M6 - Athlone to Ballinasloe

KevR

Does anyone know when the N6 bridge over the M6 (construction site) a few kms from Athlone will be fully open (ie - one lane in each direction, rather than one lane for both directions with a Stop-and-Go system in place)?

KevR

KevR wrote: »

Does anyone know when the N6 bridge over the M6 (construction site) a few kms from Athlone will be fully open (ie - one lane in each direction, rather than one lane for both directions with a Stop-and-Go system in place)?

It's been two lanes for the past couple of weeks, may be temporary works while constructing the embankment. The westbound side of the road wasn't built up the old road was in the way!

Give it a few more weeks.

Amtmann

Scheme: Galway to Ballinasloe
Length: 56km
Contractor: ICON
Official Completion Date: Q2 2010

Scheme: Athlone to Ballinasloe
Length: 19.4km
Contractor: SIAC Willis
Official Completion Date: Q4 2009

So. Predictions?

Looking at Kaiser's photos it looks like the A-B scheme will open around August or September.

RE Galway to Ballinalsoe, I heard a few months ago that we were looking at a Christmas opening, but perhaps this has slipped back to Q1 2010. Does anyone know?

ohnoigotsick

i know it's off topic , but can anyone tell me the significance of the art works on the M6 between kinegad and killbegan , i remember seeing that all infrastructure projects funded from the EU had to have some sort of artisitc piece along the road side ? but it looks brutal

antoobrien

Furet wrote: »

RE Galway to Ballinalsoe, I heard a few months ago that we were looking at a Christmas opening, but perhaps this has slipped back to Q1 2010. Does anyone know?

Target date is still 04/01/2010 (http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/ContractorsNewsletters/file,16124,en.pdf) and if you read the other files in this section (http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/ContractorsNewsletters/) it appears that this target has remained constant.

Realistically anyone see people working over christmas to get this done? I think it'll have to be done before the christmas break, but then common sense is somethig that has been absent in Ireland for the past several years.

mysterious

Are there delays on the G-B scheme or what? There were protest there a few months back? This is one of the largest schemes to go in one chunk.

Realistically can anyone give the completetion date, since the bonus schemes are over, I seriously doubt an early completetion anyhow.

KevR

There was a protest but I don't think it caused any sort of delay worth talking about.

When I was out around the Galway end and out near Athenry last Saturday there were people on site working. That to me says they're keen to get it done as soon as they can.

They seem to be on target for having all construction traffic off public roads and onto the mainline by the end of April/beginning of May as most of the bridges and structures I have seen are almost complete.
Can anyone hazard a guess as to how long more it will take once they're using the mainline for construction traffic?

kaizersoze

I can't see it complete and open before August/September 2010. If it does I'd be shocked.

I was at the public meetings when it was going through planning and originally the Ballinasloe-Galway was supposed to start 1 year before Athlone to Ballinasloe. That meant both would finish around the same time and basically open together.
That didn't happen due to objections, trouble with cpo completions and the sheer size and complexity of the project. Both schemes then started at the same time. So it's fair to assume there will be a year gap in completion dates.

The protests last year delayed nothing really except the 3 small local sections where they happened for a couple of days.

Chris_533976

Theres still a ton of work to do on this, so I really dunno.

This is the 2nd biggest scheme to date at 56km. The M3 is longer FWIW, as will the N17/18 PPP (at 57km).

Sponge Bob

Athlone-Ballinsaloe will be open in time for the Galway Races I feel , 3.5 months hence

KevR

KevR wrote: »

Does anyone know when the N6 bridge over the M6 (construction site) a few kms from Athlone will be fully open (ie - one lane in each direction, rather than one lane for both directions with a Stop-and-Go system in place)?

Deleted User wrote: »

It's been two lanes for the past couple of weeks, may be temporary works while constructing the embankment. The westbound side of the road wasn't built up the old road was in the way!

Give it a few more weeks.

On the way home yesterday and on the way to work this morning it was one narrow lane in each direction. It looks like the should be finished in a few weeks (like you said) and we will have 1 wide lane in each direction over the bridge.

Sponge Bob

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Athlone-Ballinsaloe will be open in time for the Galway Races I feel , 3.5 months hence

Is it time to open a book on the opening date.


My money's on the first week of September!

EAFC_rdfl

KevR wrote: »

On the way home yesterday and on the way to work this morning it was one narrow lane in each direction. It looks like the should be finished in a few weeks (like you said) and we will have 1 wide lane in each direction over the bridge.

Looking at it this morning, I thought it would be squared up at the end of the week to be honest, they have the most of the 2nd lane (left handside going west) tarmacced up to the same height as whats there presently, all they need to do is patch it all together now.AA roadwatch were saying stop-go will be in place at summerhill from 7-7 but no sign earlier anyway

kaizersoze

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Athlone-Ballinsaloe will be open in time for the Galway Races I feel , 3.5 months hence

Optimistic but not impossible I suppose.

Deleted User wrote:

My money's on the first week of September!

That'd be my guess aswell.

Major delays around the Summerhill roundabout at the moment, it looks like the link road is finally getting it's top layer of tarmac.

veryangryman

kaizersoze wrote: »

Optimistic but not impossible I suppose.

I doubt anyones really arsed about Athlone-Ballinasloe opening in time for the races. You dont really save much time on the journey with this section. Certainly not as significant as Moate being out of the way last year.

Obviously the sooner it opens. brilliant for safety etc, but Ballinasloe bypass will be "the big one" for me

KevR

Deleted User wrote: »

Major delays around the Summerhill roundabout at the moment, it looks like the link road is finally getting it's top layer of tarmac.

Sorry for my stupidity but is that the RAB at the Western end of the Athlone Bypass?


Incidentally, I noticed that at the Beagh roundabout just East of Ballinasloe they have Athlone/current N6 signposted as the R446.

KevR

KevR wrote: »

Sorry for my stupidity but is that the RAB at the Western end of the Athlone Bypass?


Incidentally, I noticed that at the Beagh roundabout just East of Ballinasloe they have Athlone/current N6 signposted as the R446.

Yes, that's the one.

R446... OK, I was wondering what it would become.

KevR

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, that's the one.

R446... OK, I was wondering what it would become.

I'm pretty sure it said R446 but will check on the way home and confirm.

?Cee?view

veryangryman wrote: »

I doubt anyones really arsed about Athlone-Ballinasloe opening in time for the races. You dont really save much time on the journey with this section. Certainly not as significant as Moate being out of the way last year.

Obviously the sooner it opens. brilliant for safety etc, but Ballinasloe bypass will be "the big one" for me

I think the Athlone - Ballinasloe section does bypass Ballinasloe. I think it terminates to the west of Ballinasloe, so when it opens all that'll be left to drive through will be Kilreekil (sp?), Loughrea and Craughwell.

Chris_533976

Nope. Athlone to Ballinasloe stops to the EAST of Ballinasloe.

The bridge over the River Suck, the most complicated engineering part of Galway - Ballinasloe is the sticking point, and will take the longest.

BALLINASLOE WILL NOT BE BYPASSED UNTIL THE GALWAY-BALLINASLOE SECTION IS FINISHED. Sectional opening probably wont happen due to the bridge.

serfboard

churchview wrote: »

I think the Athlone - Ballinasloe section does bypass Ballinasloe.

No!

?Cee?view

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Nope. Athlone to Ballinasloe stops to the EAST of Ballinasloe.

The bridge over the River Suck, the most complicated engineering part of Galway - Ballinasloe is the sticking point, and will take the longest.

BALLINASLOE WILL NOT BE BYPASSED UNTIL THE GALWAY-BALLINASLOE SECTION IS FINISHED. Sectional opening probably wont happen due to the bridge.

Thanks Chris

Sorry - didn't mean to mislead anyone:(

Disappointing though - wish I was right cause I'm sick of Ballinasloe!

Chris_533976

See the effort I'll go to for you lot?

Was flying from Luton to Galway the other day so took one or two pics. Unfortunately there was tonnes of cloud (so no M9 pics ) but heres one of the M6 a bit east of Galway.

Could have gotten a great video of the scheme coming in to land, but no dice as the cabin crew were watching.



Damn did they almost crash land the Aer Arann prop too. And Galway airport runway is nowhere even close to being flat.

kaizersoze

Great photo Chris.
Thats the section at Esker, just east of Athenry.
The white structure to the right or centre is the Rathgorgin underbridge at 21km.

kaizersoze

churchview wrote: »

Disappointing though - wish I was right cause I'm sick of Ballinasloe!

Ah you're saying that now but you'll miss it when it's by-passed.:P

Chris_533976

kaizersoze wrote: »

Great photo Chris.
Thats the section at Esker, just east of Athenry.
The white structure to the right or centre is the Rathgorgin underbridge at 21km.

Nice one.

haha no wonder there are only a few pics of this scheme, parts of it are out in the middle of absolutely nowhere, with no roads anywhere near it.

KevR

KevR wrote: »

I'm pretty sure it said R446 but will check on the way home and confirm.

I forgot to check this on the way home because I was in such a bad mood after the Summerhill RAB delays. It took me 2 hours to get home this evening!

I'll check the sign tomorrow morning to confirm the route number.

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Damn did they almost crash land the Aer Arann prop too. And Galway airport runway is nowhere even close to being flat.

The runway is so short. The engines nearly explode trying to stop the plane with reverse thrust before it overshoots the runway!

Chris_533976 wrote: »

haha no wonder there are only a few pics of this scheme, parts of it are out in the middle of absolutely nowhere, with no roads anywhere near it.

Indeed! Especially some large chunks between Athenry and Ballinasloe.

Might be possible to get more pictures when a few of the overbridges open up (hopefully in the next month or so).

kaizersoze

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Nice one.

haha no wonder there are only a few pics of this scheme, parts of it are out in the middle of absolutely nowhere, with no roads anywhere near it.

Ah your pic is deceiving. There are plenty of roads around there.
The underbridge in your pic takes the motorway over the R348 which was the original Dublin - Galway route before the N6. It intersects it twice there in the space of a mile or so. Loads of small local roads aswell.

Page 7:
http://www.galwaycoco.ie/roads/n6_bsloe/downloads/N6_brochure.pdf

kaizersoze

KevR wrote: »

I'll check the sign tomorrow morning to confirm the route number.

It's ok. You weren't seeing things.
It is signed R446.