SINN Féin councillor Michael Donnelly has called for the Department for Infrastructure to take urgent action to deal with a hazardous blindspot caused by overgrown vegetation on the central reservation of the Monagh Bypass – after he and Cllr Ronan McLaughlin had to cut the verges themselves.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Cllr Donnelly said: “We have been contacted by a number of local residents who have identified this as a hazardous blind spot.
“It is an historical problem. Myself, Cllr Ronan McLaughlin and Cillian McGivern from the Upper Springfield Development Trust had to cut the grass verges because DFI only seem to do it once a year and don’t take into consideration the dangers that are there at the time.
“We have flagged this up with DFI and they told us that the plan was to resurface that part of the Monagh bBypass with tarmac but we have not been given a date for this to happen.
“We hope that they move quickly to get this sorted so that we don’t have to resort to the same measures again this time next year.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: “To help improve sightlines at the Monagh Bypass/Upper Springfield Road junction, the Department has agreed to remove a portion of the shrubbery from the central reservation and reinstate in asphalt.
“While plans are included in our future programme of work those areas requiring most urgent attention must be prioritised and we cannot currently provide a date when this work will be completed.”
