Kerry County Council is being called on to put a structure in place to speed up road works.
Independent councillor Dan McCarthy raised the issue at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council.
He says a different approach needs to be taken when it comes to planning and organising works that require roads to be closed.
Cllr Dan McCarthy says the council needs to put a structure in place where road works can either be done by night to speed up the process or put a one-way system in place.
He referenced the planned works for the Caha tunnel which will see the N71 Kenmare to Glengarriff road closed for ten weeks.
The Independent Cllr says he understands these works are needed, but called on the council to ensure the works are done quickly.
In response, Kerry County Council stated it always examines ways to minimise the duration of road closures, including night working and weekend working, where feasible.
It says the proposed road closure of the N71 is required to facilitate repairs and maintenance works to the tunnel including rock stabilisation measures.
Due to the nature of the work, which includes vertical drilling and inserting over 300 rock bolts, the provision of steel mesh as well as the erection of scaffolding, it is not feasible to re-open the road to traffic during daylight hours or to have a stop/go system of traffic control through the works, as there would be significant risks to both motorists and workers, the council says.
Kerry County Council says discussions are continuing with the contractor aimed at accelerating the delivery of the works and reducing the inconvenience to motorists caused by the diversions.
