M6/4 Motorway Galway to Dublin (for discussing completed sections)

L1011

As a random aside, the bridge on the Athlone-Ballinasloe section where the old N6 crosses over the M6 had its traffic flicked over today to the other side of the bridge (its currently set up as two, seperate, narrow S2s with a chasm in the asphalt between them) than how its been the last few weeks/months...suspect they're going to try and get the final finish/cleanup there soon.

MYOB

MYOB wrote: »

As a random aside, the bridge on the Athlone-Ballinasloe section where the old N6 crosses over the M6 had its traffic flicked over today to the other side of the bridge (its currently set up as two, seperate, narrow S2s with a chasm in the asphalt between them) than how its been the last few weeks/months...suspect they're going to try and get the final finish/cleanup there soon.

I was beginning to wonder when they would continue on that particular job, it's been like that for weeks.

I was thinking they had put that job on the back burner whild completing the tie-in at Athlone.

KevR

Was glad to see traffic had been switched on the way home. It must mean they're going to do some more work there. Will be good when the bridge is fully open.

Stopped off on the way home to have a look and see if I could see any progress on Athlone-Ballinasloe since I last stopped off.

As luck would have it.......

First two are looking East. As you can see, final layer of asphalt being laid.




Looking West:


Click for full size images

Amtmann

Great shots Kev. Wikpedia material, methinks.

KevR

Have a video also. Compressed it down so it would upload quicker. Quality is ok, there a High Quality option anyhow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxzSezHVIBk

BluntGuy

Good stuff Kev...

Thanks.

KevR

Before I forget - a new cantilever signpost was erected just before the Tuam Rd exit/N6 diversion of the Athlone Bypass heading Westbound today. No signage, just the cantilever pole thing. It's a new addition to a lot of other new poles on the Bypass which are awaiting signs to be hung.

Obviously waiting for the redesignation decision before hanging the signs on the poles.

Amtmann

KevR wrote: »

Obviously waiting for the redesignation decision before hanging the signs on the poles.

More than anything else, this could be the catalyst that will see Dempsey put his pen to paper at long last.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

More than anything else, this could be the catalyst that will see Dempsey put his pen to paper at long last.

That's what I'm hoping.

When Dempsey sees all the cantilevers, "motorway ahead", "end-of-motorway", "start of motorway" etc. poles that have been erected, he'll simply have to acknowledge that not to redesignate will be a massive waste of money and manpower.

kaizersoze

Good work Kev, thanks.
Thats the Tonvey overbridge about 6kms east of Ballinasloe. They started laying the final layer from the Ballinasloe end. The guys erecting the armco central barrier are following close behind.
This how it looked 25/03/09.

KevR wrote: »

Obviously waiting for the redesignation decision before hanging the signs on the poles.

Could be. All of the bypass junctions needed new signage in any case because they have to be re-numbered. Remains to be seen whether the new ones will be blue or green.

Tech3

Just a quick question, how do you visibly know the wearing course has been laid? From pics the second last layer of asphalt looks very close to the final layer from an overbridge.

KevR

tech2 wrote: »

Just a quick question, how do you visibly know the wearing course has been laid? From pics the second last layer of asphalt looks very close to the final layer from an overbridge.

It's not as easy to see in the photos but the texture is slightly different on the final layer.

The final layer is of higher quality and you can sort of tell by looking at it closely.

Not the best description though..

KevR

Furet wrote: »

Great shots Kev. Wikpedia material, methinks.

I uploaded a photo of the N18 overbridge earlier in the week and it's saying that the photo is a candidate for speedy deletion. I initially omitted licencing information but put it in later.

Would anyone who is a bit more familiar with wikipedia be able to take a look at it?

M6 Wikipedia Page

KevR

Apparently there is a stop and go system in place on the Sumerhill RAB West of Athlone - delays of 15 mins currently.

KevR

On the N6 overbridge between Athlone and Ballinasloe there is a stop and go system in place today causing delays of roughly 10 mins. They are scraping up asphalt on the side that traffic had been travelling on up until it got switched over recently. Should have work on this bridge completed in the next week or so.

A truck overturned earlier just off the Athlone Bypass at the Tuam Rd exit/N6 diversion route - causing delays in all directions. Traffic can pass in both directions, but slowly.

veryangryman

KevR wrote: »

On the N6 overbridge between Athlone and Ballinasloe there is a stop and go system in place today causing delays of roughly 10 mins. They are scraping up asphalt on the side that traffic had been travelling on up until it got switched over recently. Should have work on this bridge completed in the next week or so.

A truck overturned earlier just off the Athlone Bypass at the Tuam Rd exit/N6 diversion route - causing delays in all directions. Traffic can pass in both directions, but slowly.

Seen that this morning on way into work. Cops beckoning gawkers to move on.

Any injuries?

KevR

veryangryman wrote: »

Seen that this morning on way into work. Cops beckoning gawkers to move on.

Any injuries?

I'm not too sure. Nothing reported on RTE about injuries so hopefully that's a sign that nobody was badly hurt.

I don't think there were any other vehicles involved thankfully.

AA Roadwatch wrote:

*ROSCOMMON* The N6 Galway – Dublin Rd is closed both ways approaching Summerhill (just outside Athlone, Co. Westmeath) until at least 12:30pm to facilitate the removal of an overturned truck. Traffic will be diverted at the Roscommon Rd jct and then back on to the N6 by the new road layout and this diversion will be signposted.

KevR

Posted a picture of the Oranmore-Ballybrit Dual Carriageway before but got some better brighter ones since:

Both are looking West:




Click for full size images.


Also, does anyone know what was going at the Shannon Bridge on the Athlone Bypass on Friday evening? AA Roadwatch were saying 30 minute delays Westbound because of roadworks on the bridge. I went through the town to avoid the delay so didn't see what work was being carried out.

veryangryman

KevR wrote: »

Posted a picture of the Oranmore-Ballybrit Dual Carriageway before but got some better brighter ones since:

Both are looking West:




Click for full size images.


Also, does anyone know what was going at the Shannon Bridge on the Athlone Bypass on Friday evening? AA Roadwatch were saying 30 minute delays Westbound because of roadworks on the bridge. I went through the town to avoid the delay so didn't see what work was being carried out.

Didnt notice anything of the sort myself. The overturned truck aside, all was fine. Certainly was grand in the evening. Maybe they referring to the diversion which is a medium-long-term bottleneck

They might as well have said other obvious ones like "expect delays in Abbeyleix" and "avoid Longford - its a hole"

KevR

They said 30 minute delays Westbound on the N6 Athlone Bypass because of roadworks on the Shannon Bridge. I went through the town to be on the safe side so didn't see if there were any roadworks.

There were long delays further West though where the current N6 crosses the under construction M6 between Athlone and Ballinasloe because the bridge was being surfaced and a stop and go was in place. Surely they couldn't have confused this bridge with the Shannon Bridge on the Athlone Bypass?!

Scruff

When are the remaining parts of the motorway from galway to athlone expected to open?

veryangryman

Scruff wrote: »

When are the remaining parts of the motorway from galway to athlone expected to open?

September this year to Ballinasloe
Christmas next year for Galway

KevR

:eek::mad:

Driving to work this morning on and on the Athlone Bypass some crazy old ****er was walking along the median white line - literally only a foot or two from traffic in the overtaking lane! I was in the overtaking lane and had to swerve a bit to avoid him.

I think anyone who walks or cycles in the hard shoulder of the Athlone Bypass is a bit mad in the head but that man this morning actually must have been crazy.

rekrow

veryangryman wrote: »

Christmas next year for Galway

Any reason why the Ballinsloe - Galway bit has been delayed? I was hoping for Christmas this year at worst the target opening of Q2 2010. The Galway end seems to be progressing well.

Sponge Bob

rekrow wrote: »

Any reason why the Ballinsloe - Galway bit has been delayed?

An admixture of finance and organisation to be honest , the same consortium has the current M50 widening contract on the northern and southern sectors.

The consortium has prioritised bringing that PPP revenue on stream ASAP as against the less trafficked Galway - Ballinasloe section .

KevR

veryangryman wrote: »

September this year to Ballinasloe
Christmas next year for Galway

From what I've seen of both schemes, that'd be the absolute worst case scenario.

My estimate for Athlone-Ballinasloe would be early August (if not late July).

It's hard to tell at this stage but my guess would be late Spring or early Summer for Galway-Ballinasloe (provided that we don't get a ridiculous amount of wet weather).

Sponge Bob

KevR wrote: »

My estimate for Athlone-Ballinasloe would be early August (if not late July).

They have until the end of August as per contract and will certainly make that , late July would seem plausible ( in time for the builders holiday on the 24th of July ) . There will be feck all work going on between the 24th of July and the 7th of August so you either make it by the 24th of July or go on to late august instead .

It's hard to tell at this stage but my guess would be late Spring or early Summer for Galway-Ballinasloe (provided that we don't get a ridiculous amount of wet weather).

The contract was for Operation & Maintenance Commencement 4th January, 2010 after a 33 month construction period from Contract Award 4th April, 2007 . I now believe they will make Q2 next 2010 .

A bit over but in time for the extra traffic the summer generates on the N6 .

This lot comin up ( and the completion dates) are from an NRA newsletter that used to be produced once.

The NRA stopped producing them over a year ago , too embarrasing .

7. Project and Contact details

Mr. Roberto Gallardo
N6 Galway to Ballinasloe
Site Office
Lodge Crossroads
Roundabout.
Athenry
Co. Galway
Tel. 091 877 000
Fax. 091 877 001

N6 (Construction) Ltd
Mr. Alberto Enciso
N6 Galway to Ballinasloe
Site Office
Lodge Crossroads
Athenry
Co. Galway
Tel. 091 850 434
Fax. 091 850 380

National Roads Authority
Mr. David Cawley
N6 Galway to Ballinasloe
Site Office
Lodge Crossroads
Athenry
Co. Galway
Tel. 091 534 100

Fax. 091 534 199

Earthworks commenced in the first 14 Km (section 1) and from chainage 47+100 to end (section 4) last August. Since commencement every effort has been made to progress all cut and fill operations as

quickly as possible. Substantial quantities of suitable materials have been cut and placed in sections 1 and 4. In section 4 substantial quantities of unsuitable materials [mainly peat] have also been cut and
removed from site. Topsoil stripping and site clearance are nearing completion in sections 1 & 4, with remaining areas consisting of some side roads and a section of main line from river Suck to Beagh

also

antoobrien

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The NRA stopped producing them over a year ago , too embarrasing .

also

They're still being produced, this is the latest one and there's one due in the next month or so (going by roughly quarterly publication cycle they seem to use).

It'd be much easier if they got with the 21st century and published information on websites, rather than 'newsletters'. It'd certainly give the compaies involved better publicity if people could see what's going on, instead of relying on local politicians to get information published in (mostly) local newspapers

KevR

Looks like they are all but finished work on the N6 bridge that goes over the M6 at Ballydangan (Athlone-Ballinasloe scheme). There were bad delays here the last 2 evenings because there was a stop and go system in place. Hopefully there won't be any more delays.

veryangryman

We also have a half-built roundabout at the Elan Exit. Traffic that previously was at stop-go on one side of road....is now stop-go at the other

Why they dont use signposts to divert Athlone/Tuam-Bound traffic onto the old Tuam/Monksland road sted of the roundabout is beyond me. Would make life much easier for the residents

Its not a massive bottleneck, but its still an unnecessary inconvenience