Plan to upgrade Carlow road where three young people were killed has been in train for years

The road on which three people died in Co Carlow on Wednesday is a notorious black spot for crashes, and plans by Carlow County Council to upgrade it have been in train for several years.

Daryl Culbert (21) from Kiltegan, Co Wicklow; Katie Graham (19) from Arles, Co Carlow; and Michael Kelly (25) from Nurney, Co Carlow, all died when the car they were travelling in hit a tree in the townland of Leagh on the N80 at about 11.30pm. Another man, who is in his 20s and is from Ballinabrannagh, Co Carlow, was injured. He was transferred to a hospital in Dublin, where his injuries have been described as serious but not life-threatening.

The crash occurred at a well-known black spot close to the popular Fighting Cocks pub and restaurant. There have been a number of serious crashes along the same stretch of road in recent years.

Local representatives at Carlow County Council have raised concerns about the road’s safety and the need for works to be carried out on it for several years. Design consultants Roadplan made a presentation to county councillors about the road in 2021. “Leagh Bends has a poor collision history,” the group said. “It has been identified as an area of a high number of accidents. It’s [the works] to bring the road to a state where it can accommodate traffic at 100kph.”

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Cllr John Pender remarked at the time that local residents were “taking their lives into their hands” travelling on the N80.

A report by the National Oversight and Audit Commission, which is the oversight body for the local government sector, described the stretch of road as “deficient in both width and adjustment”.

“This is emphasised by the fact that the sections of the N80 to the north and south of these junctions are of an improved standard and have hard shoulders,” it said. “Drivers of vehicles travelling from both the north and the south may have an expectation of a certain standard of road and may drive accordingly. This substandard section of road has no hard shoulders, has a series of bends and has experienced several collisions.”

At a meeting of Carlow County Council two weeks ago Cllr John McDonald again raised the issue. “Some action needs to be taken,” he said. “There’s been two more accidents this year. Is it a case of more lighting?”

Cllr Ken Murnane said the upgrade work “needs to be done”. He added that it was “a safety issue”, and described it as “more or less an emergency”.

After Carlow County Council requested the appointment of a consultant to prepare a feasibility report on options to improve safety on the road, it was decided the road would be realigned. The estimated cost of the project is €15 million. An application to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) for approval was to be submitted early last year, with a decision expected in the third quarter.

However, Carlow County Council chief executive Colin O’Reilly said in recent weeks proposals will not be lodged with TII until the end of February, after which a four-to six-week consultation period will follow. That will then be followed by a two- to three-month legal review of the documentation. Mr O’Reilly said the local authority hoped to submit the application and documentation to the planning board in June or July.

Mr McDonald said on Thursday there were “plans in motion” for a section of the N80 to be realigned, noting that it was known locally as a dangerous stretch of road.

Carlow County Council did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday evening.

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