South-west Donegal road has dangerous dips that 'could even trigger airbags'

A Donegal county councillor has expressed his concern over a series of road dips that can trigger airbags and a missing footpath on the N56 in the south-west of the county.

Cllr Brian Carr, Sinn Féin, of the Glenties MD, said that “sections of the road are in very poor condition, with sharp bumps and dips that are getting worse”.

He added: “I just want to assure everyone who has contacted me about the bad dips on the N56 between Maas and Glenties, I am working to try to get them repaired.

READ NEXT: New eBike fleet now available to discover the best of Arranmore Island

“Some sections of the road are in very poor condition, with sharp bumps and dips that are getting worse. With so much money spent on this new road, it’s not good enough that the road would go like this.

“I’ve raised this issue several times. I even raised the issue at our meeting with the TII in Dublin back in December and have followed up with a number of emails since.”

Cllr Carr shared an email he sent to the TII, for which he has not yet received a reply.

“I’ve stressed that these problems need to be fixed before they cause an accident,” he said. ”I even got to mention the missing footpaths again in the email.”

In his email, his third on the matter, Cllr Carr wrote: “I am emailing in relation to the carriageway settlement that has occurred on the Letterilly to Glenties section of the N56, I have had so many people contact me on this issue.

“As we are all aware, there are several sections along the N56 between Glenties and Letterilly that are deteriorating badly, with the road sinking in places. A few of these areas are now becoming dangerous.

“One, where the road is sinking before a culvert, causes a very sharp impact when driven over at the 100km/h speed limit. If this is left much longer and continues to worsen, I believe it could even trigger airbags, which is a serious safety concern.

“Can you advise if there are any plans to address these sinkages? If so, is there a timeframe? If not, why, as this should be treated as a matter of urgency? Also, is there any update on the missing sections of footpaths (150m) on the Mill Road within the speed limits on the N56?

“The Letterilly to Kilraine section of this project cannot be considered complete until these footpaths are in place. Again, I have sent two emails in January and February and no reply to either.”