Recurring flooding problem on Athy road
Flooding on Athy-Carlow Road last week
AN area of the busy main road from Athy to Carlow was left flooded and in a bad condition in the wake of heavy rainfall from Storm Chandra.
Images from the road show substantial flooding. The sides of the road around the ditch areas appear to be particularly affected, with significant amounts of water and debris visible.
The images were taken in the area close to the turn-off for Kilkea on the road.
A motorist who uses the road on a frequent basis told the Kildare Nationalist that the road is flooded every year, and that the local authorities have done nothing to resolve the situation.
The motorist told us their understanding is that “the water flows from a stream and it goes under the main Athy-Carlow road. And there's a pipe underneath the road and it is apparently not wide enough to take the deluge of water that's going across down into the Barrow.”
They added that the council had works involving a digger and a lorry at the location last week, labelling this “a waste of time” as it appears to have been ineffective, noting that the council workers did not clean up the debris at the location.
They commented further “are they (Kildare County Council) going to wait until there’s a bad crash there?”
The motorist also noted that the flooded area is quite close to a notorious stretch of road where a number of accidents have happened in the past.
Kildare County Council has been contacted for comment on the matter but had not replied at the time of going to press.
