DUBLIN CITY Council is to spend €18 million to repair 23km (14 miles) of city streets which sustained the worst damage during the “big freeze” last winter.
The thaw last January revealed badly damaged road surfaces, with large sections of the top layer missing.
Speed ramps were particularly effected and severe erosion was caused during the extreme weather.
Although much of the damage was caused last year, the work has just begun this week with funding received from the National Transport Authority.
City manager John Tierney had warned last November that the council had no money to deal with “exceptional weather events” in 2011, after it spent more than three times its budget for the winter maintenance of national primary and secondary roads in 2010.
The work is beginning this week on the north quays of the Liffey at Queen Street Bridge, moving east to O’Connell Street, as well as on Northumberland Road/Merrion Road North, from Simmonscourt junction at Merrion Road, heading north towards the city, the Santry section of the Swords Road and the Finglas Road at Glasnevin Cemetery.
Once this is completed, work will move to Phibsboro Road, Lower Drumcondra Road, Conyngham Road, Dawson Street, Donnybrook Road and the Stillorgan dual carriageway, North Road in Finglas and the junction of the Malahide Road at Darndale.
A third phase will see more repairs at the Swords Road, Templeogue Road, Pearse Street, the south quays between Parliament Street and Bridge Street, and St John’s Road. The final repairs will take in Ballyfermot and Sarsfield Road, Kylemore Road, George’s Quay, the roads at the Custom House, North Wall Quay, Custom House Quay and Townsend Street. The work is due to be finished by November 25th.
There would be some disruption to commuters and residents during the work, the council said. However, it said the majority of works would take place from 7.30pm to early morning and there would be no excavation work after 11pm.
The council said it did not know why the red asphalt speed ramps, installed 10-12 years ago, had been so particularly badly effected during the winter. The ramps will be replaced with black-surfaced ramps.
