Higher than average proportion of Donegal’s roads need repair

 

Almost a fifth of the country’s network of regional roads is in need of major structural repair, with particular issues identified in Donegal.
Thats according to a new report commissioned by the Department of Transport.
It highlighted 19% of more than 13,000km of main non-national roads were classified as requiring “structural rehabilitation” while 0.5% need complete reconstruction.
The Pavement Condition Study Report provides the results of a detailed review carried out during the second half of 2018 of the condition of the entire length of 686 regional roads extending to 13,150 kilometres.
The report revealed the proportion of regional roads needing total reconstruction reached as high as 2.4% in Donegal compared to the national average of 0.5%.
The road were recorded as having extremely poor ride quality, very significant structural weakness or extremely poor visual condition.
Over a quarter in Donegal were classified as needing structural repair.
All regional roads were analysed on the basis of general condition, skid resistance, roughness, rut depth and surface texture with measurements taken for each 100 metres stretch of road.
On roughness regarded as a measurement of ride quality Donegal had the worst regional roads followed closely by Mayo.
On structural condition Donegal was also categorised as poor or very poor, but in terms of best surface to resist skids, Donegal was listed.
The study revealed Roads built on underlying peat generally were in the worst condition.
The Department of Transport estimates that €630m is needed to be spent each year to keep the regional and local road network in a steady-state condition.