Athlone councillor unhappy about timing of upcoming works near schools

An Athlone councillor has urged Irish Water to postpone planned water pipe replacement works which it is planning to undertake shortly in the Retreat Road area, near three of the town's secondary schools.

In a press statement issued this morning (Monday), Irish Water said that "in the coming days" it will begin replacing old water mains along Retreat Road, between the Marist College and Killyon Hill.

"The works will be carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities Ltd and are expected to be completed by the end of June," its statement said.

This indicates that the works would be taking place close to the Marist College, Our Lady's Bower, and Athlone Community College during the upcoming State exams.

The project involves the replacement of almost 850 metres of old cast iron water mains with modern pipes.

While acknowledging the need for this work to be carried out, Athlone councillor Aengus O'Rourke said he had serious reservations about the timing of it.

"As soon as I learned of Irish Water's plan to carry out water mains rehabilitation work in the Retreat area in the coming weeks, I contacted the manager Matt Thomson to discuss the matter," said the Fianna Fáil councillor.

"I explained that while this work, which will involve major road works and traffic disruption, is very important to the local residents and for Irish Water, it cannot and should not take place while the schools are open and the State examinations are underway.

"The works will involve 850 meters of pipe laying from the Marist College to Killyon Hill - right across the front entrances to our three secondary schools which between them have close to 2,000 students in attendance.

"The new water mains will be welcomed by the residents in the area as they have experienced poor water supply and pressure for some time.

"However, for the sake of a few weeks, Irish Water and their contractors need to hold off on this work, until the end of June or early July."

He pointed out that traffic on Retreat Road was already very heavy during the mornings and evenings, and predicted it would be "nothing short of chaotic" if these works take place while the secondary schools are open.

"For everyone's sake, I am calling on Irish Water to postpone the works until the end of June.

"I have also asked the Water Services Division of Westmeath County Council to intervene in the matter. I have yet to receive a response from Irish Water," Cllr O'Rourke concluded.

Irish Water, in its statement today, said the planned works would involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers' property boundaries, as well as connections to customers' water supplies.

Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead with Irish Water, said these were "vital water network improvement works" and he wanted to acknowledge "the ongoing cooperation and patience of local residents and businesses" in Athlone.

Irish Water said the areas in which the work would be taking place would be "limited to short sections" in order to minimise the impact on the public.

"To facilitate the safe delivery of these works some traffic management may be necessary, however local and emergency access will be maintained," it said.

"The works may involve some short-term supply interruptions which we understand may cause inconvenience.

"The project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours’ notice prior to any planned water interruptions.

"Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause," the statement concluded.