One and a quarter million euro is to be spent on a traffic calming scheme at a collision blackspot on the main Waterford to Cork Road.
Councillors have approved the measures for Carrolls Cross which include traffic calming islands, reduction of the width of the carriageway to 10 metres, public lighting, enhanced road signage and markings and kerbed hard shoulders.
Waterford Council's senior roads engineer Gabriel Hynes told councillors in the Comeragh area at their February meeting that the overall length of the scheme is 500 metres and the estimated cost was €1.25 million.
Nearby residents have been calling for the layout of the road to be changed for years following a series of crashes, one fatal. In July 2019, 75 year-old Oliver Kirwan from Kilmacthomas lost his life following an accident at the junction.
John O'Leary said it was unfortunate someone had to die before action was taken: "it's been a junction that has terrified a lot of people over a long period of time". He said it had taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get to this point, with councillors and the council's engineers working together to persuade Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) of the importance of the road improvement works.
Cllr Liam Brazil welcomed the scheme but said they should fight for a dual carriageway: "I do think the lighting programme there will improve things big time. It's a dark junction and there's people turning for Carrolls Cross, they're turning for Portlaw, for Kilmacthomas, for Kill and turning for Scrahan there. ..narrowing the road and the lighting will improve things but I do still maintain we should still be fighting for a dual carriageway all the way from Kilmeaden to Youghal Bridge."
