BY JACKIE KEOGH
PLANS for a new culvert system beneath New Street in Bantry were unveiled at a public information day at the courthouse.
John Slattery, a senior engineer with Cork County Council, explained how the scheme will replace the existing, deteriorating culvert with one that offers structural stability.
In a town that is at risk of both surface water and tidal flooding, the new culvert could provide some flood relief benefits.
The plan is to replace over 300m of existing masonry stone arch culvert with a reinforced concrete culvert, as part of a sealed system that would be more hydraulically efficient.
Because the new culvert will be bigger, it will have greater capacity. A sealed system is also more efficient because it will get water away from Bantry town more quickly.
With the existing, non-sealed system, road gullies discharge directly into the culvert, so in a flood situation there is a danger of surface water coming up through the road gullies and flooding the area.
It is also envisaged that there will be a separate salt water drainage system going to a pumping station. This will have the capacity to pump salt water out against the high water level into the harbour. Even if the water is high in the harbour, the scheme is designed to keep Bantry town dry.
The new plan – called the Bantry Mill River Culvert Project – is about to go for Part 8 planning, which is where the local authority is the applicant.
Every Part 8 application takes about 20 weeks to complete and will involve a public consultation process. Subject to planning approval, the Council is hoping construction will start in the summer of 2024.
It is envisaged that the project, which will necessitate the closure of New Street, will take three or four months to complete.
The reality of the situation, the Council said, is that the work will have to be done during the summer months, when there is ‘a low flow’ of surface water.
The Council said they are looking to procure a contractor who has a track record in delivering this type of work and will dedicate sufficient resources to the construction phase to allow the work to be done quickly.
