N6 Dual Carriageway to Athlone opening dates?

Golden Horde

Does anyone know the real expected completion dates for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the scheme to Athlone....?

I know Phase 1(which partially opened before Christmas to just short of Tyrellspass) is down for a Q4 2007 completion and Phase 2 as far as Athlone is officially down for Q4 2008.

I was wondering if anyone knew when they might realistically open, as these dates usually build in delay times....

malachy47

They seem to be making great progress as seen from the Athlone bypass. There must be financial incentives for Ascom to do it before the deadline. Would be great to see it co-incide with the new town centre development, but that's a push!

Best guess would be Q4 2007, at the earliest! they haven't even started the bridges yet.

Occidental

Last I heard was the Kilbeggan stretch by summer and a possible opening to Athlone by Christmas.

AM

The bridge work at Farnagh is reported on aaroadwatch.ie to be finished by October 07, although they claimed August 07 last month.

If the other interchanges can be completed by then, I suppose it might be possible to complete the road by the end of the year. After recently moving to Moate, I'd gladly welcome the new DC.

Realistically, I'd guess this time next year before it's completed.

impr0v

The remainder of phase one (to Kilbeggan) is scheduled for opening in May of this year, though may be slightly ahead. Phase 2, from Kilbeggan to Athlone is programmed for completion in late July 2008, though there is an expectation of a slight delay with this section.

malachy47

It seems Improv's info is right on the mark. The local press is touting its opening for end of next month.

patrickc

drove by the moate/athlone bit today, looks ready to open all signs up, finishing touches been done, maybe it'll lie ready to open like the carlow one for ages

de breeze

I was told by NRA the plan is to have it open in time for for Galway races. Seriously.

27th July it then

Chris_533976

Good idea actually, those races generate an absurd amount of traffic. I've seen 5 mile jamups on the N18 (and not caused by town bottlenecks either) during race week.

Good long thread in infrasture on guessing the opening day http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055146978

patrickc

de breeze wrote: »

I was told by NRA the plan is to have it open in time for for Galway races. Seriously.

like the naas lane carriageway for the ryder cup so

Sponge Bob

Athlone - Kilbeggan Opening Tomorrow 16th at lunchtime

Bye Bye Moate !!!!

GerardKeating

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Athlone - Kilbeggan Opening Tomorrow 16th at lunchtime

Bye Bye Moate !!!!

I see a few adverts in the Irish Times today, for hotels etc in the Athlone area mention that they get 45 minutes closer to Dublin after tomorrow.

veryangryman

This is absurd. Even if you did an average of 100KMPH to Dublin (allowing for the stop at the toll in an otherwise 120KMPH journey), youd still only be around Lucan area in the space of an hour.

I think that, at a stretch, it might save 20 minutes on a Friday. Still better to have those 20 minutes doing fun things than being in Moate :pac:

GerardKeating

veryangryman wrote: »

This is absurd. Even if you did an average of 100KMPH to Dublin (allowing for the stop at the toll in an otherwise 120KMPH journey), youd still only be around Lucan area in the space of an hour.

I think that, at a stretch, it might save 20 minutes on a Friday. Still better to have those 20 minutes doing fun things than being in Moate :pac:

Well, the AA site and RTÉ both mention the 45 minutes of time saved ("at peak times")...

veryangryman

Anyone can say anything without it necessarily being true.

Does anyone who does the Athlone to Kilbeggan journey actually think it could conceivably save that much time? Coupled in with the existing bypasses from Kilbeggan to Kilcock, yes. But not on its own.

The writer of that AA section is an idiot, im sorry to say

gerbilgranny

I'm a jammy beggar, all the same.

Put the daughter on the Galway train this morning, for her 3-week stint in Irish college, and I'll be travelling down to visit in 10 days time.

So I'm very pleased with the timely opening of this stretch of road.

Thanks be to God!

Ham'nd'egger

veryangryman wrote: »

Anyone can say anything without it necessarily being true.

Does anyone who does the Athlone to Kilbeggan journey actually think it could conceivably save that much time? Coupled in with the existing bypasses from Kilbeggan to Kilcock, yes. But not on its own.

The writer of that AA section is an idiot, im sorry to say

I don't travel this road often but the last few occasions that I did, it has taken me about 15-20 minutes just to get through Moate; this would be not the peak 4-6PM or Friday crunch times that I would travel. It also cuts out Kilbeggan and some of the crawling towards the Athlone by pass roundabout which are both snarls at the best of times so I'd well believe the 45 minute cull in journey times stated.

kaizersoze

Bit early to get excited about saving time on the Dublin to Galway run.
Ballinasloe wil soon replace Moate as the bottleneck I'm sorry to say.:(

transylman

kaizersoze wrote: »

Bit early to get excited about saving time on the Dublin to Galway run.
Ballinasloe wil soon replace Moate as the bottleneck I'm sorry to say.:(

Makes no difference to me, I'll be turning off for Tuam at Athlone . Or at least I will be until the M17 is completed sometime around 2036. You're right though, Ballinasloe is going to be the only major bottleneck on the Dublin Galway road from now on so expect mile long tailbacks there almost all the time until the rest of this route is complete.

Anyone using the new road today let us know how you get on.

serfboard

veryangryman wrote: »

Does anyone who does the Athlone to Kilbeggan journey actually think it could conceivably save that much time? Coupled in with the existing bypasses from Kilbeggan to Kilcock, yes. But not on its own.

The writer of that AA section is an idiot, im sorry to say

It sounds like a press release from the NRA (although it's not on their website). (EDIT: It is on their website now). Remember, Kinnegad-Athlone was originally considered as one scheme with two phases and I think this is what it's referring to. Even still, 45 minutes does seem a lot.

prendy

i do this journey every week or so, and bypassing kilbeggan and moate will save at least 40 mins. especially on fridays and sunday's when traffic is alot heavier.

jank

So whats the completion times for the rest of the M/N6?

kaizersoze

jank wrote: »

So whats the completion times for the rest of the M/N6?

Athlone - Ballinasloe due for completion in 2009 and Ballinasloe - Galway is 2010.

jank

Is that so? Hmmm.... I remember a poll we had last year prediciting what inter urban would finish first. The N6 won but the N8 is making HUGE progess and could be all open at the end of next year.

It will be interesting what happens.

corktina

kaizersoze wrote: »

Bit early to get excited about saving time on the Dublin to Galway run.
Ballinasloe wil soon replace Moate as the bottleneck I'm sorry to say.:(

how can you think that? will there be more cars per hour passing througn Ballinasloe for some reason?


Surely the bottleneck at Ballinasloe would have to be smaller than that that was at Moate as some vehicles will have turned off between the two....(westbound) and it wont make any difference at all at Balinasloe (eastbound)

Idbatterim

45 mins would be a realisitc saving at peak time over the new 30 kms. the bottleneck will not be as bad in ballinasloe as it was in moate, as im sure quite a bit of traffic wont want to go as far as ballinasloe as mentioned above...

steyr fan

I don't care if it saves me 5 mins or 55 mins, as long as I can keep moving I'll be smiling:)

kaizersoze

corktina wrote: »

how can you think that? will there be more cars per hour passing througn Ballinasloe for some reason?


Surely the bottleneck at Ballinasloe would have to be smaller than that that was at Moate as some vehicles will have turned off between the two....(westbound) and it wont make any difference at all at Balinasloe (eastbound)

Westbound is going to be the problem. It's not that there will be more cars, it's the fact that they will now be arriving at the town faster and all together. The bottleneck in Moate helped Ballinasloe because it held up the traffic and released it slowly. This meant that it was more spread out as it got to Ballinasloe.
It has been discussed at local and Co.Council level and they realise that it's going to be a problem. They even approached the contractor doing the Ballinasloe to Galway leg. They wanted him to prioritise the section from the east of the town to the west of it, but it's not going to happen.
It'll really get bad when the Athlone to Ballinasloe leg is finished a year before the rest of it.

I don't think that there will be any major increases in traffic through the town because ther single carriageway section between Athlone & ballinaslow will restrict the flow a bit.

Another thing to consider is the new junction at the west of Athlone will cause a huge bottleneck for a while as the local traffic around the area will be mixed with the through traffic, the main N6 will be closed at Doyles bridge while it's route is diverted north to tie in with the new road.

corktina

how will the traffic arrive altogether? the only difference I can see is that they will arrive in a different order...some having overtaken others...the amont of vehicles per hour east and west of Moate before today would be roughly equal would they not.? and therefore the flow arriving at Ballinasloe in futre will be equal to that that used to arrive at Moate minus any that turn off... it still means you have one hold up now instead of two...

kaizersoze

corktina wrote: »

how will the traffic arrive altogether? the only difference I can see is that they will arrive in a different order...some having overtaken others...the amont of vehicles per hour east and west of Moate before today would be roughly equal would they not.? and therefore the flow arriving at Ballinasloe in futre will be equal to that that used to arrive at Moate minus any that turn off... it still means you have one hold up now instead of two...

Grand so. I'll tell all not to worry.:pac:

Tableman

On Fridays, it could easily take btween 1 & 1.5 hours to get through Moate (coming into Moate around 4, 4.30) and even when you come out of it, yuo probably wont get over 50 miles per hour until after athlone. So it will defitely save more than 45 minutes at that time.

serfboard

kaizersoze wrote: »

It'll really get bad when the Athlone to Ballinasloe leg is finished a year before the rest of it.

I'm just looking at the map for the two projects. Anyone know why Athlone-Ballinasloe finished on the eastern side of the town instead of the western side - which surely would have made more sense? If that had been the case, Athlone-Ballinasloe would have taken all traffic out of the town.

Or did they think Galway-Ballinasloe would be finished before Athlone-Ballinasloe?

D.L.R.

serfboard wrote: »

I'm just looking at the map for the two projects. Anyone know why Athlone-Ballinasloe finished on the eastern side of the town instead of the western side - which surely would have made more sense? If that had been the case, Athlone-Ballinasloe would have taken all traffic out of the town.

Or did they think Galway-Ballinasloe would be finished before Athlone-Ballinasloe?

Athlone-Ballinasloe is scheduled to come in a few months ahead of B'sloe-Galway. So it'll be a few months of bad traffic for the town in all probability. Who knows why they designed it this way, really makes you wonder. Not ideal, but a few months ain't the worst. Moate was stuck in traffic hell for years.

Keedowah

Anyone else baffled by why a lot of this road is classified as a National Road and not a motorway - hence the 100kmph speed limit?

Also - the signs in Moate - "Thanks for the business - come again" - personally i'd rather eat my own face then visit Moate again. I think the new signs should be "Honk if you hate Moate"

ardmacha

Anyone else baffled by why a lot of this road is classified as a National Road and not a motorway - hence the 100kmph speed limit?

If you read this forum you'll hardly be baffled, the motorway order hasn't been completed yet.

kaizersoze

serfboard wrote: »

I'm just looking at the map for the two projects. Anyone know why Athlone-Ballinasloe finished on the eastern side of the town instead of the western side - which surely would have made more sense? If that had been the case, Athlone-Ballinasloe would have taken all traffic out of the town.

Or did they think Galway-Ballinasloe would be finished before Athlone-Ballinasloe?

Twas something to do with the Ballinasloe - Galway section being done as a PPP iirc. The bridging of the river Suck would have added a considerable cost to the Athlone - Ballinasloe leg which is totally funded by the Gov.

kaizersoze

D.L.R. wrote: »

Athlone-Ballinasloe is scheduled to come in a few months ahead of B'sloe-Galway. So it'll be a few months of bad traffic for the town in all probability. Who knows why they designed it this way, really makes you wonder. Not ideal, but a few months ain't the worst. Moate was stuck in traffic hell for years.

I've a feeling it'll be more than a few months.
Both were started around the same time. One is 20Km and the other is 56Km.
Lots more engineering challenges on the western leg aswell.

Carawaystick

The galway B'Sloe section was to have started first and been completed faster as PPPs always allow cheaper faster better road construction.... ymmv

I don't think Balinasloe will be as bad as Moate because there'll be no Athlone Dublin or Tullamore -Athlone Traffic, and then there's Tuam, Roscommon, N55, Birr traffic which connect to the N6 at Athlone.

OK! NOw that then new road has opened, has there been any change to the traffic flow through Ballinaslow?

Gillie

Was on it today twice. Went from Sligo to Laois (and Kilkenny and Clonmel and back:() and the big difference was going as far as the exit for Killbeggan to go to Tullamore. After I took that exit I was in Tullamore in less than ten minutes (i think).

In the past I would have turned of for the N80 in Moate.

Defo made a big difference to me.

Sponge Bob

kaizersoze wrote: »

Lots more engineering challenges on the western leg aswell.

Crossing the Suck in Ballinasloe for one

kaizersoze

Deleted User wrote: »

OK! NOw that then new road has opened, has there been any change to the traffic flow through Ballinaslow?

Haven't been out that side during peak so can't say. No difference at 9pm anyway.

Sponge Bob wrote:

Crossing the Suck in Ballinasloe for one

Aye. I've been keeping an eye on it.:)

Victor

http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/htmltext,15349,en.html

N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone Scheme Open to Traffic

The N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone national road scheme was officially opened today (Wednesday 16th July 2008) by Mr. Noel Dempsey, T.D, Minister for Transport.

The new high quality dual carriageway commences close to Kilbeggan at the western end of the completed N6 Kinnegad to Kilbeggan scheme and connects to the eastern end of the existing Athlone Bypass.

Three towns and villages are bypassed by the new road - Kilbeggan, Horseleap and Moate. As a result, there will be a reduction in travel time due, in particular, to the bypassing of Moate where delays of up to 45 minutes have been experienced on a regular basis at peak times.

Officiating at the opening ceremony Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D., Minister for Transport, said:

“The opening of the N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone scheme is fantastic news for local people and other road users. This new road, which was delivered on time and on budget, will remove 10,000 vehicles per day from the bypassed towns and villages of Kilbeggan, Horseleap and Moate. It will improve the quality of life for those living in these areas and make their local roads safer while at the same time cutting driving times on the Dublin to Galway route. I look forward to watching the boost that this new road will deliver for the local commercial and tourism industries.”

Peter Malone, Chairman of the National Roads Authority, said:

“The opening this scheme is hugely significant in the development of the key east-west axis from Galway to Dublin, one of Ireland’s premier business and tourism arteries. The completion of this 29km project means that motorists will now be able to travel all the way from Dublin to west of Athlone on 114 km of continuous motorway or dual carriageway."

The completion of this scheme sees 60% of the entire 189km major inter-urban route from the Capital to the City of the Tribes open to traffic. The remainder of the route is under construction and is on schedule for completion in 2010. New roads of this high standard will deliver fast and reliable transportation of goods and services and will help address the challenges presented as a result of economic and demographic development.”

The entire major inter-urban route from Galway to Dublin will be complete by 2010. The schemes currently under construction are the N6 Athlone to Ballinasloe scheme which is due for completion next year, the 56km N6 Ballinasloe East to Galway project will be completed in 2010 and the N4 Lucan Bypass Upgrade scheme will be finished in 2009.

The N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone project was funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan, 2007-2013 and part financed by the European Union.

Please click here for a map of the scheme – please note that the green line denotes the new route, the orange line the old route.

Tableman

Have used the new road, tis feckin great. Never have to see Moate again

kaizersoze

Well in fairness I haven't seen any tail backs on the main N6 but the problem is showing itself in a way I and the council didn't think off. It now takes ages to get out of the streets/side roads onto or across/onto the N6. The town is now getting very badly congested. There's just a constant stream of traffic passing now with no breaks.

At 4pm today it took me nearly 10 minutes to get across the N6 at the Creagh junction on the eastern side of the town. Both side roads had at least 30-40 cars held.:(

I'm not looking foward to race week.

Victor

Which town? Ballinasloe?

Well in fairness I haven't seen any tail backs on the main N6 but the problem is showing itself in a way I and the council didn't think off. It now takes ages to get out of the streets/side roads onto or across/onto the N6. The town is now getting very badly congested. There's just a constant stream of traffic passing now with no breaks.

At 4pm today it took me nearly 10 minutes to get across the N6 at the Creagh junction on the eastern side of the town. Both side roads had at least 30-40 cars held.

I'm not looking foward to race week.

The continous length of dual carriageway has reduced the "glugging" (vehicles bunching up behind one slower vehicle) effect of traffic that used to be caused by the long single carriageway* between Ballinaslow and Kilbeggan. The relativly short single carriageway between west Athlone and Ballinaslow doesn't appear to allow much (westbound) bunching.


*I excluded the Athlone bypass as this just rearranges the vehicles & they bunch up behind the next slow vehicle