The National Roads Authority has admitted it “got it wrong” when it gave the go-ahead for flawed flyover supports along the N20 between Cork and Limerick and which could cost up to €50,000 to rectify.
The authority was told by motorists that the support clearings – which look like wide footpaths and provide support to bridges and prevent water erosion – were causing a hazard. The NRA confirmed the structures were too wide and that a process was under way to have them scaled back.
Twenty of the clearing platforms had been earmarked for the N20 and eight of them were implemented – all with the design flaw. The cost to rectify them will be between €20,000 and €50,000.
“Unfortunately the section of the road in question is narrower than the national standard road and it has virtually no hard shoulder. It was a failing on our part,” said NRA spokesman Seán O’Neill.