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

veryangryman

About the M4 just around the R148 at Kilcock.

Am i right in recalling that pre the PPP Motorway opening that the section of single-carriageway R148 that bypasses Kilcock used to be dualler alot further west? The days of taking buses led me to have little interest in this human endeavour.

Not like the trendy hobby i have now!

ohnoigotsick

veryangryman wrote: »

About the M4 just around the R148 at Kilcock.

Am i right in recalling that pre the PPP Motorway opening that the section of single-carriageway R148 that bypasses Kilcock used to be dualler alot further west? The days of taking buses led me to have little interest in this human endeavour.

Not like the trendy hobby i have now!

there use to be/still is a dualer in maynooth when heading to kilcock for a kilometer or two max - this was bypassed when the original M4 opened - not the PPP section though

L1011

ohnoigotsick wrote: »

there use to be/still is a dualer in maynooth when heading to kilcock for a kilometer or two max - this was bypassed when the original M4 opened - not the PPP section though

No, there isn't. Never was.

There is a pedestrian flyover leaving Maynooth on the R148 but its over a single carriageway, two lane road.

veryangryman

MYOB wrote: »

No, there isn't. Never was.

There is a pedestrian flyover leaving Maynooth on the R148 but its over a single carriageway, two lane road.

I feel like i should remove my thanks!

KevR

The second Athenry link road (to the Derrydonnell side of the town) opened a week or two ago.


And in Galway City, the new slip road/jet lane from the Dublin Road outbound to the R446 going towards the M6 Doughiska roundabout is open. It's a terrible jet lane - the merge onto the R446 is way too short. It took them over 9 months to build/open it! :eek:

Wild Bill

Short merge lanes seem to be an NRA specialty - they added two left-turn roundabout bypasses to the J13/M50 system at Sandyford...CATASTROPHIC!

Chris_5339762

Or M50N to N4W - ludicrously short slip which I'm going to email them about because they could easily steal a bit of the bus lane to make it safer.

Chris_5339762

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Or M50N to N4W - ludicrously short slip which I'm going to email them about because they could easily steal a bit of the bus lane to make it safer.

Even more dangerous when you consider the traffic leaving the city is confronted by a line of vehicles jumping into lane one, I've noticed that no one uses the left lane on the bridge just before the merge it's so dangerous!

The only reason there haven't been multiple crashes there is the fact that drivers leaving the city leave lane one claer!

Chris_5339762

NRA emailed, will let ye know if they come back to me!

L1011

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

NRA emailed, will let ye know if they come back to me!

I did this ages ago:

NRA wrote:

Thank you for your email. The NRA is aware of the issues here at the
improved N4 Jct 7 on the M50 motorway. In your email you have
identified a problem with the M50 Northbound to N4 Countrybound
movement. The problem is that this traffic movement has to merge with
one of the three mainline N4 at this location and at peak times this is
tailing back due to traffic volumes already on the N4 lanes.

Coming out of Dublin there are two mainline N4 countrybound (westbound)
lanes going through the junction from Palmerston and then there is a
lane gain for M50 southbound to N4 countrybound traffic. This works
perfectly as the traffic does not have to merge into another lane. At
this stage there are three mainline lanes.

Unfortunately we do not physically have the space to provide a further
extra lane gain with the M50 northbound merge (which happens after the
other M50 southbound merge) while still catering for a bus lane and the
Liffey Valley Centre which has a high volume of bus passengers.
However, there are remedial options available. One of these is to
reduce the mainline traffic down to two lanes at the M50 northbound
merge point so that the traffic joining here from the problem direction
has a dedicated lane gain. This can be done by hatching, ghost islands
and lane markings.

Our focus to date had been on continuing to work on the M50 upgrade
which continues in 2010. In the New Year, the NRA and our consultants
will be progressing a scheme to rectify the issue here and I will be
pressing for funding for these works to be undertaken during 2010.

NRA

NRA wrote:

One of these is to
reduce the mainline traffic down to two lanes at the M50 northbound
merge point so that the traffic joining here from the problem direction
has a dedicated lane gain. This can be done by hatching, ghost islands
and lane markings.

Effectivly enforcing what already happens, but protecting motorists who are unfamiliar with the road from being "pushed" into the middle lane by a train of cars leaving the motorway.

KevR

Galway News wrote:

CAMERAS INSTALLED ON M6 MOTORWAY TO IDENTIFY CRIMINALS

August 9, 2010 - 10:44am
Hidden cameras have been installed on the new Dublin to Galway motorway in an effort to identify criminals targeting homes and businesses in Galway.

Better road access to areas of Galway such as Loughrea and Ballinasloe is one of the reasons there's been a marked increase in burglaries across the county.

Members of the county joint policing committee has been told that since January 171 homes and businesses outside the city have been burgled.
Gardaí say the traffic corps have installed covert and overt cameras at various points of the new motorway to identify gangs travelling from Dublin and elsewhere to parts of Galway.

Inspector Mick O' Dwyer says Gardaí have several operations in place to curb the rate of burglaries across Galway.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/14341-cameras-installed-m6-motorway-identify-criminals

OK, the crooks will just use the other roads instead!

mackerski

KevR wrote: »

http://www.galwaynews.ie/14341-cameras-installed-m6-motorway-identify-criminals

Or to paraphrase the article:

Athlone burglars! Planning to turn over a few gaffs in Galway today? Take the back road, the guards won't know what hit them...

KevR

Could be reverse psychology. The cameras could be on the back roads. :pac:

Chris_5339762

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

NRA emailed, will let ye know if they come back to me!

Good ole Ms McNally. She must hate us

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your email, the contents of which are noted.

A new traffic management layout is currently being implemented at this
location which will improve the situation. It is anticipated that the
new layout will be implemented before 1 September.

Regards,

Wild Bill

Yeah. Up here in Dublin we are now plagued with burglars from Galway

KevR

KevR wrote: »

And in Galway City, the new slip road/jet lane from the Dublin Road outbound to the R446 going towards the M6 Doughiska roundabout is open. It's a terrible jet lane - the merge onto the R446 is way too short. It took them over 9 months to build/open it! :eek:

Drove by there last night and the jet lane was coned off again. I wouldn't be surprised if it caused an accident - it's horribly designed!

Nath

KevR wrote: »

Drove by there last night and the jet lane was coned off again. I wouldn't be surprised if it caused an accident - it's horribly designed!

This seemed to be "unofficially" opened during Race Week, as some of the cones that were blocking off the slip lane were removed, but it could have been someone got sick looking at it lying idle for the last few months, I know how they feel!!

I don't know what Galway City Council are at leaving this unused for so long, I wonder are they waiting for the updated signage with references for Dublin N6/M6 on them before opening this?

If you arrive in Galway at the Galway Clinic roundabout from Limerick, there is no signage for Dublin N6/M6.

Sponge Bob

MYOB wrote: »

I did this ages ago:

Unfortunately we do not physically have the space to provide a further
extra lane gain with the M50 northbound merge (which happens after the
other M50 southbound merge) while still catering for a bus lane and the
Liffey Valley Centre which has a high volume of bus passengers.

You could nearly sort the M4 westbound by gantrying out the left lane of the three after the westlink traffic s to w movement merges but more likely with a slip precisely HERE to the Quarryvale road system and marked 'local traffic only' Nod Wink

Jayuu

Are these OSI official maps?

Interesting to see that they think the M4 starts at the M50 when it actually starts a couple of miles later at Junction 5. And that the M7 is complete and the M18 extends to the M6. Maybe we should put this lot in charge of road building!

flazio

Nath wrote: »

If you arrive in Galway at the Galway Clinic roundabout from Limerick, there is no signage for Dublin N6/M6.

But back at the East Oranmore roundabout are the old N6 signs for Dublin still standing?

Nath

flazio wrote: »

But back at the East Oranmore roundabout are the old N6 signs for Dublin still standing?

Not sure about the signs at east Oranmore. I spotted a sign for Dublin at the Galway clinic roundabout this evening coming from the Oranmore, but this is at the exit of the roundabout - there is no signage for Dublin as you approach it.

Jayuu

Nath wrote: »

Not sure about the signs at east Oranmore. I spotted a sign for Dublin at the Galway clinic roundabout this evening coming from the Oranmore, but this is at the exit of the roundabout - there is no signage for Dublin as you approach it.

Is East Oranmore where the old N6 reached Galway? I passed through this junction last month and there is definitely no signage for the new motorway from it and I'm almost sure that the signs still say N6. I noticed this because I couldn't believe that it was signed this way.

Being aware of the motorway I knew where to go but if I hadn't know about it I would have probably ended up on the old N6 heading to Loughrea. Its a disgrace that these signs haven't been updated.

Sponge Bob

The N6 is a short stretch of road between Doughiska and Carnmore which turns into the M6 thereafter ...and a small stretch of road in Athlone too. Maybe the signs were for the Athlone stretch of N6 which is only a 50 mile drive away through Oranmore Loughrea etc

flazio

By 'East Oranmore' I generally mean the first roundabout you hit if approaching Galway from the old Dublin road i.e. what is now considered the Craughwell/Loughrea road. What I want to know is, if a tourist has just come up from say, Shannon airport and wants to start heading towards the east, does the sign for that roundabout still indicate that Dublin is off the third exit or is there even a light board or whatever you call those yokes indicating a new road to Dublin.

Jayuu

flazio wrote: »

By 'East Oranmore' I generally mean the first roundabout you hit if approaching Galway from the old Dublin road i.e. what is now considered the Craughwell/Loughrea road. What I want to know is, if a tourist has just come up from say, Shannon airport and wants to start heading towards the east, does the sign for that roundabout still indicate that Dublin is off the third exit or is there even a light board or whatever you call those yokes indicating a new road to Dublin.

There was definitely nothing to indicate that you should go straight through this roundabout (from Shannon) in order to access the M6 to Dublin around three weeks ago.

I can't be 100% sure about what the approach signs said for the third exit on the roundabout but given the lack of redirection signs to the M6 I would imagine the signs still say "Dublin [N6]".

35x

The M6 is a fine piece of infrastructure and isn't it a shame that it's value is being undermined by lack of simple signage at many access points incl within Galway city!! surely it would be possible to have some kind of blue 'M6' sticker which could be added to appropriate existing signage giving the option at least of choosing which route you want. This is relevant in Athlone near the Renault garage also. Surely a proper permanent sign would be cheaper than renting lighting boards for months. Why is our new road been hidden and causing confusion to tourists (incl Irish) ????????

35x

35x wrote: »

Surely a proper permanent sign would be cheaper than renting lighting boards for months.

I think they only used those to "re-educate the natives" so they would use the new road rather than staying on the existing routes. Many regular travellers just go on automatic pilot and frequently ignore signs altogether.

whyulittle

Feel free to move this to a more appropriate place.

I was just on the old N6 between Athlone and Moate, and noticed lots of new 100km/h speed limit signs, and not a sign of an 80mk/h one!