Longford roadworks akin to building London Underground

Protracted works to upgrade one of Longford town's busiest roadways have been likened to the building of London's undergound railway system more than 150 years ago.

Moves to carry out substantive improvements to a 250 metre stretch of the county town's Major Well's Road began last October, but has since been beset by a series of hold-ups.

Initially, it had been hoped the project would be completed last Christmas, a date which has now been extended to September at the earliest.

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Local politicians learned of the latest delay at a meeting of Longford Municipal District last week with the most recent setback being blamed on difficulties linked to a materials shortage issue.

That prompted an angry response from councillors Gerry Hagan and Seamus Butler, the latter of whom compared the drawn out nature of the project to that of the building of London's Underground network during the mid nineteenth century.

“I find it extraordinary that they are complaining about materials. There is no specialist pavings, it is concrete. It’s the fact it is intricate work but we are talking a stretch of 250 metres of road that is taking month after month after month to do,” he said.

As the managing director of a large wastewater manufacturing company, Cllr Butler said while he had spent a “lifetime” on building sites, it was, in his view, the most painstaking he had ever encountered.

“Per millimetre this is the slowest contract I have ever seen,” he said.

“I know there is ducting and all these type of things but they can be done.

"We were told it could be Christmas and then we were told it would be the end of July and now it’s September.

“It’s not the London Underground we are building here.”

His Fine Gael opposite number Cllr Gerry Hagan gave a similarly pessimistic assessment.

He said it was imperative the public weren't being “fooled” into thinking the work would be finished anytime soon.

“I agree (with Cllr Butler), it’s not the London Underground we are building here but my major concern is looking at it or the lack or progress on this road on a daily basis, I think we are looking at another six months here.”