N5 vs N60

spacetweek

Hi folks, I'm planning on driving to Castlebar from Dublin on Saturday. I haven't been down to Mayo in about 10 years and I'm wondering if I should use the N5 or the N60 to get between Longford and Castlebar? Which road is better these days?

spacetweek

Thanks for the responses guys. :rolleyes:

In the end I tried both routes - N5 on the way down and N60/N61 via Athlone on the return.

The N5 is greatly the better of the two routes. Its alignment is generally much better with hard shoulders and several reconstructed sections. Even more sections are going ahead in the future too.

The N60 on the other hand is a typical national secondary - no hard shoulders, very bumpy and with dips and bends all over the place. A few resurfaced sections but generally more like something from the stagecoach era.

I hadn't been down the west of the country in ages and was surprised to find that signage was actually pretty good - the only town we got lost in was Longford, where the N5 is hard to find. There were a few dodgy moments of course, with flowers covering destinations etc., but it was generally pretty clear everywhere. They seem to have removed nearly all those cast iron mile signs too - I only saw a couple the whole time.

A few other observations:
- Longford bypass is very badly needed - the town is confusing to navigate and suffering greatly from truck traffic tearing up the streets.
- N6 Athlone bypass is substandard and will need major work if it's ever to be made into a motorway.
- New N6 Tullamore-Kinnegad is small scale but functional. It's a bit weird having the other side of the road so close, but such alignments are common in many other countries, so there's a precedent.

Ham'nd'egger

spacetweek wrote:

Thanks for the responses guys. :rolleyes:

In the end I tried both routes - N5 on the way down and N60/N61 via Athlone on the return.

The N5 is greatly the better of the two routes. Its alignment is generally much better with hard shoulders and several reconstructed sections. Even more sections are going ahead in the future too.

The N60 on the other hand is a typical national secondary - no hard shoulders, very bumpy and with dips and bends all over the place. A few resurfaced sections but generally more like something from the stagecoach era.

I hadn't been down the west of the country in ages and was surprised to find that signage was actually pretty good - the only town we got lost in was Longford, where the N5 is hard to find. There were a few dodgy moments of course, with flowers covering destinations etc., but it was generally pretty clear everywhere. They seem to have removed nearly all those cast iron mile signs too - I only saw a couple the whole time.

A few other observations:
- Longford bypass is very badly needed - the town is confusing to navigate and suffering greatly from truck traffic tearing up the streets.
- N6 Athlone bypass is substandard and will need major work if it's ever to be made into a motorway.
- New N6 Tullamore-Kinnegad is small scale but functional. It's a bit weird having the other side of the road so close, but such alignments are common in many other countries, so there's a precedent.

Sorry, man. This topic came up a few weeks back, I guess it just went over people this time round.

That N 60, it brings back memories of travelling west as a young boy, we used to travel via Athlone and Tuam. On advice of a bus driver friend, he sent us via Roscommon, Lanesboro and Ballymahon into Mullingar which is as good as the main route to Mayo for the most part. The Athlone by pass is due for upgrage as part of the M 6 works.

Longford, I usually find travelling to Mayo is to travel into the town as the by pass sends one back to the town anyway. There is plans for a by pass south of the town at some stage.

vandermeyde

handy tip for travelling to Mayo via Longford...

Rather than going thru the town, keep on the main sligo road (n4), when you're approaching the Homebase take the left (1st) exit from the roundabout and pass the drive-thru mcdonalds...pass the petrol station and turn right at the "mini-roundabout" (it's actually called that on a signpost in the middle of the roundabout) onto the Lisbrack road...follow this road straight over the railway, bends a bit and twists and turns but after about 2/3 kilometers you'll come to a T-junction which is actually the N5/Strokestown road...

takes a max of about 10/15 minutes in traffic to take this route from the Dublin side of Longford to the Strokestown side and saves a lot of hassle going thru the main town itself.

Hope this helps

cast_iron

There are a couple of shortcuts (through housing estates, back streets) approaching the (Longford) town itself. I even see artics using them! It avoids the whole Sligo route altogether.

In any case, if the Charlestown bypass ever opens (it's looked ready - lines painted and all - for 3 months now), the N5 is the best route. It is anyway.

Mayo Exile

Originally posted by cast_iron: if the Charlestown bypass ever opens

Due sometime in October I believe..........