the need for pay cuts within several government departments. It is thought that blockading national primary routes throughout the country will be less disruptive than prolonged industrial action by public service unions.
For the next six months it seems that the famous Hills of Donegal will be a much quieter place.
You voted No, so those diggers will be digging a big trench and then pushing you out towards Iceland;)0 -
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Ah dont be too sore on him.If you were sitting beside me I would be sending you out to get a mop to clean up the Pi$$ that is after flowing out of me because of my laughing at your previous remarks!
Stevie Wonder could see that this is merely an extraction of urine!
Its the way these Liffordians tell things
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