N6 - Athlone Bypass Upgrade works

whyulittle

Bypass works on course for an October finish.

The on-ramp at the Cova is back open again, but the next closure at Coosan won't begin until August 2nd for some reason. So all on/off ramps are open for now.

The new concrete median barrier is now completed up to J10.

billbond4

Builders holidays !!
But i would guess that they are probably going to fill in the median and finish off the concrete barrier in the places that they havent done yet, like out monksland direction before closing junctions again.

antoobrien

whyulittle wrote: »

The on-ramp at the Cova is back open again, but the next closure at Coosan won't begin until August 2nd for some reason. So all on/off ramps are open for now.

There'll be extra traffic heading that way next week due to the galway races, and the junction wouldn't be open before the bank holiday weekend if they started now.

veryangryman

antoobrien wrote: »

There'll be extra traffic heading that way next week due to the galway races, and the junction wouldn't be open before the bank holiday weekend if they started now.

Sensible chaps.

Bypass traffic would make the old Moate bottleneck look like Silverstone otherwise...

Don't bank on it! It looks like the next contraflow is being set up.

whyulittle

Deleted User wrote: »

Don't bank on it! It looks like the next contraflow is being set up.

Due to ongoing road maintenance on the N6 Athlone Relief Road the following traffic restrictions will be in place from Thursday 21st July to Friday the 29th July.

The eastbound carriageway will be down to one lane between junctions 11 (Coosan) and Junction (Tuam) from Thursday 21st July to Friday the 29th July.

The westbound carriageway will be down to one lane between junctions 10 (Ballymahon) and Junction 12(Roscommon) from Thursday 21st July to Friday the 29th July.

All exit and enrty ramps will remain open until the 27th of July.

http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/news/name,9860,en.html


The Westmeath had it that they're open until August 2nd, but that median works will continue.

All exit and enrty ramps will remain open until the 27th of July.

Wrong! The Eastbound Coosan exit is shut!

shinikins

Deleted User wrote: »

Wrong! The Eastbound Coosan exit is shut!

Just used it ten minutes ago, definitely open!

@05

Must have reopened, it was shut early this morning @05:00 very early in the morning! (yawn)

whyulittle

Looked like they were installing new signage at the bottom of that exit the other day. Plus somewhere else but I can't remember where!

Zubeneschamali

Big signs up at J11 onramp and J12 offramp Westbound saying both are closed from Wed 29th for 3 weeks.

veryangryman

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Big signs up at J11 onramp and J12 offramp Westbound saying both are closed from Wed 29th for 3 weeks.

This is the longest stretch between junctions on the bypass so will take longer to complete. That said, with the races they really could have timed it better.

Maybe the 3 weeks is also factoring in holidays (if so its a pisstake - why dont they leave the road two lane until they get back). Friday evenings are not fun on that road these days

Zubeneschamali

By my reckoning, the next Wed 29th isn't until February!

whyulittle

J10 Looking East




J10 Looking West




A slightly different angle shows how close J11 and J10 are. You can see the hatch lines at the J11 on-ramp between the three cars at the top of the pic, and then the J10 off ramp at the bottom of the pic.

KevR

Looking East from J9 this evening. Can see the concrete barrier.

Click thumbnail for full size image

mayo23

Sorry if this was asked before but are they upgrading the bypass to motorway standard, with a view to future redesignation?

Wild Bill

mayo23 wrote: »

Sorry if this was asked before but are they upgrading the bypass to motorway standard, with a view to future redesignation?

You're not supposed to ask that around here!

It caused a bit of a ruckus last time it was aired

veryangryman

Wild Bill wrote: »

You're not supposed to ask that around here!

It caused a bit of a ruckus last time it was aired

Yeah! :mad:

In short... Farmer bias+L Drivers + fear of town centre becoming overcrowded +council not looking at big picture=road will likely never become motorway.

A tractor ban would be a good alternative, but refer to my council comment.

Wild Bill

When we get rich again (!) an alternative standard road would be a good idea; close a couple of the junctions and re-designate.

Any options south of the town?
Could open things up a bit.

veryangryman

Wild Bill wrote: »

When we get rich again (!) an alternative standard road would be a good idea; close a couple of the junctions and re-designate.

Any options south of the town?
Could open things up a bit.

*Head Explodes*

Wild Bill

Wild Bill wrote: »

When we get rich again (!) an alternative standard road would be a good idea; close a couple of the junctions and re-designate.

Any options south of the town?
Could open things up a bit.

Rich again, fat chance.

Has already been discussed to death on this board, several times! :pac:
There was no way anyoue could defend spending about €100 million on a southern route just to save about two or three minutes on the Dublin - Galway journey, It would have needed quite a large viaduct to cross the river to the south of the town.

Wild Bill

Deleted User wrote: »

There was no way anyoue could defend spending about €100 million on a southern route just to save about two or three minutes on the Dublin - Galway journey, It would have needed quite a large viaduct to cross the river to the south of the town.

Peanuts! The Longford semi-bypass on the wrong side of the town is costing €26 million.

Look at Athlone - it is developing east, west and north. There is nothing south of the centre. It is starting to resemble a boomerang - or a jellybean

A southern distributor would open up the area for development and help Athlone get ahead of Mullingar in the "biggest town" race between them.

Small town folk gotta start thinking big. :cool:

veryangryman

Wild Bill wrote: »

Peanuts! The Longford semi-bypass on the wrong side of the town is costing €26 million.

Look at Athlone - it is developing east, west and north. There is nothing south of the centre. It is starting to resemble a boomerang - or a jellybean

A southern distributor would open up the area for development and help Athlone get ahead of Mullingar in the "biggest town" race between them.

Small town folk gotta start thinking big. :cool:

Wild Bill - thats what im calling you for your last post as opposed to your actual username

If this got built south of the town (which indicates need for motorway and faster journey), it wouldnt have any junctions. The whole purpose of it is to speed up the journey. Closely spaced junctions a la current bypass (god bless it nevertheless) are what slow the journey down.

As for the town...

The town centre (the streets that is) despite traffic etc has alot of struggling business that are losing business to suburban shoppers (myself for instance spends most of his shopping pittance in Monksland). Town will soon become as poor looking as Naas - (nobody spending money there other than Saturdays pissups) if we let it get too big too quick.

Its a decent size now and has an ok balance - see how long the cession lasts, whether airport/chinatown get built and then decide whether to expand IMO

whyulittle

There is a south distributor road planned, that's why the new Chadwicks/DPD are set so far in off the Dublin Road.

Zubeneschamali

Wild Bill wrote: »

Look at Athlone - it is developing east, west and north. There is nothing south of the centre.

Everything south of the weir is liable to flooding, so development is, how you say, contra-indicated.

Wild Bill

veryangryman wrote: »

Wild Bill - thats what im calling you for your last post as opposed to your actual username

Well thank you Angry!

But I'm not suggesting the motorway be moved south of the centre; only a distributor road that would also serve as an alternative route and get the tractors of the N6; allow junctions 9 and 11 to be closed and a re-designation to take place.

It would be a win-win. If only the country wasn't broke

Wild Bill

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Everything south of the weir is liable to flooding, so development is, how you say, contra-indicated.

Oh! Not good. :eek:

Chris_5339762

A new motorway to the south is not needed at all, the bypass is fine as it is. A second regular bridge for the town IS needed. Only then could the Athlone bypass be made motorway at 100kmh (or even 90kmh).

Does anyone know if there are any plans to install lignting along the rebuilt bypass, as currently it is the only section of road between Dublin and Galway not to have illuminated junctions?

KevR

dolanbaker wrote: »

Does anyone know if there are any plans to install lignting along the rebuilt bypass, as currently it is the only section of road between Dublin and Galway not to have illuminated junctions?

Haven't heard of any plans to install more lighting.

I think they should light the whole bypass (not just junctions) because it's a busy section of high speed DC which also has pedestrians and cyclists using it.

Junctions and approaches to J8 and J13 are already lit. So there's only 4 more junctions that need to be lit and the short sections in between junctions.