Uisce Éireann has been forced to close a slip road due to ‘reckless’ driving by those trying to avoid traffic lights on the N15 between Ballybofey and Donegal town.
Roadworks, lasting nine months, commenced on McGrory’s Brae in January. As a result, a stop/go system was put in place to reduce the carriageway to one lane to enable the contractor to construct a new hard shoulder.
However, some impatient motorists have been using the old road, via the Meencrumlin Water Treatment Plant, to bypass the traffic lights.
A number of cyclists contacted Donegal Daily claiming a newly erected gate (main pic) on the slip road was blocking their preferred route. However, Uisce Éireann said they were forced to close the road due to health and safety reasons, and they left enough room for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate the barrier.
“In the interests of worker and public safety, Uisce Éireann has closed a gate on the private access road to the Lough Mourne Water Treatment Plant to deter speeding vehicles and reckless behaviour by drivers trying to circumvent the traffic management controls in place at roadworks in the area,” their spokesperson explained.
McGrory’s Brae, on the way up to Barnesmore Gap, where a new hard shoulder is currently being constructed. Pic: Brian Mc Daid.
“There is adequate room for pedestrians and cyclists to walk/cycle along the old road, and road signage is in place directing pedestrians/cyclists via the old road, ensuring they do not have to walk or cycle where the roadworks are taking place.”
In 2022, the Finn Wheelers Cycling Club and their counterparts in Donegal town demanded the construction of a hard shoulder on the steep climb known locally as McGrory’s Brae.
Currently, a 750 metre section of the hill does not have a hard shoulder or climbing lane but a new one is expected to be in place in early September.