Tom Brabazon, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Bay North, has issued a stark warning to Uisce Eireann – respond to the legitimate concerns of local residents over the James Larkin Road North City Arterial Main works – or face calls to have their Roads Opening Licence revoked by Dublin City Council!
“The disruption caused by these works cannot be overstated,” Deputy Brabazon said.
“James Larkin Road is one of the main arterial routes in this part of Dublin.
“Its closure has created gridlock across Raheny, Kilbarrack, Bayside, Baldoyle, Howth and Sutton.
“Thousands of people are sitting in traffic just trying to get to work, get their children to school, or get home at the end of the day.
“This has gone on long enough.”
Deputy Brabazon (pictured above) met directly with Irish Water to propose a series of practical measures to ease the situation, including extended working hours, weekend working, a tidal flow system, and stop-start arrangements where feasible.
Every single proposal was rejected or ignored.
“Residents are passing this site daily and seeing little or no activity, and yet almost a mile of a critical road remains closed.
“That is simply not good enough.
“Irish Water appears more concerned with their own operational convenience than with the communities who fund them through their taxes.
“That attitude is unacceptable.”
Deputy Brabazon highlighted the wider economic and environmental cost of the delays.
Diverted traffic is cutting through local housing estates, overwhelming residential streets that were never designed for that volume.
Traffic light sequences have not been adjusted to reflect the changed traffic patterns, compounding the chaos.
“We are being asked to reduce our carbon footprints while families are being forced to burn fuel needlessly, sitting in avoidable queues caused by a project being managed without any sense of urgency. Householders are already under severe financial pressure.
“This is piling on costs they should not have to bear.”
Deputy Brabazon was unequivocal in his final warning: “Irish Water’s approach has been inflexible and dismissive. It cannot be ‘our way or the highway’ when entire communities are this badly affected.
“I am calling on Irish Water to immediately review how these works are being managed, to genuinely engage with the concerns being raised, and to take concrete steps to accelerate progress without further delay.
“If Irish Water cannot meet that standard, I will be calling on Dublin City Council to revoke their Roads Opening Licence.
“Public infrastructure works carried out at public expense must serve the public – not inconvenience them indefinitely.”