Sinkhole reopens on road outside Athlone

Traffic management measures have been put in place on a road outside Athlone after a sinkhole opened there for the second time in eight years.

The incident, described by Westmeath County Council as an "ongoing phenomenon", occurred on the L-1427 between Baylin and Mount Temple.

The previous time a sinkhole opened on the road, in 2016, it ended up being closed for several months to facilitate repairs.

In a statement this week, the county council said it was "responding to an ongoing phenomenon on the L-1427, adjacent to Carn Park, where the road is being undermined by an ongoing washout of fine material from the ground under the road and adjacent lands

"This occurred previously, in 2016, and persisted for a number of months," the council statement continued.

"This washout results in the deformation of the road and, in the interest of public safety, traffic light controls have been put in place.

"The council will continue to monitor and respond to developments and will repair and restore the road when the situation stabilises."

Local councillor Frankie Keena lives just a few hundred metres from the site of the sinkhole, and he said the fact it had recurred was a cause of concern to residents travelling between Mount Temple, Baylin and Athlone.

"It's a huge inconvenience," said Cllr Keena. "When it happened first, it was highly dangerous. The road just collapsed, with serious potholes, but the council were proactive in putting up their signage on it.

"I don't recall this happening on the road before 2016. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but I don't recall it happening."

He said traffic lights had been put in to facilitate a temporary stop-go system on the road.

"The road is still passable, but I'd be worried for any heavy vehicles that might be going over it," he said.

Cllr Keena felt a long-term solution would have to be found in order to prevent the issue happening repeatedly.

"The council will need to find a permanent solution to it, because that particular road is a main artery from Moate to Athlone, and vice versa.

"I'll be calling for a full engineering report and a plan for how to resolve this. We can't be caught with an issue like this every few years," he concluded.