"Burning issue" of sunken Baylin road requires "significant funding"

The "burning issue" of the sunken Baylin road requires "significant funding", a recent council meeting heard.

Both Deputy Mayor Frankie Keena, and Cllr John Dolan raised the matter of a sunken section of the L-1427 Baylin to Mount Temple Road at the most recent meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District.

"It's a burning issue in the area, and it's been about three years now. We need to have a discussion on this every month to see where it is," Cllr Keena said.

Cllr Dolan asked for an update on "the old chestnut of the Baylin road", including the cost of the traffic lights which are in operation at the site.

Willie Ryan, District Engineer: "We now know the likely cost of the appropriate intervention. We have made one funding application for a reasonably strong level of funding, to do the bog holes and to relieve some of the pressures existing on the road. It is a phenomenon, it's very unusual. We can have it as a standing item, if that's what gets us to a robust proposal.

"We hope the outcome of that funding proposal is positive, and that we can give a timeline for the works. We do need to secure significant finances to proceed."

Earlier this year, councillors were told by Athlone Moate Municipal District management that there would be "no easy fix" to resolve the issue.

In June, responding to a question from Cllr John Dolan, council officials said "a geotechnical report" had identified a preferred solution which would involve "full reconstruction of the affected section, supported by drainage works to relieve groundwater pressure, including the installation of deep wells along both sides of the road".

The local authority said drainage works were planned for the summer, "with road reconstruction to follow subject to the success of these measures and the availability of funding".

Traffic restrictions, adjacent to Carn Park, remain in place since 2024 when a sinkhole that had previously occurred on part of the road in 2016 reopened.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme