FARMERS in North Galway have to travel five miles to access parts of their lands because of the inadequacy of the road bridges in their areas.

But Galway County Council has ruled out the immediate possibility of widening some of the rural bridges because of a lack of funding for this purpose.

A meeting of Tuam Municipal Council was told that the size and extent of machinery currently being used by the farming community meant that some of the rural bridges could not be negotiated.

The matter was raised by Cllr. Pete Roche (FG) who said that the Council had to consider the possibility of widening some rural bridges where it was impossible for two vehicles to pass.

The Abbeyknockmoy councillor said that he knew of a farmer in the Corofin area who has to travel five miles to access another part of his lands as the bridge along the local road is too narrow.

He added that given the size of some of the new machinery being used by farmers, some of the bridges on country roads are not negotiable.

He was referring to bridges in the Corofin and Ballybanagher areas which he said required widening and particularly when it came to their use into the future.

“Given the level of machinery currently being used by members of the farming community, some of these bridges are no longer accessible.

“I know one farmer in the Corofin area who has to travel five miles to access the other half of his holding because the bridge along the local road is too narrow.

“All that is happening at the moment is bridge maintenance when it should be bridge improvements and bridge widening.

Pictured: Pete Roche: Bridges need to be widened.