Fumes at ferry crossing making life unbearable, says councillor

A Waterford councillor has said fumes from traffic loading and disembarking from a ferry service from Passage East, Co Waterford…

A Waterford councillor has said fumes from traffic loading and disembarking from a ferry service from Passage East, Co Waterford, to Ballyhack, Co Wexford, were making life unbearable for residents.

It has also emerged that high volumes of traffic have caused two parts of a road to collapse and footpaths had been severely damaged.

Last year the Department of the Environment provided €110,000 for a feasibility study by consultants.

The study was completed in October, and it identified a new access road to a new terminal. Funding would be made available once the study was complete.

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However, residents are still awaiting news of a €1 million access road to the proposed terminal.

The site for the road was identified as the existing regional road R683 at Parkwood to a shoreline location west of Hell's Point, according to Waterford County Council.

The Passage East Car Ferry Company, in response to remarks by councillor John Carey at a Waterford County Council meeting, said it submitted plans for the new terminal to the council six years ago but no funding had been released for the road. A site a mile upriver had been earmarked for the terminal.

Acting director of services at Waterford County Council Ray Dwyer said yesterday: "Once funding is in place we will be able to make a decision regarding the design, tender and construction of the project."

He added that the road would be produced far more quickly were funding provided privately as well as publicly.

Mr Carey called on FBD Insurance, a major shareholder in the ferry company, to produce some funding for the road.

A resident himself, he said the village have been "let down badly" by the company.

A spokesperson for the ferry company was unavailable for comment yesterday, and FBD Insurance declined to make a statement.

Ciarán Murphy

Ciarán Murphy

Ciarán Murphy, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a sports journalist. He writes about Gaelic games