M6 - Ballinasloe to Galway

Delta Kilo

There are no exits at the toll plaza. It is located half way between Ballinasloe and Loughrea. The nearest exits are therefore ballinasloe and the Loughrea link road.

Carawaystick

can anyone who's travelled along the section from Loughrea link road to Galway confirm it's toll free?

Carawaystick

Carawaystick wrote: »

can anyone who's travelled along the section from Loughrea link road to Galway confirm it's toll free?

I was under the impression that the only toll plaza is just west of Ballinasloe, so as to not penalise commuters in Loughrea and surround areas.

The toll will catch Galway - Dublin travellers of course as the road is quite a long way offline relative to the old N6 thus making toll dodging a chore.

DanielI

Carawaystick wrote: »

can anyone who's travelled along the section from Loughrea link road to Galway confirm it's toll free?

Yes, it is toll free.

35x

Going from Aughrim towards Ballinasloe to get on to M6 ....can you enter at the west side of Ballinasloe and if so, will you be tolled there?

Yes you can bypass Ballinasloe on the M6 and no there is no toll on that section.

serfboard

Frank Fahey was on Galway Bay FM this morning and said that Noel Dempsey has told him that the M6 will be opened on December 18th.

?Cee?view

If true, that's wonderful!

ManFromAtlantis

theyre exposing the 'covered' text on the motorway signs this morn.

the old n6 from galway to bsloe will obviously be fairly traffic free. going from galway to dub why not take old n6 and nip back on m6 at ballinasloe particularly as u will be coming on m6 at the right side of ballinasloe ie u dont need to go thru town and the old and new are very close at this point? also loughrae bypassed so no hold ups?


am i mad or is teh above what might happen.?

BluntGuy

serfboard wrote: »

Frank Fahey

churchview wrote:

If true

One only needs to reflect on those two statements for a brief moment to come to the conclusion that it's most likely the opening will be any day BUT 18th December 2009.

Nath

Galway News have it up on their website...

http://www.galwaynews.ie/10020-m6-motorway-open-city-two-weeks

M6 MOTORWAY TO OPEN IN CITY IN TWO WEEKS

December 4, 2009 - 12:25pm
The M6 motorway will officially open at the Galway clinic in two weeks time.(18/12)

The route will bring motorists from the Galway Clinic in Doughiska to Heuston station in Dublin, in around two hours.

In July a 19km section between Athlone and Ballinasloe was opened.

It's understood that by 2010 the motorway will have replaced almost all of the single carriageway N6.

Carawaystick

ManFromAtlantis wrote: »

theyre exposing the 'covered' text on the motorway signs this morn.

the old n6 from galway to bsloe will obviously be fairly traffic free. going from galway to dub why not take old n6 and nip back on m6 at ballinasloe particularly as u will be coming on m6 at the right side of ballinasloe ie u dont need to go thru town and the old and new are very close at this point? also loughrae bypassed so no hold ups?


am i mad or is teh above what might happen.?

It's way longer(2 sides of a triangle) and there will be an 80 kmh speed limit on most of it bar a bit of the Loughrea bypass and from Loughrea to the portumna junction.
you might get held up at the WRC where it crosses the N6 in Crauhwell - but you might not either cough cough.

Maybe getting the M6 to Loughrea link and then to B sloe mightn't be as slow.

L1011

Carawaystick wrote: »

Ithere will be an 80 kmh speed limit on most of it bar a bit of the Loughrea bypass and from Loughrea to the portumna junction.

Only if Galway County Council have no balls. Louth, Tipp North, Cork and Monaghan have all put orders through to restore 100km/h on bypassed ex-national roads so far...

Carawaystick wrote: »

you might get held up at the WRC where it crosses the N6 in Crauhwell - but you might not either cough cough.

Already (rarely) happens, I've been caught there for a ballast train before. Not fun at all.

Carawaystick wrote: »

Maybe getting the M6 to Loughrea link and then to B sloe mightn't be as slow.

The link road is so long it really makes toll-hopping pointless. I would suspect it was designed this way...

Carawaystick

But the day the M6 officially opens the Rwhateverit'll be called will have an 80 limit by default. As it's Christmas, then there'll be no council meetings to approve and increase in the immediate term.

I'd imagine from Aughrim to Balinasloe, the existing 80 section near Cappataggle, and from the Meadowcourt to Craugwell won't get the increased limit. pretty much anything that hasn't an asphalt surface at the minute.

In fact I'd say a lot of the route wold stay 80 so the council can grant planning permission.

KevR

Not sure if this has been covered before but what will the existing N6 DC from Oranmore to Doughiska become? Will it be the R446 or will it become some new N road number? Derrydonnell to Doughiska on the 'old' N6 should definitely have a 100kmh speed limit.

Sponge Bob

should be 100 from there to the N Road Portumna road turnoff east of Loughrea, perfectly good road for 100 .

antoobrien

KevR wrote: »

Not sure if this has been covered before but what will the existing N6 DC from Oranmore to Doughiska become? Will it be the R446 or will it become some new N road number? Derrydonnell to Doughiska on the 'old' N6 should definitely have a 100kmh speed limit.

Haven't seen or heard anything about this but presumably seeing as it is part of the current N6 it will be part of the R446, unless they decide to make it part of the N18 to Limerick.

L1011

Carawaystick wrote: »

But the day the M6 officially opens the Rwhateverit'll be called will have an 80 limit by default. As it's Christmas, then there'll be no council meetings to approve and increase in the immediate term.

The signs are unlikely to be replaced before the new year, meaning it won't have a prosecutable 80 limit...

KevR wrote: »

Not sure if this has been covered before but what will the existing N6 DC from Oranmore to Doughiska become? Will it be the R446 or will it become some new N road number? Derrydonnell to Doughiska on the 'old' N6 should definitely have a 100kmh speed limit.

The first section from Oranmore to Carrowmoneash will have to become N18, but the rest is going to be R446 I'd guess.

Nath

Section 6.2.3 of the Draft Galway County Development Plan 2009-2015 (Roads and Transportation Objectives) states:

Objective RT6:

Retain the existing National Routes N6, N18 and N17 as Class II Controlled roads upon commissioning and opening of the new National Routes through the county.

This seems to state that these roads will be maintained as national secondary routes (keeping their N number) rather than being designated as regional roads (with an R), and hence keep their 100km/h speed limit.

KevR

Does that mean we'll have an M6 and N6 + M18 and N18 in Galway or will they give the N roads different numbers?

Nath

KevR wrote: »

Does that mean we'll have an M6 and N6 + M18 and N18 in Galway or will they give the N roads different numbers?

Good question, I'm not sure how they will rename the routes.

What is particularly confusing is the potential issue of the 100km/h dual carraigeway from J19 to Doughiska being named as the N6, then I guess they will have to rename Oranmore to Ballinasloe as an R road.

Sponge Bob

It could be N65 to Loughrea then Portumna and N66 from the Motorway to Loughrea to Gort...unless they do the sensible thing and retire some of these N roads.

Irish and Proud

KevR wrote: »

Does that mean we'll have an M6 and N6 + M18 and N18 in Galway or will they give the N roads different numbers?

...or maybe extensions of the N65 and N66 - maybe the Loughrea Link would be called the N88 (highest number is currently N87) or something!

Regards!

murphaph

What the hell is a "Class II controlled road" when it's at home? I googled it and the only 4 results in the world are all on Galway CC's website!

Carawaystick

Irish and Proud wrote: »

...or maybe extensions of the N65 and N66 - maybe the Loughrea Link would be called the N88 (highest number is currently N87) or something!

Regards!

An email from the NRA a while back told me the N65 will go from the current N6 junction to the Loughrea bypass an onto the M6. The N66 will run from the same Bullaun rab along the Loughrea bypass, back into the town and out the existing Gort road. Dunkellen St in Loughrea already has to Yield to the N66 route on the Athenry road/west bridge/Gort road.

mackerski

Irish and Proud wrote: »

...or maybe extensions of the N65 and N66 - maybe the Loughrea Link would be called the N88 (highest number is currently N87) or something!

The Loughrea Link is already numbered N65, which makes sense if you consider that where that road currently terminates is being de-trunked.

DanielI

1.90 for cars.

http://nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/TollingDocumentation/file,16948,en.pdf

roosterman71

DanielI wrote: »

1.90 for cars.

http://nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/TollingDocumentation/file,16948,en.pdf

Heard that today too. They say a trip from Dublin to Galway will take 2 hours. It will have 2 tolls - €1.90 in Ballinasloe and €2.90 in Kinnegad.

Also, in todays Athlone Advertiser it says the road is opening next Friday, Dec. 18th. It will be the first inter-urban motorway to fully open.

flazio

Article:

Ballinasloe to Galway M6 to open on Friday
ATHLONE ADVERTISER, DECEMBER 11, 2009.
By Triona Doherty
The final 56 kilometres of the M6 motorway, linking Ballinasloe and Galway, is to open next Friday, six months ahead of schedule.

The stretch of road is expected to be open to motorists by the afternoon of next Friday December 18, following the official opening ceremony by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey that morning.

Once the route is open, motorists will be able to travel from Athlone to Galway in approximately one hour, while it is estimated that journey times between Dublin and Galway will be slashed to two hours.

Originally planned to come on stream in mid-2010, the completion of the country’s newest stretch of motorway has come in approximately six months ahead of schedule.

However members of the public were treated to a sneak preview of the route in recent weeks, when one carriageway was opened to facilitate motorists during the flooding.

“The contractor, Icon, has done a great job. It is a tribute to the contractor and the NRA that the road is to open ahead of schedule, and that it was able to open to motorists in recent weeks,” said a spokesperson for the NRA.

The M6 Galway to Ballinasloe scheme consists of 56 kilometres of dual carriageway between Galway and Ballinasloe, a 7km link to the Loughrea bypass, 32km of side roads, and five grade separated junctions at Glennascaul, Athenry, Carrowkeel, West Ballinasloe, and Tulrush.

Two toll charges will now apply to motorists travelling to and from Dublin, with a charge of €1.90 at a toll plaza at Cappataggle near Ballinasloe, on top of the existing charge of €2.90 at Kinnegad.

http://www.advertiser.ie/athlone/article/20091

Looks like Brian Cowen learned his lesson from the Athlone to Ballinasloe opening fiasco. Next flood crisis expect Willie O Dea to do the tour to see how his troops are doing.
Anyway how many kms does the sign at the Galway Clinic side say Dublin is from Galway?

Amtmann

So, will this make the M6 the longest motorway in the state for now, or is the M8 still in the premier position?