M6 - Athlone to Ballinasloe

Chris_533976

Its not confirmed yet. The only news is that IF it gets redesignated, THEN they will apply for a special 100kmh limit.

NGinEarLas

KevR, its Galway county council that's looking after the development of the road, despite it all being in co Roscommon. Its probably them that you should email for an answer.

For everyone else, im 99.9% certain that it will open as 120km speed limit. However i will have another nose around and see what the story is and will try get back with a definate answer in the next couple of days.

The athlone By-Pass will not be changed to motorway status, even at 100km. Dispite the problems associated with learner drivers etc not being able to go on a motorway, the slip roads along the road are too near each other, as well as this the road is not up to modern day motorway specifications.

As for an update on progress, i took a spin around on the way home from work and the white lines are up as far as the drum bridge, centeral barriers seem to be laid out that far as well. Wearing course is gone well past the last bridge before athlone.

Carawaystick

NGinEarLas wrote: »

The athlone By-Pass will not be changed to motorway status, even at 100km. Dispite the problems associated with learner drivers etc not being able to go on a motorway, the slip roads along the road are too near each other, as well as this the road is not up to modern day motorway specifications.

The M1 has a merge and diverge within 500m of each other, there will be a similar one on the M8 at Cashel soon(if not already) and the M50 has the Ballymount/redCow and Tallaght/Firhouse junctions all very close together.

I'd say the road is of a higher spec than the M11, which was purpose built Motorway and has a lilo.... and no margin on some of the slips.

KevR

NGinEarLas wrote: »

KevR, its Galway county council that's looking after the development of the road, despite it all being in co Roscommon. Its probably them that you should email for an answer.

For everyone else, im 99.9% certain that it will open as 120km speed limit. However i will have another nose around and see what the story is and will try get back with a definate answer in the next couple of days.

The athlone By-Pass will not be changed to motorway status, even at 100km. Dispite the problems associated with learner drivers etc not being able to go on a motorway, the slip roads along the road are too near each other, as well as this the road is not up to modern day motorway specifications.

As for an update on progress, i took a spin around on the way home from work and the white lines are up as far as the drum bridge, centeral barriers seem to be laid out that far as well. Wearing course is gone well past the last bridge before athlone.

Thanks! I never knew why this scheme was on Galway County Council's website but now I know.

I hope you're right and it opens with a 120kmh speed limit. Please do let us know when you find out for sure. I think I'll email Galway County Council in the meantime though.

Re: The Athlone Bypass - the NRA putting it forward as a redesignation candidate was a huge waste of time so. I personally don't see the problem with changing the status. I agree that it's not as good as some of our brand new sections of motorway but it's still a really good stretch of Dual Carriageway.

The pros:

• No pedestrians.
• No cyclists.
• No slow moving vehicles (below 50kmh).
• No stopping (people stopping in the hard shoulder to have a phone conversation).
• No inappropriate access points which would lead to congestion and could be dangerous.

Largely out-weigh the cons for me. Some of the junctions are a bit too close together but from personal experience this doesn't create a safety issue. The Athlone Bypass is a lot busier than (I think) all currently open sections of the M6 so it really does need protection from more access points.

The M50 will have a 100kmh speed limit after it's upgrade is finished because the sightlines won't meet modern motorway standards. Also, some of the junctions are really close together. Surely they should downgrade the M50 if they're not redesignating the Athlone Bypass? I think it would be crazy to downgrade the M50 it would be a disaster it have anymore access points or inapprpriate development near it. They should be consistent about it though.

Redesignating the Athlone Bypass will make it a lot safer and protect/preserve it as will retaining motorway status on the M50.

Zube

KevR wrote: »

Redesignating the Athlone Bypass will make it a lot safer and protect/preserve it as will retaining motorway status on the M50.

The Director of Services for Athlone Town Council told me (in person, at a meeting a few weeks back) that it would be redesignated.

If it's not being redesignated, someone is wasting a lot of money putting up new poles in order to change all the signage.

kaizersoze

Zube wrote: »

The Director of Services for Athlone Town Council told me (in person, at a meeting a few weeks back) that it would be redesignated.

If it's not being redesignated, someone is wasting a lot of money putting up new poles in order to change all the signage.

The new signs/poles mean nothing when it comes to the redesignation issue.
The junctions have to be re-signed and re-numbered to match in with the M6 numbering. Afaik that was included in the Athlone to Ballinasloe contract.

ohnoigotsick

they should tidy the athlone by pass up in some capacity before opening the M6 to ballinasloe.

GerardKeating

ohnoigotsick wrote: »

they should tidy the athlone by pass up in some capacity before opening the M6 to ballinasloe.

They should have left the Athlone by-pass off the M6 altogether and crossed the Shannon south of Athlone, and linked to both ends of the by-pass.

This would have allowed the contstruuction to proceed with much of the distruption of the few years on the by-pass, and also given Athlone a nice ring road...

Amtmann

Can someone take photos of the Athlone Bypass tie-in and lining progress to date?

KevR

Furet wrote: »

Can someone take photos of the Athlone Bypass tie-in and lining progress to date?

Hopefully I'll remember to bring my camera with me tomorrow; I'll stop in a a few overbridges on the way home and get a few pictures of the lining progress.

From what I have seen though, they have gone a good distance (almost half-way) with the broken white line on both carriageways. No solid white median line, solid yellow emergency lane line or studding yet.

Probably won't get any pictures of the tie in until maybe Sunday (if I can I'll drive up to Athlone and have a walk around while there's nobody around).

Zube

kaizersoze wrote: »

The junctions have to be re-signed and re-numbered to match in with the M6 numbering.

Even the 3-2-1 hundred metre signs? The only reason I can think of for replacing those is to change them from green to blue.

Furet

Furet wrote: »

Can someone take photos of the Athlone Bypass tie-in and lining progress to date?

It still looks similar to the one I took a couple of weeks ago, the topcoat is still to go on - maybe in the next couple of days. the roundabout on the Tuam Rd is progressing well and is almost ready for base tarmac layers.

I won't be able to take any photos until next tuesday.

kaizersoze

Zube wrote: »

Even the 3-2-1 hundred metre signs?

Yep. Much of the signage on the by-pass needed to be replaced anyway so they're doing it as part of the whole scheme.

Zube wrote: »

The only reason I can think of for replacing those is to change them from green to blue.

They could put blue signs up but the road could still remain an 'N' road.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it won't be reclassified. It's just that nothing is definate till Dempsey gets his thumb out of his ass and signs the paperwork.

rekrow

GerardKeating wrote: »

They should have left the Athlone by-pass off the M6 altogether and crossed the Shannon south of Athlone, and linked to both ends of the by-pass.

This would have allowed the contstruuction to proceed with much of the distruption of the few years on the by-pass, and also given Athlone a nice ring road...

If my memory is correct the land south of Athlone is prone to flooding. That and the cost of a second river crossing would make that option prohibitive. Pity as it would be shorter.

veryangryman

rekrow wrote: »

If my memory is correct the land south of Athlone is prone to flooding. That and the cost of a second river crossing would make that option prohibitive. Pity as it would be shorter.

The route also wouldnt suit the tie-in junctions with the N55 and N61 which account for a large portion of the traffic on the bypass

A non runner sadly, but feckit it could be worse. You could be living in Tullamore with no bypass at all and the only one being built single bloody carriageway

God bless living on an inter-urban route

rekrow

rekrow wrote: »

If my memory is correct the land south of Athlone is prone to flooding. That and the cost of a second river crossing would make that option prohibitive. Pity as it would be shorter.

It does flood on the western bank for at least four months of the year.

KevR

KevR wrote: »

Hopefully I'll remember to bring my camera with me tomorrow; I'll stop in a a few overbridges on the way home and get a few pictures of the lining progress.

:rolleyes: Forgot to bring my camera. Doubt I would have had time to stop this evening anyway..

I'll put a reminder in my phone for the camera tomorrow.

Tech3

KevR wrote: »

:rolleyes: Forgot to bring my camera.

I hate when that happens :pac:

flazio

In relation to the re-designation of the bybass to Motorway, I would actually be against it as the road is an essential shannon crossing point for all sorts of vehicles. It can be jacked up to 120km/h anyway without having the M letter on the road, Cork ring road has shown that (but could some one tell the people running the 3 lane Naas road to Dublin that please) Fact of the matter is if you have a vehicle or driver that doesn't fit the criteria for motorway driving, they have to go through Athlone town and that's chronic enough as it is. Leave it N class, up the limit to 120km/h if it's safe to do so and leave it at that.

Tech3

flazio wrote: »

In relation to the re-designation of the bybass to Motorway, I would actually be against it as the road is an essential shannon crossing point for all sorts of vehicles. It can be jacked up to 120km/h anyway without having the M letter on the road, Cork ring road has shown that (but could some one tell the people running the 3 lane Naas road to Dublin that please) Fact of the matter is if you have a vehicle or driver that doesn't fit the criteria for motorway driving, they have to go through Athlone town and that's chronic enough as it is. Leave it N class, up the limit to 120km/h if it's safe to do so and leave it at that.

I thought we had enough discussions about this already:

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055528991&highlight=redesignation

Chris_533976

Also the Cork South Ring isnt 120, its 100. And the section from the Kinsale Road Roundabout to the second Douglas exit (and possibly the N28 exit) probably needs to be 80 as theres so much weaving.

kaizersoze

KevR wrote: »

:rolleyes: Forgot to bring my camera. Doubt I would have had time to stop this evening anyway..

I'll put a reminder in my phone for the camera tomorrow.

Passed that way this evening....
Last layer of asphalt (I think) comming near an end and most embankments in place and with top soil. The whole site looks more complete now than it did the last time I was there a couple of weeks ago.

kaizersoze

Lining and armco seem to have gone as far as the can for now due to embankment works close to the N6 crossover. Line painters are heading back towards Ballinasloe with the yellow and solid white lines. And are they studs I see......?:)







Full size versions here:
http://gallery.m6.kaizersoze.net/index.php?album=athlone-to-ballinasloe&page=4

KevR

Thanks Kaizersoze!

I stopped in at a couple of those overbridges on Tuesday and there was no solid yellow or solid white lines done then so they have made good progress since then.

I thought I could see studs aswell but I wasn't sure (didn't get out of the car to have a proper look). They look a bit more compact than the usual cat's eyes (similar to some of the M4 I think).

PS - the emergency lane does look a bit narrow..

kaizersoze

KevR wrote: »

PS - the emergency lane does look a bit narrow..

I thought that as well but it's just around the overbridges where the carriageway bulges out around the support colums.

The Tie-in looks a lot more complete than it did when I looked a few days ago, that topcoat makes a huge difference.

Looking good for opening in just over two weeks time anyway.

NedNew

kaizersoze wrote: »

Passed that way this evening....
Last layer of asphalt (I think) coming near an end and most embankments in place and with top soil. The whole site looks more complete now than it did the last time I was there a couple of weeks ago.

Surely with an exit/entry like this on the right hand side (towards Elan?) the Athlone bypass could never be classed as a Motorway? The exit/merge are far too short I would think?

I wouldn't like to be travelling at 120 kph along here only to have someone merge on top of me out of nowhere.

billbond4

The Athlone bypass wasnt designed to take traffic going 120kph, so it will have to stay a 100kph zone along the Motorway.

Zube

NedNew wrote: »

Surely with an exit/entry like this on the right hand side (towards Elan?) the Athlone bypass could never be classed as a Motorway? The exit/merge are far too short I would think?

I've driven worse than that on French motorways. Just drop the limit to 100.

If you think that entrance is bad for a motorway, consider that if they don't redesignate, that entrance will be allowing cyclists, tractors towing slurry spreaders and pedestrians down onto the bypass, right at the end of the Galway-Athlone motorway. Mayhem.

veryangryman

Does mid July not seem like a bit of a stretch to say that it will be open then. Looks like a good months work left...