Repairs promised for damaged road at The Downs

Repairs are to be carried out on a badly damaged road serving homes at Wooddown, The Downs, following concerns that the condition of the road is damaging residents’ cars and posing a safety risk.

Westmeath County Council plan to repair sinking sections of the L-5720 road between Curraghmore and Great Down during the fourth quarter of 2026. Warning signs have also been erected along the route.

The issue was raised by Cllr Mick Dollard at the October meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, where he sought a technical inspection of the road.

Cllr Dollard said residents had contacted him about the condition of the road, which he attributed in part to heavy construction traffic serving housing developments at The Downs.

He asked whether signs could be erected warning motorists of construction traffic, arguing that repairs could be undermined if heavy vehicles continued to use the road without any measures to address the problem.

Cllr Aoife Davitt said residents’ cars were being damaged by the road surface and warned that an accident had already occurred.

She described it as a bog road and said the unusually dry summer had contributed to the deterioration. She called for the repairs to be carried out as quickly as possible, highlighting the danger for motorists unfamiliar with the route.

Cllr Andrew Duncan also supported the motion, pointing to the increase in traffic, including heavy goods vehicles associated with construction.

Director of Services Deirdre Reilly said the council could not erect signs restricting construction traffic, as heavy goods vehicles had the same legal right to use the public road as other motorists.

She said the planned resurfacing should strengthen the damaged sections to better withstand traffic.

District engineer Pat Kavanagh explained that restrictions on heavy vehicles were generally introduced where a bridge could not safely accommodate their weight.

He said the road was particularly susceptible to damage because it crossed bogland and would likely require resurfacing every couple of years.

Mr Kavanagh added that funding had been set aside from savings in the council’s restoration programme to address damage caused by the dry summer. The programme also includes repairs to four or five other roads, mainly regional routes, as well as the road between Milltownpass and Coraltown.