M6 - Kilbeggan to Athlone

Line marking! I looked there earlier and there was a section without lines (under the concrete).

billbond4

Yeah that is possible, i didnt have a good look at the westbound carriageway,but the concrete barrier was still up there at 13:00

billbond4

billbond4 wrote: »

Dont give up on it been sooner.
Just been to kilmartins there.
They have put up the sign for the Birr/Ferbane slip road, "exit 8"
Concrete barrier going eastbound removed and line painting in progress that is joining up to the athlone bypass

[wishful_thinking]
Before the end of next week still looks promising.
[/wishful_thinking]

That Newspaper article is probably an overcautious project manager thinking of the worst case senario, to prevent being told "you've missed the date!"

Zube

Lots of lines remaing to be done at the Athlone end this morning, I'd say they're moving the barriers to mark the road, not open it. I think July 14th is still likely enough.

veryangryman

What a load of ****e the NRA are full of it.

"Oh were ahead of schedule". Bollox. In the greater scheme of things they should mention that they should have had it open in April.

Shame on them for patting themselves on the back over this. :mad:

Im voting for the opposition in the next election. Granted they may be twice as useless, but i feel that our politicians need to be punished for wasting such golden opportunities with our money over the years

Stark

They did the same with the M50 upgrade. They originally said everything bar the Red Cow was going to be done by December 2007 (with the N4 and Ballymount junctions done in August 2007), then changed the schedule to give themselves a few more months and announced "oh we're well ahead of schedule now!".

blast05

If the road is not to be open until the end of July then it will be sitting 100% complete for a full month unless i have missed something very obvious in my spins along it. The again it is perfectly possible that that will be the case because the holiday schedules of all the local and national politicians will have to be suited.
Also, according to the article, it will open with speed limits of 100 kph. If that is the case, then why have they bothered putting up loads of 120kph signs on all entrance roads on to it in the last week to 10 days.

blast05

blast05 wrote: »

Also, according to the article, it will open with speed limits of 100 kph. If that is the case, then why have they bothered putting up loads of 120kph signs on all entrance roads on to it in the last week to 10 days.

That's what it says on the job sheet! :rolleyes:


It will take 4 weeks to change 'em.

veryangryman

Stark wrote: »

They did the same with the M50 upgrade. They originally said everything bar the Red Cow was going to be done by December 2007 (with the N4 and Ballymount junctions done in August 2007), then changed the schedule to give themselves a few more months and announced "oh we're well ahead of schedule now!".

Why do the opposition not jump on this in Dail meetings? Seems like a constructive way to criticise the government. :pac:

Zube

veryangryman wrote: »

"Oh were ahead of schedule". Bollox. In the greater scheme of things they should mention that they should have had it open in April.

No-one ever quoted an earlier date officially, the road really is ahead of schedule. I realize that you're very angry, but you're also being a bit of a dick.

Im voting for the opposition in the next election.

And so should everyone else! As long as they don't vote for Sinn Fein, or Labour, or any of those 20th century "left-wing" dinosaurs.

Chris_533976

In reality this road (along with the other interurbans) should have been finished by 2006, not 2010.

veryangryman

Zube wrote: »

No-one ever quoted an earlier date officially, the road really is ahead of schedule. I realize that you're very angry, but you're also being a bit of a dick.

Zube, I respect your opinion even if it does border on abusive. However, you can see yourself that the road is 99.9% done now. Why should we all have to wait on these projects? Just because their "ahead of schedule". Sometimes statistics can cover the overwhelming truth.

Does anyone really think they'd leave it closed after finishing it; just because the "official" hasn't a space in his diary?

They can after all still make the speeches in the Dáil, for the press etc.

blast05

Deleted User wrote: »

Does anyone really think they'd leave it closed after finishing it; just because the "official" hasn't a space in his diary?

They can after all still make the speeches in the Dáil, for the press etc.

I was just being cynical ! Just can't for the life of me see how it would take 5 weeks to complete from where it is now

blast05

blast05 wrote: »

I was just being cynical ! Just can't for the life of me see how it would take 5 weeks to complete from where it is now

True, my money is on it opening this week coming! (before Fri 27th)

mossyd

Just saw this thread now.. This may have been mentioned already, but I think I know why it will take this length before they open it..

The reason is that they are not going opening the new road to Athlone until such time the new section around Ballinasloe is complete. There will be a roundabout just past the Birchgrove pub where you will be given the option of bypassing Ballinasloe to the south, linking back up to the existing road out near Aughrim somewhere.

Not 100% on that, but when you think about it, can you imagine the tail back that would happen outside Ballinasloe if it is not true..

mossyd

mossyd wrote: »

Just saw this thread now.. This may have been mentioned already, but I think I know why it will take this length before they open it..

The reason is that they are not going opening the new road to Athlone until such time the new section around Ballinasloe is complete. There will be a roundabout just past the Birchgrove pub where you will be given the option of bypassing Ballinasloe to the south, linking back up to the existing road out near Aughrim somewhere.

Not 100% on that, but when you think about it, can you imagine the tail back that would happen outside Ballinasloe if it is not true..

No, the Ballinasloe - Athlone road is one year from being opened, the section bypassing Ballinasloe will be part of the toll road to Galway opening in 2010.

I don't see how the trafffc in Ballinasloe will be affected by this section of road opening, 16km of single carriageway will still cause the traffic to be stuck behind the slowest vehicle as it does now.

Only real difference will be the evening "gulp" of traffic from Dublin will arrive 30 mionutes earlier.

120_Minutes

a "friend" whose "relative" is an "engineer" managed to drive on it today and told me that its supposed to open on July 7th. But that could be pure bull on his part. He says its all but done.

GerardKeating

120_Minutes wrote: »

a "friend" whose "relative" is an "engineer" managed to drive on it today and told me that its supposed to open on July 7th. But that could be pure bull on his part. He says its all but done.

The lights on the section at the Moate Junction and the Athlone junction were on this evening, not sure if this means anything...

The only thing I can see that needs doing is a short section of lines westbound at the athlone junction (under the concrete blocks). Plus removal of the temporary gates.

Zube

Looking at the signage at the Athlone end, I looks as if the current N6 from the bridge over the new road to Kilmartins roundabout and East past Michael Moore's garage will be relabelled as the N62 to Birr. This means this stretch of the old road will keep its 100 kph limit, as will the horrible little bog road South to Ballinahown.

The wide open tarmac of the existing Athlone to Moate road will be reclassified the R-something, and get an 80 limit. Several 80 kph signs are visible but covered near new works on that road.

Zube

Zube wrote: »

Looking at the signage at the Athlone end, I looks as if the current N6 from the bridge over the new road to Kilmartins roundabout and East past Michael Moore's garage will be relabelled as the N62 to Birr. This means this stretch of the old road will keep its 100 kph limit, as will the horrible little bog road South to Ballinahown.

The wide open tarmac of the existing Athlone to Moate road will be reclassified the R-something, and get an 80 limit. Several 80 kph signs are visible but covered near new works on that road.

That is so Irish :rolleyes:

Almost everywhere else on the planet they set the speed limit according to the road type, here it is by classification.

force eleven

Zube wrote: »

Looking at the signage at the Athlone end, I looks as if the current N6 from the bridge over the new road to Kilmartins roundabout and East past Michael Moore's garage will be relabelled as the N62 to Birr. This means this stretch of the old road will keep its 100 kph limit, as will the horrible little bog road South to Ballinahown.

The wide open tarmac of the existing Athlone to Moate road will be reclassified the R-something, and get an 80 limit. Several 80 kph signs are visible but covered near new works on that road.

Yes, saw those over the weekend and had a grim laugh. The Gardai will have a field day, as that road is comfortably a 100kph stretch, wide and relatively safe. Fish in a barrel I think the phrase is, 80kph is too strict IMO.

veryangryman

Who cares about the new limits? The new Motorway will take you anywhere you want to go along that route anyway!

Im sure that it is to encourage people to use the Motorway. Very few people actually live along the (soon to be) R446

As long as it never gets tolled, Im happy! :pac:

Carawaystick

all the gateways I saw last week looked very temporary and makeshift, fencing had been removed from the sides too.

force eleven

force eleven wrote: »

I was talking to someone today who was certain it was scheduled for June 24th, so tomorrow week. Can't be too long now even if that date is missed.

Carawaystick wrote: »

all the gateways I saw last week looked very temporary and makeshift, fencing had been removed from the sides too.

Looks good for tomorrow....

edit: came past this morning lines still need doing at Athlone junction & gates removing at Kilbeggan.
but signs of activity (earlier than usual), so things are happening.

Tea drinker

GerardKeating wrote: »

The lights on the section at the Moate Junction and the Athlone junction were on this evening, not sure if this means anything...

I hope they have minimised light pollution on those.

Tea drinker

Tea drinker wrote: »

I hope they have minimised light pollution on those.

I thought that it was a legal (building regulations) requirement that all external lighting was low polluting.

Zube

Deleted User wrote: »

came past this morning lines still need doing at Athlone junction & gates removing at Kilbeggan.

Concrete barriers removed at Athlone end again this morning, maybe going to finish the lines today.

The only thing that might still be outstanding are the catseyes.

blast05

Right, curiosity is killing me. Am going to go for another recon tomorrow evening - can't make it this evening unfortunately