Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
WORRIED residents of a flooding-prone area in Glenflesk are very concerned that their homes and property will be further compromised if a proposal to consider raising the main road is implemented by the authorities.
Cllr Maura Healy-Rae has asked Kerry County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland officials to outline their plans in detail amid widespread concerns that the N22 road will be further raised in Glenflesk which, she fears, could ultimately contribute to additional flooding.
She said surface road water damaging entrances and property is a widespread burden that residents endure and it is where much of councillors’ allocations are spent.
“There are worries that the raising of the N22 will bring a whole other world of problems,” Cllr Healy-Rae remarked.
Kerry County Council outlined how the N22 became flooded near Garries Bridge in Glenflesk, specifically in December 2015 when the road was impassable.
As a result of that serious event, a flood study was commissioned to examine the River Flesk catchment area and to identify flood alleviation options which could ensure that the N22 national primary road would be serviceable during severe weather events.
Cllr Healy-Rae highlighted that the study in question was carried out prior to the clearing of the river following a visit by the then Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief, Kevin Boxer Moran, and a subsequent deputation brought to a meeting of Killarney Municipal District Council.
Cllr Healy-Rae reiterated that the clearing of the river has been a tremendous success and it is an exercise that must be done more routinely.
She also called for revisions or alterations to be made to the flood study as a result of clearing the river.
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