Christmas week repairs for Tullamore pedestrian crossing

Repairs to a major pedestrian crossing in Tullamore are due to begin this week and are due for completion during Christmas week.

Independent Councillor, Sean O' Brien, has welcomed the repair works, but has acknowledged that it is "not an ideal time of year" for Offaly County Council to be undertaking a major repair project at the pedestrian crossing outside the Midlands Regional Hospital on the Arden Road.

A Stop Go traffic system will be in operation on the Arden Road from Wednesday of this week, December 13, right through to the following Wednesday, December 20, in order to facilitate the repair works, which will result in delays for motorists. Cllr O'Brien had advised motorists to "consider other routes, where possible" when travelling into Tullamore.

The Independent Cllr for the Tullamore Electoral Area said he had been contacted by a large number of "worried residents" in the Arden Road area to express their concerns about the pedestrian crossing, and had made representations to the local authority.

"I was informed that the busy crossing required major repair and not simply the replacement of bulbs" said Cllr O'Brien, who has welcomed the allocation of funding for the project and a commencement date for the works.

"This is a vital pedestrian crossing which is used extensively by residents in the Arden area and also by people accessing the Midland Regional Hospital. Without lighting it was a serious safety hazard and there were a number of near misses here as cars could not properly see pedestrians in the darkness" said Cllr O'Brien.