N56 - Dungloe to Glenties

dollylama

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118366441#Comment_118366441

Is this the section down in the cut crossing the new bridge?

In fairness to BAM, they made great progress on this project all considered.

ernestcooke91

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118366619#Comment_118366619

Yes, this section opened up last Thursday.

You are now driving on the completed road, obviously there is still more work to complete such as final surfacing

L1011

There's a significant section needing final surfacing and marking. The bit near the lake likely needs two layers (+ marking) and then there's plenty of crash barriers and landscaping/tidyup outstanding.

Managed to hit every single green on the Glenties-Maas section somehow; the way back last time was nearly all reds so I'm just getting balance!

yannakis

Is this new part also open to traffic now?

L1011

Yes, that opened at Christmas. Still needed significant surfacing (2+ layers) but was open in both directions and the old section out of use.

yannakis

Thanks for that :)

spacetweek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118545168#Comment_118545168

In the map you showed, is that

N56 Dungloe to Glenties (Phase 5 Dungloe to Cloghbolie)

or

N56 Dungloe to Glenties (Phase 4 Letterilly to Kilraine Ph1)

L1011

Phase 5 Dungloe - Cloghbolie

Letterilly - Kilraine Part 1 is nowhere near complete, nearly the entire road is running on what will become the cycle track - either the old road or a new single lane.

What looks like another small offline section on the D-C map there was actually done by DLCC in ~2009 (albeit it took them years to do so) - the new road is just a resurfacing with cycle track alongside of that.

L1011

How bad are the delays between Maas and Glenties these days?

L1011

To answer that - still three sections, still possible to be held for 11+ minutes depending on how you catch the sequence.

One tiny section is now online on the new road - where it bridges that tiny river at the Glenties end, and the old bridge is now demolished.

Dungloe to Cloghbolie is finished on the road, but there are still some landscaping works and bits of the cycle track to finish up. Numerous workers on Good Friday even!

ernestcooke91

Just thought I would give this a further update on the Glenties section of this road.

Since the last message, there is now approximately another 1km which has been moved over to the new road layout.

We are still on 3 temporary traffic lights. I would guess, it's probably about the same length of delay on travelling through it.

I would imagine the next while should see good progress on it

cartoncowboy

When is this scheme due to be fully complete?

spacetweek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330183#Comment_119330183

Unless I missed it, I think Phase 2 of "N56 Phase 4 Letterilly to Kilraine" is still not started? If it did start, when was that?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119337214#Comment_119337214

That's not been started. Was it even tender awarded?

There were signs for a Wills site office over there last year (near the closed hardware store), but I'm fairly sure it was not awarded at the time anyway!

L1011

Any chance there'll be some alleviation of the one-ways for the BH weekend?

We're already a week in to the CIF holidays but they barely seem to matter these days, most sites around here are still active.

L1011

Probably still possible to lose a lot of time on these lights if you hit them at the wrong times; but 4 minutes delay on the way North and 3 on the way South (plus the drive through being significantly slower of course) is a huge improvement over Easter. Six weeks should see the bulk of it on the new alignment I'd say.

ernestcooke91

Another update today on the Glenties section of the roadworks. Approximately another 1km has moved over onto the new road from the cycle path.

Still 3 lights left but the longest of the 3 lights has been massively shortened at the bridge.

L1011

My six-weekly or so query for updates on delays has come around again - how long is a bad day currently?

ernestcooke91

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119640979#Comment_119640979

Currently, it is still 3 traffic lights left. Longest you are likely to be stopped is 3 minutes at any of the lights.

Work has started again on the bridge just outside Glenties (hopefully it shouldn't take too long). The remaining offline sections will be due for surfacing shortly.

Mushy

When is this section due to finish up? It's going to look very different when I'm next up, be great if it was finished by then

ernestcooke91

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119643232#Comment_119643232

Sometime later this year I would imagine. Someone with a better knowledge of roadworks than me will be best to answer that. Halloween will see things very well on.

Mushy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119645374#Comment_119645374

Oh that's excellent stuff. I was last up at Easter so it'll be a big change now this time, and i wont be up till Christmas. Be a fine road when it's done.

ernestcooke91

The last remaining large section of the Glenties part of the roadworks opened up last Friday.

There are 2 temporary traffic lights remaining (1 at the bridge and 1 at the other end where the road merges with the current road near Maas.

Both of these sections are well on though.

Finally, there will need to be a final surface, lining, tidying up etc.

Redsoxfan

Local news

https://www.donegallive.ie/news/local-news/945957/new-100-million-west-donegal-road-walkway-and-cycleway-to-open-soon.html

spacetweek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119337220#Comment_119337220

Why is the article (which is very informative) saying the scheme is nearly done when Letterilly to Kilraine Phase 2 still hasn't started.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119785014#Comment_119785014

Because most people forget that it was even part of the project, I guess. "Dungloe to Glenties" does not include Glenties to a turnoff in the middle of nowhere unless you know that was the plan!

spacetweek

How is Letterilly to Kilraine Phase 1 getting along? Started in 2021-Q1, due to finish this year.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119806411#Comment_119806411

That is what Edwin has been providing updates on above, I'll be able to give a further update tomorrow but I doubt its changed much in 8 days.

L1011

No change to the road status to report, as expected.

What I did like seeing was an auld lad with a stick out walking with his dog on the old road / now off-road footpath/cycle track. Probably hasn't been safe for him to go for a walk around there for decades!

Mushy

Drove this today the whole way to Dungloe, what a pleasure to drive. Would normally only go as far as Nairn turnoff, so last time I'd gone whole way the section closer to dungloe had barely started. Wife had never copped it and was surprised at how fast we got up.

dollylama

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119816440#Comment_119816440

Is the deep cut at the Narin end open to traffic now? The Doctors Brae I think it was called before

Mushy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119816935#Comment_119816935

Cant say I'd be familiar with names, but barring the traffic lights being in place to finish off some works, the whole road is opened. There is a bit towards narin where they had to blast through some rock, I assume that's the bit, but yeah it's done. Can see the old road to the right as it goes over the top of the hill. Then there's lights just down past that.

remfan

Drove the route from Glenties to Gaoth Dobhair this past weekend, really smooth from Dungloe to just outside Glenties. 50K limit still from Maas to Glenties while they finish off the off road elements. I did notice 2 dead deer on the new stretch outside Dungloe, wonder if the wider road, cycle lanes etc. coupled with the fencing means that they are getting trapped, confused with the new layout.

L1011

Road is basically done now, albeit there were two ultra-short lights sections on Friday while there was machinery on the carriageway to do works on the landscaping etc. These were not there on the weekend days. The 50km/h is still in place for a lot of it and I suspect could be a fish-in-a-barrel thing if AGS wanted it as the road is fine for 100km/h now - wearing course, lining, studs etc all done.

There is some significant rock breaking along the unstarted bit south of Glenties but that may be completely unconnected to this - I don't know if the tender was even awarded for that!

remfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120245226#Comment_120245226

I drove this again 2 weeks ago, makes a huge difference, any word on the last piece to bypass Glenties? Any plans to improve the route from Glenties to Frosses, the R262 as this is effectively the main route north from Donegal town to Dungloe, Gaoth Dobhair etc.?

L1011

The last piece does not bypass Glenties, it'll only be from south of Glenties to the Frosses turnoff. Wouldn't be too hard to bypass the town, and there's long term plans for other N56 bypasses (Dunkineely and Bruckless) but not for this

R262 is going to be like that for ages. There's funding for bridge works on two bridges in this year's tranche but nothing else. It's a money pit as it needs constant resurfacing to level out what's sunk in to the bog!

DumbBrunette

Not sure if posted before but there's some good pics of the Letterilly to Kilraine section at the link below

https://willsbros.com/portfolio/n56-letterilly-to-kilraine-ph1/

L1011

There's a funding commitment in the 2023 figures that seems far too big (5.63m) to be the final payments for work completed; plus some for land purchase (140k) so presumably the final bit will actually start this year.

marno21

The final 2.6km of this scheme has gone to tender

https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=2514691

ernestcooke91

Hi,

Just wondering has there been any update on the tender for the final 2.6km of the scheme?

L1011

There's no award notice but they sometimes don't turn up for ages.

Other than sorting out the surface at the R262 junction (which is like the fecking moon), the final stage is basically pointless.

Either significant progress on making the looping mainline N56 better is needed - e.g. the Inver to Five Points realignment from the CDP that bypasses Bruckless and Dunkineely and making it better from Five Points to Ardara and bypasing Ardara - or they need to bite the bullet on doing the R262.

The R262 gets resurfacing in part basically every year as the road keeps sinking in to the bog; so maintaining the crap alignment that's there isn't cheap.

The R262 is now my most hated bit of the drive up to the Rosses; the inevitable colonnade of vehicles stuck behind a truck that does 65km/h everywhere except straight bits where it gets to 90km/h and is harder to overtake on the N4 between Roosky and Mullingar is more hateful on the way back though. Never seems as bad going North West.

marno21

https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=2966400

This has gone to tender again. Unsure as to why.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121646028#Comment_121646028

I know with some public tenders two things have being happening lately.

A) Lack of responce from contractors for various reasons

B) The tenders that have come back have been way over the projected budget

So the public bodys end up cancelling the tenders or rerunning them a few months later

DumbBrunette

https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2024/0425/1445701-n56-donegal-upgrade/

Is the full Dungloe to Glenties scheme now complete? Or are they only opening the latest section?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064677#Comment_122064677

Latest section. The last bit has not commenced, I suspect it never will.

It goes against the secondary roads needs plan which has a western bypass of the town anyway

DumbBrunette

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064700#Comment_122064700

Is the missing bit Letterilly to Kilraine Phase 2? Sorry, I'm not that familiar with west Donegal!

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066686#Comment_122066686

Yes.

It was re-tendered in January, closing date late Feb and we've heard nothing since. If there were no good or affordable tenders I doubt they'll go for a third time.

dollylama

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066699#Comment_122066699

It's been awarded to Fox Contracts. It's more a greenway and some small realignment from what I've seen

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067320#Comment_122067320

Its so irrelevant in terms of the road that there's been little or no reporting of that!

There's basically nowhere for the road to go other than the existing route most of the way, so yes, its just putting the cycleway in mostly. The junction at Kilraine needs to be resurfaced with surfacing to resist very high wear also; but that didn't need a full scheme.

dollylama

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067327#Comment_122067327

Agreed, a real pity too as I believe the original plan was to cut west from where the last job finished on the other side of Glenties, go across the river to the west of town and join up at Kilraine. Can't see it ever happening to be honest