2018:251 - Athy Distributor Road, Bennetsbridge to Gallowshill, Kildare

Monitoring of preliminary site investigation works was undertaken over 3 days in June 2018. The monitored works were related to an asbestos survey carried out in advance of any ground breaking works due to the presence of an asbestos factory and historic dumping in the immediate vicinity of the proposed road. The works took place intermittently along the proposed 3.4km Athy Distributor Road, Co. Kildare, through the townlands of Bennetsbridge, Blackparks, Ardrew, Bleach, Coneyburrow, Athy, Aughaboura, Chanterlands, Townparks and Gallowshill. The route crosses both open fields and disturbed brown fields south of Athy town and to the south of the zone of archaeological potential associated with the historic town. The proposed scheme follows a disused railway for a substantial stretch of the route and one archaeological site is located within the landtake of the road development, the site of a burial, SMR KD035-049, in Bleach townland.
The site investigation works were undertaken by RSK Limited on behalf of Kildare County Council. The key objective of the works was to determine if asbestos was present in any of the test pits; this was achieved by a scrape back of the topsoil by machine and a visual inspection. A soil sample was taken at each location by the geotechnical personnel. In total, 79 test pits were monitored.
As the methodology was to work within the first 150mm, only the topsoil could be inspected. No artefacts or finds of an archaeological nature were revealed during monitoring.

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