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

kaizersoze · 09-02-2009 9:12pm

Chris_533976 wrote: »

I've said this a few times before but I'll repeat it.

Ballinasloe bypass of the Galway - Ballinasloe scheme requires junction 15 (ballinasloe west) to be finished.

To get from junction 14 (where Ballinasloe - Athlone finishes) to junction 15 requires crossing the River Suck.

To cross the River Suck, one requires a road element called a 'bridge'.

This bridge is under construction, but is the most complicated engineering part of Galway - Ballinasloe and will probably be the last part of the scheme to finish. It also cant be continued until April 2009 due to some agreement with the Fisheries Board (I think).

In any case, it will NOT be ready when Ballinasloe - Athlone is finished.

Therefore no bridge, no junction 15, no Ballinasloe bypass.

So there will be NO bypasss of Ballinasloe until the Galway - Ballinasloe scheme is finished. NO chance, forget it, nada.

IF they get the Suck Bridge done early, which I DOUBT, then they might sectionally open junctions 14 - 15. But with the complexities of the bridge, they probably wont.

Edit: Map if you need MORE convincing.

http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/GalwayCountyCouncil/N6GalwaytoBallinasloe/Map,15488,en.pdf

Isn't that what I said? :P

Chris_533976 · 09-02-2009 9:47pm

haha yeah but for some reason, this Ballinasloe nonsense seems to be one of the hardest things to get into people heads on this entire forum

09-02-2009 10:19pm

True, there seems to be a misunderstanding as to which project the Ballinsloe bypass belongs to.

It's part of the Galway - (east) Ballinasloe PPP project and not part of the Athlone - Ballinasloe project.

Carawaystick · 09-02-2009 11:27pm

Waterways Ireland deal with navigation, there could be a fisheries board thing to prevent other work until April.

KevR · 09-02-2009 11:32pm

I have no knowledge of the waterways or fishing but I honestly can't understand why the Fisheries Board or anyone would want them to stop work on the bridge for several months. I don't see the point in dragging it out. Surely it would be better to get all the work on the bridge done and dusted as quickly as possible?!

10-02-2009 1:23am

Carawaystick wrote: »

Waterways Ireland deal with navigation, there could be a fisheries board thing to prevent other work until April.

I'm guessing that it may have something to do with certain wildlife hibernating during winter & breeding in spring.

Maybe

kaizersoze · 10-02-2009 2:10am

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm guessing that it may have something to do with certain wildlife hibernating during winter & breeding in spring.

Maybe

Something along those lines alright and it's not just the Suck.

It's a complete ban on any work "on, at or near ant fish sensitive waterway" That includes work on culverts and smaller streams/drains along the route.
From the contractors newsletter:

The 1st of October heralds the
introduction of the works restriction
on all fi sh sensitive waters as
determined by the Regional Fisheries
Boards, until April 2009. There are
72 no. culverts in entirety of the
project; 86% of these culverts are
now substantially complete. There
are 38 no. fi sh passable culverts on
the project, 36 no. of these have
now being opened up. The relevant
fi sheries boards were present for the
opening up of all the fi sh passable
culverts. Culverts C470A and C510
in Aughrim will be constructed next
April when the works restriction is
no longer in place.

I'm assuming that all these restrictions were taken into account when the completion date was agreed.

mysterious · 10-02-2009 4:31am

So the date of opening realisitically late spring 2010 or after??

Bear in mind this route is 57km!!

KevR · 13-02-2009 1:25am

Furet wrote: »

Also, in the photo of the advanced section the cones are spaced far apart. Are they constructing a wide median there?

At first I thought they might be doing a wide median but then I thought it looked wider than usual because they were doing one of those extra lined out bits of carriageways for sightline purposes. Also, it didn't look wide enough for a wide median near Doughiska or on the mainline near Galway Airport so I thought it was going to be narrow median with an extra piece of lined out carriageway.

However, looking at the 2 photos below it's seems very much like they're doing a wide median and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

I think they will do a wide median from where the M6 will split (J20) when the Galway Bypass gets built to probably where the Rathmorrisey interchange will be. Although, I have never seen the mainline near Rathmorrisey (I don't think it's very easy to get to).

Basically, I think it will be wide median from J20-J18. J20-Doughiska RAB will be narrow median and everything East of J18 (Rathmorrisey) will be narrow median. Have no idea about the bypass.
Map

J19 Looking East

J19 Looking West towards Galway

Click thumbnails for full size images

BluntGuy · 16-02-2009 3:26am

Both of those images look suspiciously like wide-median to me.

I can tell from the way they seemed to have laid down the basis of a carriageway on either side of the gap in the middle. With narrow-medians, the whole thing is laid down.

It does make sense to have the M6 near Galway as wide-median.

That said we could be wrong. It could just be the usual "sightlines" thing. The curve is quite tight. Or maybe they're just doing wide-median here for some reason.

KevR · 16-02-2009 10:50am

I was thinking that if it was narrow median but had an extra bit of carriageway for sightline reasons then both carriageways would still be laid down as one; it would just be a bit wider than usual.

Can't be sure though, we'll just have to wait and see.

Amtmann · 16-02-2009 1:59pm

The EIS should have maps that would make it clear.

BluntGuy · 16-02-2009 2:06pm

Sadly there is no online EIS of this scheme.

ardmacha · 16-02-2009 2:07pm

Can't be sure though, we'll just have to wait and see.

Presumably the tender documents specify some details.

medoc · 17-02-2009 10:07pm

Does anyone know why the M6 is to be closed west bound from Kilbeggan to Tyrellspass overnight . It was down to one lane today.

GerardKeating · 17-02-2009 10:46pm

medoc wrote: »

Does anyone know why the M6 is to be closed west bound from Kilbeggan to Tyrellspass overnight . It was down to one lane today.

Not sure but that has to suck, you pay the toll to use the shinny new road and they put you back of the old "free" road...

csd · 17-02-2009 11:11pm

GerardKeating wrote: »

Not sure but that has to suck, you pay the toll to use the shinny new road and they put you back of the old "free" road...

The M6 isn't tolled. Maybe you're confusing it with the M4 Kilcock - Enfield - Kinnegad scheme, which is.

csd

KevR · 18-02-2009 1:41am

medoc wrote: »

Does anyone know why the M6 is to be closed west bound from Kilbeggan to Tyrellspass overnight . It was down to one lane today.

Out of curiosity, what was the reduced speed limit when it was open but down to one lane?

GerardKeating · 18-02-2009 9:39am

csd wrote: »

The M6 isn't tolled. Maybe you're confusing it with the M4 Kilcock - Enfield - Kinnegad scheme, which is.

csd

Yeah, confused Kinnegad with kilbeggan...

KevR · 22-02-2009 3:16pm

Got a couple of pictures which show the bit of progress they've made on the N18 overbridge (Junction 19).

Here is what it looked like a couple of months ago (25-12-2008):

Here's what it looked like today (22-02-2009):

Click for full size images

Bear in mind that there was a while when they weren't doing any work on this overbridge (they were probably concentrating on a different section); it's only in the last few weeks that re-started work on this bridge. Good to see progress being made.

Transport 21 Sign:

Also, I took a video of the N6 Dual Carriageway at Doughiska - I wanted to get a clip of it before they stick a roundabout in the middle of it for the M6. Struggling to get the clip off my camera and onto my computer at the moment (I don't know what's wrong with it). Will try uploading it again later.

kaizersoze · 22-02-2009 5:21pm

Well I got a surprise on Wednesday when I visited the Suck bridge site. I hadn't been up there since late November.

Work on the bridge is continuing at pace. The abuttments on each bank are well advanced. One side (eastern) is nearly completed.:eek:

I asked the engineer how come work was continuing in spite of the RFB ban.
He said "Ohh, they got an exemption for this".

Not what I was told last October. No camera with me so I'll be going back.

Sponge Bob · 22-02-2009 6:26pm

Latest info I have is :

1. Galway-Ballinasloe will not be finished by January 2010 , some time later is what I have been told , late spring most like but in time for the races .

2. The systematic repair of the roads around Athenry Kiltulla and New Inn will not commence until June and will be complete by end summer .

3. Athlone-Ballinasloe is "on target"

It confirms what Kaisersoze said on 06 Feb ..bar the repairs bit .

Amtmann · 22-02-2009 6:39pm

KevR wrote: »

Transport 21 Sign:

Ha, I actually took one too and added it to the M7 wikipedia page, as well as the Transport 21 page (which deals only with LUAS and rail BTW), as well as an NDP sign for that wikipedia page.

It seems that almost all of the interurban construction schemes are slowing down considerably. I wonder if there is actually any truth to the rumour that the early completion bonuses are no longer going to be paid by the NRA.

KevR · 22-02-2009 7:18pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Latest info I have is :

1. Galway-Ballinasloe will not be finished by January 2010 , some time later is what I have been told , late spring most like but in time for the races .

2. The systematic repair of the roads around Athenry Kiltulla and New Inn will not commence until June and will be complete by end summer .

3. Athlone-Ballinasloe is "on target"

It confirms what Kaisersoze said on 06 Feb ..bar the repairs bit .

Furet wrote: »

It seems that almost all of the interurban construction schemes are slowing down considerably. I wonder if there is actually any truth to the rumour that the early completion bonuses are no longer going to be paid by the NRA.

Disappointing if the Galway-Ballinasloe scheme isn't going to open until late Spring. I had hopes of it being open by the end of the year/early 2010

.

There will be absolute uproar if they don't keep the potholes around Athenry properly filled until the resurfacing in June. As far as I know, the last time there was a meeting between residents and the contractor the residents were told it would be April when resurfacing would start..

And, yes, it does seem like many schemes are slowing down a fair bit. The potential lack of early completion bonuses does seem like a possible explanation.

Sponge Bob · 22-02-2009 8:16pm

KevR wrote: »

As far as I know, the last time there was a meeting between residents and the contractor the residents were told it would be April when resurfacing would start..

As it is now end Feb the contractors should be able to provide a schedule of roads to be fixed and the order in which they are to be fixed and the time it will take to fix each road and the indicative start date for each project .

The residents would be well advised to set up am urgent meeting and ask to see this schedule ( and to bring someone with Spanish along )...just in case anything important were missing from the schedule like :cool:

The council engineers in the affected engineering districts should also have a copy of this schedule as they helped to formulate the schedule .

KevR · 22-02-2009 8:40pm

OK, so I have that video from the N6 DC at Doughiska/Ballybrit uploaded. The quality is sort of crap - I think the settings on my camera were wrong. Was my first attempt at filming while driving so it was filmed this morning when the roads were almost empty. I wasn't sure where was best to put the camera haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z35SNhU2r8

0.34 - The M6 construction site/where the current N6 will be split in 2 when the new RAB is built. Those 4 big signs facing the other way on the other carriageway are T21 signs for the M6.

2.02 - Away from the M6 site but I wanted to show this also. An entrance into a Nissan dealership directly off the DC! This is a new-ish slip road. Such a joke; there is another entrance to the dealers from the R339 which runs parallel to the N6 DC here.

Map

ohnoigotsick · 22-02-2009 9:09pm

KevR wrote: »

OK, so I have that video from the N6 DC at Doughiska/Ballybrit uploaded. The quality is sort of crap - I think the settings on my camera were wrong. Was my first attempt at filming while driving so it was filmed this morning when the roads were almost empty. I wasn't sure where was best to put the camera haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z35SNhU2r8

0.34 - The M6 construction site/where the current N6 will be split in 2 when the new RAB is built. Those 4 big signs facing the other way on the other carriageway are T21 signs for the M6.

2.02 - Away from the M6 site but I wanted to show this also. An entrance into a Nissan dealership directly off the DC! This is a new-ish slip road. Such a joke; there is another entrance to the dealers from the R339 which runs parallel to the N6 DC here.

Map

don't see what the problem is with the slip road , it's only one way in. theres a slip road on the other side of the DC coming out from ballybrit ind estate

KevR · 23-02-2009 12:00am

ohnoigotsick wrote: »

don't see what the problem is with the slip road , it's only one way in. theres a slip road on the other side of the DC coming out from ballybrit ind estate

It's just my opinion but I think it's a bit ridiculous having a slip road like that from a DC into a car dealership (or any other commericial place like that) when there is also an entrance from a parallel road - I don't think there's a need for it. There are a fair few other businesses in over the wall of the Westbound carriageway - imagine what it'd be like if all, or even just a few, of them applied for and were granted planning permission for slip roads off or on the Dual Carriageway!

Also, I've never actually driven down the slip for the car dealers but, just from looking, it seems like it's poorly designed. It's quite short, it seems rather narrow looking and there's a very tight bend at the end of it. There are rumble strips for almost the entire length of the slip - which sort of backs up the theory that it's too short and the bend is too tight.

The slip being there definitely doesn't improve the safety or effeciency of the road in my opinion.

The slip from the Ballybrit Industrial Estate onto the Eastbound carriageway is different. It's longer and better designed. Also, it's a lot more necessary given the thousands of people working in the industrial estate. In the evenings there is a huge queue from the industrial estate for the 'Morris' Roundabout - that's only Westbound traffic; it'd be 10 times worse if there was no slip and Eastbound traffic had to use that RAB also.

The service station on the Eastbound carriageway also has proper slips. It's also a nice distance to the next nearsest petrol station going East so you could say it's rather more necessary.

Carawaystick · 23-02-2009 10:05am

Isn't this why the Motorway re-designation occurred, to prevent this happening elsewhere.

KevR · 23-02-2009 11:26pm

Furet wrote: »

Ha, I actually took one too and added it to the M7 wikipedia page, as well as the Transport 21 page (which deals only with LUAS and rail BTW), as well as an NDP sign for that wikipedia page.

It might be a good idea for me to add a couple of construction pictures to the M6 wikipedia page. I'm not too sure how to edit wikipedia pages though because I've never tried it before; but I should be able to figure it out (what with me studying IT and all :cool:).

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

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