An East Cork bridge that's notorious for catching lorry and van drivers off guard has struck once again - ripping the roof off another vehicle that got jammed under it this morning.
The large Luton van got wedged under Midleton's Bailick Bridge - which is right underneath the N25-Cork-Waterford road - at approximately 11am. There were traffic delays in the area as the one-way route under the structure was completely blocked. But thankfully for local motorists, the road wasn't barred for too long as the van's driver was able to manoeuvre his vehicle out in less than 30 minutes.
During the process, the vehicle's trailer suffered heavy damage and its roof was completely torn. Thankfully, it's believed the driver suffered no injuries in the incident. As any Midleton or Ballinacurra local will tell you, this is far from the first time a large vehicle has run into trouble with the Bailick Bridge. In fact, we saw a near-identical case to this morning's jam just two months ago - also involving a Luton van - where Gardaí were called out and had to close the road.
Ballinacurra resident Sarah told CorkBeo that lorries and vans seemed to be getting stuck on the route "every second week." She also flagged that their clearly must be an issue with the signage in the area as these types of incidents keep happening, adding: "My question is, I wonder if there's actually an engineer from the TII coming down to check on this bridge every time it happens."
Concerns over traffic and infrastructure on the Bailick Road reached an all-time high in recent weeks as it was revealed that the road was to be closed next year for active travel upgrades. The announcement sparked major backlash from many in the area, including the hundreds of commuters who regularly use the route to dodge congestion on the Lakeview Roundabout and near the Main Street.
The Bailick Road was originally supposed to be closed for 6 months. Yesterday however, Cork County Council issued an update on the plan, and the closure is now expected from between March 2026 through to June 2026. Diversion routes are limited to the R630 Whitegate Road and L3623 Dark Road.
This morning's incident comes after another similar case in Cork city this week, where a truck got stuck on a notorious street where lorries keep getting jammed. On Wednesday, a low loader truck travelling down Richmond Hill could not turn at the end of the street, and got stuck at the bottom of the hill, causing traffic issues during the morning rush.
Traffic, including many work commuters and school run drivers, was gridlocked around the busy Patrick's Hill area, with Gardaí on the scene to direct traffic away from the incident.
The incident has prompted Councillors to call for new warning signs for HGVs and other large vehicles in the area. Cork City Party rep Oliver Moran told CorkBeo that he used to live in the area "where trucks go to die" - and that the problem of large vehicles getting stuck on the narrow street has plagued the area for years: "It's not a new problem. I used to live on Goldsmith's Avenue about 15 years ago. One day I found a stretch limousine in the same position at the bottom of Richmond Hill."
Cllr Moran added that the existing sign at the edge of Bell's Field has been "knocked around a few times." He said: "The sign was added sometime after between 2011 and 2014. It used to be higher up on the pole. Still, a clear immediate action after this incident is to remove the graffiti and to raise the sign again to the top of the pole."