Mary Burns, left, has been inconvenienced by the road closure near Derrygonnelly and has to take an alternative route to her home. Here she is pictured with her grandchildren Patrick and Aimee Durkan and local Councillor Bernice Swift RMG68
WHILE the majority of roads in the county have been re-opened to traffic after the flooding the Drumanure Road in the Derrygonnelly area remains closed after a culvert collapsed, causing a huge hole in the road.
The culvert, which collapsed over a week ago has caused severe difficulties for local people, who use the road on a daily basis. Work to replace the collapsed culvert began on Monday, but is expected to last for two weeks.
Patricia McGurn, whose family live on the Drumanure Road explained the difficulties for the local community.
“It’s been closed from around Christmas and we are having to use the back road which is not suitable for lorries which are on it now frequently and the bridge is very dangerous.”
She continued:
“The back road has grass running along it and is not suitable currently for the volume of traffic. The road service was putting ramps up round Chanterhill last week which was not priority I do not think at this time but I am sure they will differ on this decision.”
Ms McGurn said she was concerned for her parent’s safety also as the back road which she describes as “like a lane” is now a primary route.
Mary Burns who lives on the Drumanure Road explained that “everything has to be done in a roundabout way” at present due to the road closure and she along with other residents on the road are now forced to take a detour of a mile and half to get to the main road.
Jackie Cassidy is another local resident inconvenienced as the school bus is no longer able to collect her children from the house, meaning she has to walk them to a nearby crossroads
Local Independent Cllr Bernice Swift said: “Constituents in the Derrygonnelly and Boho area are long suffering the vexed issue of the state of our impassable roads be it with the dangerous dropped culvert at Drumanure, the huge potholes at Knockmore or those covered with water due to floods.”
Concluding Cllr Swift said: “On behalf of all those inconvenienced by the recent road closure and the insufficient re-routing, I now welcome Transport NI’s action to priority works on the Drumanure Road. The people of the area want to see much more tar, stones and road raising to prevent much of the slipping and splitting in this particular area of Erne West.”
A spokesman for DRD confirmed that work to replace the collapsed culvert on the Drumanure Road began on Monday and is set to be completed inside two weeks.
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