Roadworks Ballybofey/Stranorlar

babaloushka

Driving through Ballybofey/Stranorlar is a siege at the best of times, but yesterday, on my way back from Sligo to Lifford, I thought I would never get through. What possessed the powers that be to have TWO areas of road work operation necessitating single lane traffic within such a short stretch of road?
My journey was not at the most busy time, but a gridlock developed when traffic backed up so much that nobody at all could move - cars and lorries jammed both of the single lanes and the bit in the middle :eek: Green and red lights meant nothing after that and it was every man for himself.
The frustration was palpable all round and I particularly noticed (after 40 minutes being stuck there) that once vehicles became free, the lack of patience translated into horrendous driving thereafter, with even crazier overtaking than usual for the rest of the journey. What a recipe for disaster!

muffler

A bit of a nightmare alright. I went down to Lifford yesterday morning and had no great problems but on the way back around lunch time it was chaotic.

Funny thing though I came in from the Letterkenny road on Thursday evening around tea time and traffic was queued well back from McClays corner and while I normally take the left hand lane I noticed from the distance that all the traffic was tailed back in that lane and that the right hand turning lane to go to Ballybofey was completely empty. So I just pulled out and overtook all the traffic on the left and when I got to the junction there was a garda on duty who nicely waved me straight through the junction.

babaloushka

Well, now we know where the Gardai are when you need them :rolleyes: I could see no sign of any yesterday, but I really don't know what they could have done with the situation. Whoever made the decision to dig up both parts of that road at the same time should have been made to sit there on his/her way home on a Friday evening. I bet they didn't have to travel that route themselves! And as for any kind of an advance impact plan ... :mad:

shiibata

madness in stranorlar alright at the moment, went to strabane twice during the week and went down towards the cross, doneyloop into clady, some amount of traffic on that road with same idea obviously. Never seen so much traffic turning right as well at dunnions garage to avoid all the jams

smashey

Welcome to Donegal in September. The same thing happens every year at this time. :mad: Remember Lifford Bridge three years ago?

/edit. The flashing notices say the works are due to last 16 weeks starting om September 8th which from my calculations takes us right up to Christmas.

Great planning. :rolleyes:

babaloushka

OMG, Christmas :eek: How do the people who have to travel that route twice a day stick it? I'd be taken away in a straight jacket.
I only have to go that direction once or twice more in the next few weeks and I'm definitely planning for the alternative route. Is it straightforward enough, Shiibata, and faster in the long run, do you think? I am so spatially challenged that I will have to feed the route into the sat nav to cope

smashey

The alternative is easy enough. Turn off at the Donegal Road and head towards Finn Park. Opposite Finn Park, turn right and keep going straight and when you come to the Cross (Crossroads), go straight through. Eventually you will come to a T junction outside Castlefinn. You can either go straight on here through Doneyloop and Clady or turn left and go through Castlefinn.

deman

smashey wrote: »

The alternative is easy enough. Turn off at the Donegal Road and head towards Finn Park. Opposite Finn Park, turn right and keep going straight and when you come to the Cross (Crossroads), go straight through. Eventually you will come to a T junction outside Castlefinn. You can either go straight on here through Doneyloop and Clady or turn left and go through Castlefinn.

Thanks a lot Smashey for letting out that closely guarded secret!! :p

smashey

Pleasure.

muffler

smashey wrote: »

The alternative is easy enough. Turn off at the Donegal Road and head towards Finn Park. Opposite Finn Park, turn right and keep going straight and when you come to the Cross (Crossroads), go straight through. Eventually you will come to a T junction outside Castlefinn. You can either go straight on here through Doneyloop and Clady or turn left and go through Castlefinn.

The only slight problem with that is that the road from the Cross to Castlefinn or Doneyloop is not great and as was mentioned it has a lot of traffic on it now.

If I was going from Ballybofey to Lifford I would follow the route as smashey outlined as far as the Cross village but turn left over into Killygordon where you are back on the main road again.

shiibata

muffler wrote: »

The only slight problem with that is that the road from the Cross to Castlefinn or Doneyloop is not great and as was mentioned it has a lot of traffic on it now.

If I was going from Ballybofey to Lifford I would follow the route as smashey outlined as far as the Cross village but turn left over into Killygordon where you are back on the main road again.

Probably agree with muffler to turn left at the Cross as some of the road is like a big dipper, up and down, up and down and narrow if lorries start the same idea.. but if Kerry win tomorrow, I will still take the Doneyloop road and stick my green and gold Donegal car flag out the window:p I'd better drive fast:D

babaloushka

deman wrote: »

Thanks a lot Smashey for letting out that closely guarded secret!! :p

I had heard about it before and even looked up a map , so even I would have found it eventually. But thanks a lot for the further info everyone - so emerge at Killygordon it is
Is there no scope to develop THAT road into the bypass and not the one that is contentious? Or would that just be exchanging one local protest for another?

byte

Are these roadworks in the middle of Stranorlar? I ask as I've to head to Letterkenny on Thursday evenign after work, and can't afford any delays.

Might it be best to stick to the backroads between the Roadhouse bar and Drumkeen?

muffler

byte wrote: »

Are these roadworks in the middle of Stranorlar? I ask as I've to head to Letterkenny on Thursday evenign after work, and can't afford any delays.

Might it be best to stick to the backroads between the Roadhouse bar and Drumkeen?

They start just past McClays corner on the Lifford road - at Maguires supermarket. I have seen the traffic queued back from Maguires to over the bridge and into Ballybofey at peak times. Depending what time you are passing through you may be as well cutting off at the Roadhouse but most of the delays would be cleared around 6:30 in any event.

byte

muffler wrote: »

They start just past McClays corner on the Lifford road - at Maguires supermarket. I have seen the traffic queued back from Maguires to over the bridge and into Ballybofey at peak times. Depending what time you are passing through you may be as well cutting off at the Roadhouse but most of the delays would be cleared around 6:30 in any event.

Thanks muffler. Might risk going through the towns so.

muffler

Right I'll be hiding behind some wall or other with a few eggs

Tom Donnavan

smashey wrote: »

The alternative is easy enough. Turn off at the Donegal Road and head towards Finn Park. Opposite Finn Park, turn right and keep going straight and when you come to the Cross (Crossroads), go straight through. Eventually you will come to a T junction outside Castlefinn. You can either go straight on here through Doneyloop and Clady or turn left and go through Castlefinn.

the only trouble now is on thursday the council started resurfacing the bridge at the cross. more traffic lights and diversions. do they really plan it like that?.

smashey

It happens every year from September on.

By the way, don't use the bridge at The Cross, go straight on to either Liscooley or Castlefinn.

Tom Donnavan

smashey wrote: »

It happens every year from September on.

By the way, don't use the bridge at The Cross, go straight on to either Liscooley or Castlefinn.

You have to use the bridge at the cross to go straight on to liscooley or Castlefinn, are you thinking of the bridge at the entrance to the curragh estate ?

smashey

Sorry Tom, I was thinking about the bridge at the Curragh.

sesswhat

Tom Donnavan wrote: »

the only trouble now is on thursday the council started resurfacing the bridge at the cross. more traffic lights and diversions.

And after the resurfacing they left the junction with no road markings so there was a bit of russian roulette there on Friday evening. People who knew the road were often driving straight through from Ballybofey as before. Meanwhile one car in front of me coming from Killygordon direction never even slowed as it went straight across the junction and on past the Creamery. Maybe he wouldn't have noticed a white line anyway (or maybe he'd had too many white lines) but I would say approach with caution until they get it sorted.

smashey

sesswhat wrote: »

Meanwhile one car in front of me coming from Killygordon direction never even slowed as it went straight across the junction and on past the Creamery. Maybe he wouldn't have noticed a white line anyway (or maybe he'd had too many white lines) but I would say approach with caution until they get it sorted.

Isn't there a stop sign opposite McCrearys?

sesswhat

smashey wrote: »

Isn't there a stop sign opposite McCrearys?

Indeed there is but it didn't seem to be enough on that occasion!

smashey

I've noticed that it tends to be ignored with or without the big white line on the road.

muffler

too many pubs at that junction

sesswhat

muffler wrote: »

too many pubs at that junction

This driver was obviously one for Gambles

muffler

Ah the good auld days.

Now we should all (including myself) get back to the original topic.

CastorTroy

I go by Stranorlar when going from Castlefinn to Letterkenny to work in the morning but when coming home I turn left at Kilross and go by Convoy. That way I can stay on the good road as long as possible.

I just got fed up after one day I was sat at the lights and they were red and no cars were coming towards me, turned green and line of cars started coming towards me. Happened twice so I just went on red assuming that the lights were red on the other side at the same time and they were. Was a joke yet no one was laughing. Except maybe the guys doing the roadworks.

Tom Donnavan

CastorTroy wrote: »

I go by Stranorlar when going from Castlefinn to Letterkenny to work in the morning but when coming home I turn left at Kilross and go by Convoy. That way I can stay on the good road as long as possible.

Would you not try going from castlefinn via carnone to convoy via glenmaquinn to letterkenny. even allowing for the slower road a much quicker route?

deman

Tom Donnavan wrote: »

Would you not try going from castlefinn via carnone to convoy via glenmaquinn to letterkenny. even allowing for the slower road a much quicker route?

Beat me to it

muffler

It was chaos on a couple of the evenings recently. I noticed on one occasion that the lead car in the traffic coming from Lifford through the temp traffic lights stopped at McClays corner to turn right for Letterkenny but couldnt get across the road as the cars coming from the Ballybofey direction were queued back from the lights and blocked the junction.

When the lights then turned green the traffic going to Lifford couldnt move either as the oncoming traffic was back on the single lane where the roadworks were going on.