Business owners frustrated at street closure

Water works disrupt traffic in Cavan Town

A Bridge Street business owner has spoken of her annoyance at the lack of notice given ahead of major works undertaken outside her business by Irish Water.

On Monday morning, the State body closed off the section of Bridge Street linking Abbey Street and College Street, and began essential works to replace 200 metres of old water mains. The works aim to reduce leaks and water outages, and also involve laying new connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ supply.

Marzena Wieclawka acknowledges repairs are required but, standing at the counter of the Coffee Corner, she cut a frustrated figure.

The Celt arrived at the meticulously kept cafe, on the Bridge Street junction with College Street, just as lunch time drew to a close. Marzena gestured to look around at the few tables with customers, when ordinarily she assured, it’s full. The footpath on her side of the road is cordoned off, while the other side remained open to pedestrians.

Irish Water say that, to minimise impact, areas of work will be limited to short sections. This portion of the project is expected to last three weeks, before contractors, Farrans Construction, turn their attention towards remedial work on Wolfe Tone Place.

“Nothing, nothing,” Marzena replies when asked if she had received a letter or notice. “Just today a man gave me that,” she says of a generic leaflet outlining Irish Water’s helpline she had been given by a workman. She had first heard on Friday through another Bridge Street business that works would begin on Monday. Another business too confirmed that they were first notified by phonecall late on Friday afternoon.

“That’s a joke because we have food, we can’t freeze it, because there would be a problem with that,” said Marzena.

Had she been given lengthier notice, Marzena could have planned to minimise loses, arranged holidays and notified customers.

“We have to pay the rent, I have to pay for the coffee machine, I have to pay for everything,” she says of the disruption.

Irish Water had a notice detailing the temporary road closure on the Cavan County Council page in last week’s Anglo-Celt, dated February 17.

In a press release, Irish Water accepted the works may involve short-term supply interruptions “which we understand may cause inconvenience”.

Declan Cawley, Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead said: “Irish Water acknowledges the ongoing co-operation and patience of local residents and businesses in Cavan Town while we continue to deliver these vital water network improvement works to improve the water supply.”

Mr Cawley said these essential works together with the leakage savings and upgrade works “will safeguard the water supply in Cavan now and into the future”.

Marzena has been assured that 48 hours notice will be given if supply is to be shut off. However the uncertainty of when that will happen is “terrible” for a cafe, which is heavily dependent on water supply.

She accepts the necessity to replace pipes, but adds of the inconvenience: “Three weeks? There were three lockdowns over two years and everything was closed – coffee shops, hairdressers, everything was closed.” She wonders why repairs couldn’t have been done then.

“This hasn’t just happened at this moment – it was planned,” she surmises. In 2020 and 2021 her business – like others in the hospitality trade – was forced to close for months on end due to the pandemic.

“We are back for one month and again we have to close, that’s a joke. It’s not fair.”

Marzena says the impact the inconvenience will cause her customers is her chief concern.

“The same customers come in every day but, if it is closed, people change place. It’s not good for the business. If somebody gave me this information a few weeks earlier, I could have put it up on Facebook, or put information on the door. But now I don’t know when I will be open or closed... It’s not fair.”

TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONS

Irish Water explains that this lower section of Bridge St will be closed for three weeks until March 11 to facilitate pipe laying and connections to properties. Traffic is being diverted along Abbey Street. They add: “Pedestrian access will be maintained to all businesses with deliveries by arrangement with our site team. Local and emergency traffic will be facilitated during the works.”

They say that the work which will result in the Wolfe Tone Place road closure, will be advertised next week. Temporary traffic lights will also be in place along Wolfe Tone Street however, local and emergency access will be maintained.

“Irish Water are consulting with Cavan County Council in relation to the road closure. The road closure will be advertised in next week’s Anglo-Celt.”

The proposed dates for road closure are from March 21 to April 14, to try to avoid disruption between St Patrick’s and Easter.

“For works on R212 at the junction between Wolfe Tone St/ Bridge St and R212 College Street / Coleman Road, these will be completed out of hours with lane closures in place,” say Irish Water.

The entire project is expected to be completed in May.