Brian Stanley demands relief roads for Port Leach and Maumelic
Brian Stanley warned that the N80 runs through the centres of Port Leach and Maumelic, causing daily chaos, gridlock and safety risks from heavy HGV traffic and a low bridge. He called for urgent relief roads, small roundabouts at key junctions, the Port Leach Northern Orbital Route and faster flood release schemes, saying long‑standing plans have been ignored.
Traffic and safety concerns
The N80 carries traffic directly through the town centres of Port Leach and Maumelic, including a large number of HGVs negotiating tricky junctions, passing O'Connell Square and a very busy secondary school. Trucks must pass under a very low bridge that is often struck, leading to days-long stoppages and significant disruption for residents and road users.
Local infrastructure requests
Brian Stanley urged the minister to deliver short-term measures such as small roundabouts at the Ballyfin Road, Green Mill Lane and Harpers Lane junctions. He pressed for the Port Leach Northern Orbital Route - to connect the N80 at the Fair Green across to the Dublin Road - and reiterated that a Maumelic bypass route has been selected and surveyed but not acted on by Government.
Impact on residents and development
He said Port Leach is experiencing a rising population and regular gridlock, with people on Ballyfin Road, Harpers Lane and Green Mill Lane struggling to access the main road. The relief roads would not only shorten journeys and reduce congestion but would also free up hundreds of acres for housing development currently constrained by inadequate infrastructure.
Flood relief schemes criticised
Brian Stanley also called for acceleration of flood release schemes, arguing current timescales are unacceptable. He emphasised the urgency by noting that "17 and 18 euros is just too long," stressing that residents need faster action on flood measures.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Minister, the N80 is going through the town centre of Port Leach and Maumelic. It's causing chaos in both towns and no progress has been made on relief roads. Maumelic relief road was promised 20 years ago. All traffic from the Midlands and the West, including a large number of HGVs, is going through the town centre of Maumelic, trying to negotiate tricky junctions and going through O'Connell Square and past a very busy secondary school. A route has been selected. The surveys have been done. The council have done their part, but it's been ignored by decades by the government and that is not good enough. Port Leach has two national secondary routes going through it, the N78 and the N80. The N80 is the one I live on. Population, there's a huge population on it. Population of Port Leach is increasing. The town of Maumelic and Port Leach are gridlocked much of the day. People living on the Ballyfin Road, Harpers Lane and Green Mill Lane have huge difficulties, including the person speaking here, trying to get out onto that road. Trucks have to pass under a very low bridge and often hit the bridge and everything stops for a number of hours. So in the short time that I have, I want to call for small roundabouts at the junctions of Ballyfin Road, Green Mill Lane and Harpers Lane. But we really need the Port Leach Northern Orbital Route, which will connect the N80 at the Fair Green right across to the Dublin Road. That is a priority project of Leach County Council, as is the Maumelic bypass, but the government does not seem to be listening to it. And I want you to take this on board here today. It will not just shorten journeys, but it will lessen the gridlock in Port Leach town and Maumelic, and it will free up hundreds of acres for housing development, because you're pushing a lot of housing development to Port Leach, but we don't have the infrastructure. But Maumelic and Port Leach need relief roads, but government can't keep ignoring it. And the last thing I want to say to you is the flood release schemes need to be speeded up. 17 and 18 euros is just too long.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
