TWO 26-tonne trucks and three automated gritters are the latest additions to join Cork County Council’s roads fleet and will help with recent flood damage.
With responsibility for 12.5% of the entire national road network, the local authority has a 700-strong vehicle fleet, the second largest in the country, and has invested a total of €11.7m in capital replacement of its fleet in the last five years.
A total sum of €735,000 was spent on the trucks, gritters, along with a grader.
The grader is worth €335,000 and the trucks €300,000.
Cork County Council chief executive Tim Lucey said the additions were timely following recent severe weather events which gave rise to extensive damage to some county roads.
‘About 10km total of road surface were impacted by flooding in August and in need of remediation,’ the chief executive added.
The County Council strengthens approximately 280km of road every year with structural overlay and sealing using graders, with works carried out from February to November.
The fleet of 58 trucks, ranging in size from 10 tonnes to 26 tonnes, carries out surface dressing, road improvement works and winter maintenance.
The two trucks will carry chips and wetmix to roadworks sites throughout the year, supplying the graders and chip-spreading vehicles.
Three new automated tailboard gritters for spreading chips for sealing were also purchased by the Council this year, at a cost of €100,000.
