M6 - Athlone to Ballinasloe

nordydan

KevR wrote: »

Is there a link for that?

Does anyone know whereabouts the ceremony is taking place/where the plaque will be?

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/traffic/story.asp?id=102891

Time has now changed to 2pm, was updated on Friday

KevR

nordydan wrote: »

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/traffic/story.asp?id=102891

Time has now changed to 2pm, was updated on Friday

Looks like the ceremony will be at 11am and the road will be open to traffic at 2pm.

Think I'm staying up in Athlone on Thursday night so might not get to drive it on opening day (unless I take a quick round trip on it after work). Will definitely drive it several times on Friday though and get loads of pictures/videos.

Has westbound traffic been rerouted via the Tuam Rd roundabout yet?

Chris_533976

KevR wrote: »

If the motorway opens with a 100kmh speed limit I will be annoyed to say the least. I tried contacting Galway & Roscommon County Councils about have a special 120kmh speed limit put in place on it while it remains DC. They didn't even have the decency to reply to me.

My guess is that it'll open at 100 just like the Carlow bypass. It wont be too bad coming westbound so you'll have to come down to 100 for the Athlone bypass; not too hard to stay at 100 after that.

Its annoying that it wont be 120 from day 1 but its not the end of the world. Too much paperwork (and probably a protracted process) to get it 120 as an N road anyway.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Has westbound traffic been rerouted via the Tuam Rd roundabout yet?

In answer to my own question: No!
It must happen soon as they can't close the temp opening without it.

veryangryman

Westbound? Surely you mean Eastbound

veryangryman

veryangryman wrote: »

Westbound? Surely you mean Eastbound

Yep

KevR

Eastbound traffic hadn't been switched when I drove through this morning. It looks like they're getting the area ready for the switch though so it could be this evening or tomorrow that it happens.

veryangryman

So just to double check what the rerouting is for motorists during them filling in this gap

Westbound will use the new link road same as right now
And Eastbound will go link road, left at Monksland RAB and left at Tuam Rd RAB onto the Athlone Bypass

That seems the only logical way of doing it until official opening of the glorious glorious motorway

Glorious

kaizersoze

veryangryman wrote: »

So just to double check what the rerouting is for motorists during them filling in this gap

Westbound will use the new link road same as right now
And Eastbound will go link road, left at Monksland RAB and left at Tuam Rd RAB onto the Athlone Bypass

That seems the only logical way of doing it until official opening of the glorious glorious motorway

Glorious

That's it and that is the way it'll be for ever more for anyone wishing to use the old N6.

serfboard

Chris_533976 wrote: »

My guess is that it'll open at 100 just like the Carlow bypass. It wont be too bad coming westbound so you'll have to come down to 100 for the Athlone bypass; not too hard to stay at 100 after that.

Its annoying that it wont be 120 from day 1 but its not the end of the world. Too much paperwork (and probably a protracted process) to get it 120 as an N road anyway.

Agree with all this and it's only for a month anyway. At least you won't be stuck behind slow-moving traffic in the meantime.

KevR

Braved the wet Roscommon weather to get a couple of pictures (there were minor floods in Oranmore, the sun was shining in Galway City - crazy weather!).

Click thumbnails for full size images.

Tonvey overbridge looking West:


Tonvey overbridge looking East:


Looking East towards the Tonvey overbridge:


Looking West from Shannonbridge overbridge. Surprised there's no barrier gaurding that ditch full of water...


100kmh speed limit sign. I think it's a shame that Galway & Roscommon County Councils couldn't even manage to put a special speed limit in place on the DC. Neither of them even replied to me when I contacted them about it.



PS - Some of the construction workers were having a great time speeding up and down the motorway in their 4X4s and cars. Lucky so-and-sos; I'd love to do a test run before it opens to the public..

sdanseo

serfboard wrote: »

Agree with all this and it's only for a month anyway. At least you won't be stuck behind slow-moving traffic in the meantime.

People will still do 120, and it will probably be let pass tbh. Certainly safety is not an issue, just a technicality, take it to court and it shouldn't stand up (although it probably would based purely on the fact that it would be negligent to deliberately disobey a limit).

That said folks, obey the law - I'm not risking points

Sponge Bob

Ballinasloe guards were usually very decent unless you had a D reg car ( at least they were 10 years ago )

kaizersoze

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Ballinasloe guards were usually very decent unless you had a D reg car ( at least they were 10 years ago )

True. Unfortunately it's mostly the Roscommon & Tuam members that do most of the speed checks around here. They're a different kettle of fish.

Good pics Kev. That embankment where the ditch is flooded was only put in th the last couple of weeks. Possibly an after thought to get rid of some excess soil.

Sponge Bob

kaizersoze wrote: »

Unfortunately it's mostly the Roscommon & Tuam members that do most of the speed checks around here. They're a different kettle of fish.

100kph it is lads !!!! Fecks sake it was 120kph in the 1990s ( west of Cornafulla anyway)

KevR

I don't think I have seen any speed checks between Athlone and Ballinasloe since I started working in Athlone.

See them sometimes a few kms either side of Kilreekil village and saw them once a few kms West of Aughrim doing speedchecks but that's about it for the N6 between Galway and Ballinasloe.

kaizersoze

KevR wrote: »

I don't think I have seen any speed checks between Athlone and Ballinasloe since I started working in Athlone.

Doesn't mean they weren't there.:p They have a few good hiding places along that road. Having said that, they don't seem to be there as often as the used to be.

Garda ramp on the westbound carriageway, just west of Tonvey overbridge.

KevR

KevR wrote: »

I don't think I have seen any speed checks between Athlone and Ballinasloe since I started working in Athlone.

See them sometimes a few kms either side of Kilreekil village and saw them once a few kms West of Aughrim doing speedchecks but that's about it for the N6 between Galway and Ballinasloe.

They used to hide in a hedge (eastbound) on a bend near ballydangan, all you could see was this head sticking up (like a chad)

Sponge Bob

Sponge Bob wrote: »

100kph it is lads !!!! Fecks sake it was 120kph in the 1990s ( west of Cornafulla anyway)

Back in the days of crappy road alignments, crappy surfaces, crappy drivers & crappy cars.

Talk about one extreme to the other. :rolleyes:

nordydan

Sponge Bob wrote: »

100kph it is lads !!!! Fecks sake it was 120kph in the 1990s ( west of Cornafulla anyway)

It'll be 100kph for about a month! try bombing up the M1/N1/A1 to Newry at 90mph and then having to snake through the mournes after at 35mph, that's real heartbreak

serfboard

Even though it's only a month, I wouldn't bank on their being no speed checks.

I saw one on the Ennis bypass (which is also being re-designated) only 2 weeks ago, FFS.

veryangryman

veryangryman wrote: »

So just to double check what the rerouting is for motorists during them filling in this gap

Westbound will use the new link road same as right now
And Eastbound will go link road, left at Monksland RAB and left at Tuam Rd RAB onto the Athlone Bypass

That seems the only logical way of doing it until official opening of the glorious glorious motorway

Glorious

Coning past a few minutes ago, it looks like they are in the process of switching traffic to the final route. The signs pointing to the temp crossover have been removed and cones were being moved around, but traffic was still on the temp crossover.

May be done now.

kaizersoze

Deleted User wrote: »

Coning past a few minutes ago, it looks like they are in the process of switching traffic to the final route. The signs pointing to the temp crossover have been removed and cones were being moved around, but traffic was still on the temp crossover.

May be done now.

Not done yet. Line painting still going on at the Pharmaplaz roundabout and slip road.

The junction is now J13 with nice blue signage approaching it heading west.

KevR

kaizersoze wrote: »

Not done yet. Line painting still going on at the Pharmaplaz roundabout and slip road.

The junction is now J13 with nice blue signage approaching it heading west.

Have they taken down the old green sign there yet?

kaizersoze

KevR wrote: »

Have they taken down the old green sign there yet?

No still there.

kaizersoze

The road is reopening about 5 weeks ahead of schedule. Access for general traffic will be from approx 1pm onwards. Motorists traveling east from Ballinasloe on the N6 will take the second exit at the new Beagh R/A, onto the Tulrush Link Rd and onto the new motorway. The new motorway will directly link up with the Athlone Bypass. * The M6 Ballinasloe to Athlone scheme is a high quality dual carriageway extending from the western end of the existing Athlone Relief Road in the east to Tulrush, south east of Ballinasloe, in the west. It consists of 20 km of dual carriageway, 4 km of realigned local roads and 12 km of accommodation access tracks. There are 14 new bridges, a grade separated junction and an upgrading of an existing grade separated junction. http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/traffic/story.asp?id=99436

Anyone hear where the official opening will take place? Athlone or Ballinasloe end?

Don't know, but the Athlone end will still be a bit of a building site as the temp crossover hasn't been removed and the median reinstated.

So I'm guessing that it will be the Ballinasloe end.

kaizersoze

Yeah thinkin that as well but they could easily go a couple of 100 yards up the mainline away from the crossover at the Athlone end though.

kaizersoze

kaizersoze wrote: »

Yeah thinkin that as well but they could easily go a couple of 100 yards up the mainline away from the crossover at the Athlone end though.

True, just beside Élan perhaps?