Night-time roadworks proposed to tackle major traffic disruptions

An Inishowen councillor has called for major roadworks on primary and arterial routes in Donegal to be carried out at night, following what he described as “unbelievable” disruption caused by recent works at Lisfannon and Fahan.

Tabling his motion before Donegal County Council, Cllr Fionán Bradley said the aim was simple: minimise delays for motorists and ensure emergency access is never compromised.

“I want to begin by saying that much good work is being done across every Municipal District by our roads teams,” he stressed. “But we all know this time of year is always extremely busy, and recent works on the main road out of Buncrana towards Fahan and Derry created tailbacks that were absolutely unbelievable.”

Mr Bradley said he and other councillors were inundated with calls from frustrated motorists. Some were 40 to 60 minutes late for work, school, or medical appointments.

“One gentleman told me it took him 55 minutes to get from Bradley’s shop in Fahan to Buncrana Main Street. You could walk it in under half an hour, and all of it was because work was being done during the day.”

He also raised serious concerns about emergency access. “God forbid there had been a major accident or medical emergency—an ambulance or fire engine would have struggled to get through those tailbacks.”

Councillor Bradley contrasted the disruption with two recent night-time resurfacing operations—on the road near the Buncrana fire station and again earlier this year on the Cockhill Road.

“Those works were done at night with minimal disruption.  Nobody knew it was done, and we all got up the next morning with a beautiful new shiny road, and everybody was absolutely delighted because nobody had been impeded from getting to their work or getting to school.”

He emphasised the motion applies only to main roads and routes where significant disruption is likely, not to all roadworks.

Cllr Martin McDermott seconded the motion.

Responding, Bryan Cannon, Director of Roads and Transportation with Donegal County Council, said he fully understood the difficulties encountered in Buncrana, but stressed that decisions around timing and traffic management are complex.

“Roadworks are always a compromise,” he said. “We must balance safety, efficiency, quality, and minimise disruption for motorists, cyclists, and vulnerable road users.”

Cannon outlined a long list of factors that must be considered, including traffic volumes and speeds, visibility, road layout, potential conflicts with existing signage, and the impact of any temporary measures on nearby junctions.

“Poor driver behaviour, higher speeds, fatigue, and limited visibility at night can all increase danger. Quality control is also more difficult, and out-of-hours work costs more, meaning with the same amount of budget available, we will get less work done.”

Mr Cannon explained that noise and vibration impacts on local residents, staff availability, and the ability to source materials outside normal hours must also be considered.

Replying to Mr Bradley's concerns that emergency vehicles may be delayed, the Director of Roads and Transportation for DCC said emergency protocols are in place at all roadworks. Workers are trained to stop traffic immediately to allow ambulances or fire engines through when required.

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Cllr Bradley acknowledged the complexities but insisted that situations like Lisfannon must not be repeated.

“I know you can’t have a one-size-fits-all solution,” he said. “But those works caused maximum disruption instead of minimum. I would worry about the safety even of the workers because the tailbacks were so long it was causing calm, rational drivers to suffer from road rage, maybe even myself included.”

The Buncrana Councillor called for continued discussion to ensure that major daytime works on busy routes become the exception, not the norm.