A Markethill man has written to roads officials demanding action after witnessing a near-miss collision at a “death trap” junction.
And James Speers says he has lost all confidence in the Department for Infrastructure after watching the condition of the exit from the Mullaghbrack Road on to the Gosford Road steadily go from bad to worse.
Now he is challenging DfI teams to come out and drive over the surface and see for themselves the dire state it is currently in.
“It’s absolutely treacherous at that junction,” Mr Speers told Armagh I. “There’s an area that dips down whenever you turn off the road. It’s like you’re driving through a really bad trench. You wouldn’t realise it until you were actually driving it.
“I use the road on a regular basis and on Sunday I saw for myself that there was almost an accident.
“The car had to slow down to go over the trench and it actually stalled and the car behind it nearly rammed into the back of it.
“It’s quite lucky that nobody was injured. It’s really a miracle, because the person has to slow down to get over it whenever they’re turning off the road.”
Mr Speers said he was so angry at the situation that he wrote to Southern Division Roads to vent frustration at the “deteriorating condition of roads within your responsibility, particularly the increasing number of potholes and severe surface defects in the area”.
He wrote: “The current standard of road maintenance has become unacceptable. Numerous roads are affected by potholes, uneven surfaces and significant wear, creating hazardous conditions for motorists and other road users.
“These defects are not simply an inconvenience; they pose genuine safety risks, increase the likelihood of accidents, and place an unfair financial burden on drivers through avoidable vehicle damage and repair costs.
“Of particular concern is the junction from Mullaghbrack Road onto Gosford Road, specifically when turning from Gosford Road onto Mullaghbrack Road in the direction of Hamiltonsbawn.
“As someone who uses this route daily, I can confirm that there is a severe dip in the road surface at this location. The defect is substantial enough to cause significant impact when driving and presents a real risk of vehicle damage, even when travelling at appropriate road speeds.
“It is difficult to understand how such a serious defect has been allowed to remain without repair or intervention. Given the condition of this junction, I believe it requires urgent inspection and remedial action before it results in a more serious incident. I respectfully request that this matter be treated as a priority.
“At a minimum, I would expect a prompt response outlining what action will be taken and providing a clear timeframe for inspection and repairs. Continued neglect of road maintenance issues of this nature undermines public confidence and unnecessarily endangers road users.”
The local resident is now calling on officials to come to Markethill and see for themselves the condition of this particular junction.
Having now sent his letter, Mr Speers told Armagh I: “The first thing, somebody from the Roads Division needs to come out and not only look at it, but actually take their car over it for a drive and see the dip that you’re going into whenever you turn off the Gosford Road and when you’re turning in off Mullaghbrack Road onto the main road.
“This is an area that is quite small, but it has significant road users over it. It’s a very small area that’s actually affected but it has a large volume of traffic on a daily basis and everybody feels the same.
“It’s getting to the stage where the roads are actually crumbling away before our eyes.”
