A section of the N18 dual-carriageway in Co Clare has been closed to traffic after a van collided with a high-tension cable barrier leaving it in a dangerous condition.
The incident occurred at around 1.15pm in the northbound carriageway between the footbridge at Setrights and the turn off for Ballymorris.
Gardaí and units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon station responded to the incident along with Traffic Infrastructure Ireland (TII) road maintenance crews.
A section of the safety barrier was damaged in the impact and will require a specialist team to be deployed to ‘de-tension’ the cables in the affected section.
While lane one and the hard shoulder were unaffected, it was still deemed too dangerous to allow cars drive past the scene. As a result, the route has been closed at junction 5 at Cratloe and traffic diverted away from the area.
A number of heavy goods vehicles and passenger buses, have however been allowed pass safely past the damaged section of barrier.
There is no indication yet when the N18 will be fully reopened.