Call to publish results of NRA surface tests

While improved road safety measures on the N52 at Carlanstown have been widely welcomed in the local community, a call has been made for National Roads Authority (NRA) to publish the results of testing carried out on the surface prior to the recent resurfacing. Locals have campaigned for many years for improved road safety measures on the busy stretch of the N52 at Carlanstown, and recent works carried out include resurfacing, traffic-calming and overhead lighting. With crashes regularly occurring at the bend on the Kells approach to the village, safety concerns were consistently highlighted by local residents in a campaign led by Paraic McGuinness. During a four-week period last September, some nine crashes occurred at the Kells approach to the village and a number of those crashed into the wall and fence at Mr McGuinness's house. He estimated that there were about 30 crashes over the year. He raised concerns about the quality of the surface and said there was no grip at all when it rained and he believed this was the reason for the frequent crashes. He raised the issue with Meath County Council and local politicians and also contacted the National Roads Authority (NRA) with his concerns. Engineers from the NRA inspected the stretch of roads and carried out tests on the surface last September. Now Meath East Fine Gael TD, Shane McEntee, is calling on NRA to publish the results of their tests on the surface of the N52 at Carlanstown. Deputy McEntee made his call to the NRA, during a session of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport in Leinster House called recently to discuss road safety. Deputy McEntee said: “It is important that we know the root cause of these accidents so that the people of Carlanstown may be assured that the resurfacing measures recently undertaken by the NRA are sufficient. In addition, the NRA needs to develop a specific set of road safety protocols to cover villages like Carlanstown that are traversed by a national primary route, such as the N52.†He said said that Mr McGuinness had spearheaded a campaign to have action taken on the dangerous bend near his home after the front wall of his garden was demolished several times. Following tests by the NRA, the controversial road has been newly resurfaced as part of an improvement project on a five kilometre-long stretch of the N52 from Kells to Carlanstown. Deputy McEntee said he wanted to thank Meath County Council's Road Safety Officer, Mr Michael Finnegan, for the special effort he had put in to get the issue resolved. Works were recently completed by Meath County Council which saw the road resurfaced in the village and the extension of street lighting further outside the village. Pedestrian lights were also installed at Carlanstown National School. Mr McGuinness said local people are very happy with the works that have been carried out. However, he said he hit out at Meath County Council saying he had to go to over them to the NRA for action to be taken.