N17 - Knock to Collooney [design & planning underway]

This was originally three projects: Knock-Charlestown, Tobercurry Bypass, Tobercurry-Collooney, so it’s not surprising that it would be split again. Although I’d prefer a different breakover point between the schemes now, something like: Knock-N5, Charlestown-Tobercurry Bypass, Tobercurry-Collooney, and do them from North to South: the two towns need bypasses, but Tobercurry-Collooney is a very dangerous road and safety should be first priority here.

In general, I think it makes a lot of sense to plan these upgrades as big projects, but when it comes to getting them built, sometimes it’s cheaper to do it in parts: there are few companies who would be willing to take on the whole 55 km, so splitting it into sections allows for more tenders to be received.

I suspect that combining the schemes into one was done to avoid the “rosary beads” effect of small bypasses, where completed the road ends up circling one town, then another, then another. The only economy of scale is that it’s all surveyed, designed and managed from one office, rather than three or four. With that master design to work from, the scheme can be put out to tender in smaller sections in the knowledge that the final thing will join up properly. It also helps to have the final alignment through planning, as it gives a lot more flexibility in scheduling the construction.

The fate of the Athenry Ring Road isn’t really relevant to this: for a start, it’s not a national route, it’s not funded from the Government capital budget, and it’s not being managed by TII. Galway County Council decided to build it, and it votes a new bit of that road to be built, by its own labour, whenever they have some spare cash - it’s not a construction project with a contract. That’s not exactly a great way of doing road construction, but there you go..

If you want a national route that’s been sliced into tiny sections, look at N56 Dungloe to Glenties in Donegal. But again it’s not necessarily for cost alone: this is nearly all online upgrades, and there’s no real alternative route for traffic to use, so the only way to do it without forcing people into taking 30 km detours was to work in 3~5 km sections. In effect, though, a lot of those works were done as a rolling project, with one section beginning before the previous has ended.

For this, three projects of 20 km each seems most likely, and it neatly divides the the sections into a priorty order: the northern 20km is lethal, but would be quick and cheap to do as an offline build, the middle one is congested (and would be the most expensive), and the southern one is okay but just needs minor improvements.

"To be honest if they could just focus on Collooney to Tubbercurry and get that bit done I could live with the rest of it, but that long stretch north of Tubbercurry is shocking for such a key route into the north west."

I would definitely agree with you there. Its definitely the worst part of it.

In fairness, I dont think it has been pushed out now. The update in March said;

Then the update in June said;

And now August says;

They are going through the various steps as outlined.

I'd have to disagree with you there. Part of the problem with the current road is slow moving traffic - tractors, campervans etc causing major tailbacks with the traffic stuck behind for many Kms unable to pass. This make people take stupid risks with overtaking moves, I've seen several close calls. I think as a road linking two major hubs on the west coast and an international airport in between, a DC should be put in place. Even is just as far a Knock Airport. But if push came to shove and they could install a high quality single as the only option, then yes. But DC would be my preferred option.

We met with an engineer late 2021 when they had the public consultation in the Sligo Park Hotel, one of many. It was so beneficial as we are severely affected by a route, he had hoped springtime possibly May a preferred route emerging so course we clung to that so for us eveey press release was a month further from May. Here we are October refreshing the website on the hour!! Hopefully we will hear this month

Pushed out again, so so frustrating!!

https://n17knockcollooney.ie/

This is so frustrating. I can't get planning for an extension on my house and my brother's farm is also effected by this. I knew this would be pushed out and it will again in January. I would be surprised to see the the route in the first half of 2023.

Very frustrating but expected. I noticed Sligo Co Co are building a new footpath through one of the routes on the Ballina Road in Tubbercurry so they possibly see a decision on routes a long way off or maybe they know that route won't be chosen.