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

-Corkie-

-Corkie- wrote: »

True maybe. Herself was driving and was doing 140 ish. Maybe it was all the liquer from saturday night making it worse...:o

Maybe it was the chicanes at Athlone that spooked you!

Wild Bill

Dropped in to the new MSA on the way home last night. The exit ramp seems a bit short and narrow (given the unlimited land available) - had to break on the mainline to enter and I was hardly doing 160.

Overall impression - dark, deserted and there is a missing section of the compound fence that is open to the village at the back so there were local kids playing in the empty car-park.

They need to address the psychology a bit or they'll go broke. No plants. trees, landscaping in place yet doesn't help. The "Applegreen" sign was not iluminated adding to the dark appearance.

Functional but not very inviting. It was only 7pm so I'd have expected more activity. Can imagine single ladies thinking twice before stopping here. I guess it looks better in daylight.

Looks a bit glum alright, but in your last image you can see "Testing Phase" signs. I'm sure its far from complete. Probably just wanted to get it open to work out the kinks in the main operation side of things.

The "prettiness" should follow on soon I'd say

L1011

The building contractors have just applied for examinership, so don't hold your breath...

MYOB

MYOB wrote: »

The building contractors have just applied for examinership, so don't hold your breath...

Which building contractors, for what?

L1011

Deleted User wrote: »

Which building contractors, for what?

Pierse, the MSAs.

Wild Bill

MYOB wrote: »

The building contractors have just applied for examinership, so don't hold your breath...

And another one bites the dust...........:(

medoc

Wild Bill wrote: »

The lights are there - at least the poles are!

Maybe the folk who manage the junction lights on the M7 are in charge? Or the Naas Road?

There are more dead lights than live ones. Certainly not up to "European norms" - NRA should be ashamed. :mad:

I passed through enroute to the airport at 4am and the lights were certainly switched on. I am fairly certain they were not on the first night i passed after the opening but couldn't swear to it. I checked the other day and the services were still not on OSM. I'll be passing West in a few days and i'll take a trace then if it isn't done before then. If it is I'll take the N(M)7 to dodge the Toll. (Were I'm sure there are lights that are present and not working :-) )

KevR

There was a speed check heading East between Oranmore and Athenry a little while ago.


Crazy queues at the roundabout at Doughiska shortly after 8am. Would hate to see what it's like close to 9am; I was heading out of Galway (thankfully!) and there was a huge volume heading in to add to the queues. To be fair, these queues were stemming from the Briarhill RAB and were all the way back through the Doughiska RAB (and the Galway Clinic RAB).

KevR

Forgot to mention that the first Athenry link road was resurfaced (I said a while back that I thought the surface that was there then was only temporary).

The second link road over to the R348 (Derrydonnell side of the town) is still closed off even though it looks like it is complete and was briefly open a couple of months ago.

has there been anything about when the r348 is opening?

KevR

I haven't heard anything about the opening of the R348 (second link road). Looking at Open Street Map and the signage, it looks like there is going to be more than one R348 in the Athenry area. Not to mention that some signage in the town still points you towards Derrydonnell for the old N6 (to Galway and Dublin). A little confusing for anyone who doesn't know the area...

mackerski

KevR wrote: »

I haven't heard anything about the opening of the R348 (second link road). Looking at Open Street Map and the signage, it looks like there is going to be more than one R348 in the Athenry area. Not to mention that some signage in the town still points you towards Derrydonnell for the old N6 (to Galway and Dublin). A little confusing for anyone who doesn't know the area...

It's unlikely (as in unprecedented) that there would be two of the same road number. I surveyed the area around the M6 junction shortly after opening and OSM reflects what I found. I expect that the new bypass will take the R348 number and the old sections will drop it.

I also expect that the signs will remain a mess, but we have another thread about that...

KevR

On the way home to Galway this evening a huge cloud burst near Athenry (J17). A strong wind + the heaviest rain I have ever seen reduced visibility to only a couple of metres, traffic had to slow way down. There was some surface water as well.

Of course there was a couple of morons driving with no lights on despite the extremely poor visibility. :rolleyes:

I hope this isn't a sign of things to come for November (i.e. - rain/floods like last year).


Also, a car was set on fire near J17 last Friday..

Zubeneschamali

The stretch from the Athenry junction to the Doughiska roundabout is a bit dangerous at the moment because the contractors are doing landscaping works. The actual workers are well signposted with "giant lit-up arrow" trucks, but the tractors towing trailer loads of topsoil are rather slow for a motorway, especially in the dark or heavy rain.

KevR

AA Roadwatch wrote:

*ROADWORKS* *WESTMEATH* Tonight, restrictions will operate both ways on the M4 from J10 Kinnegad East to J11 M4/M6 from 9pm – 9am until 5th Nov.

Anyone know what these restrictions are for?

KevR

KevR wrote: »

Anyone know what these restrictions are for?

Maintenance/cleaning of the barrier & median perhaps.

flazio

The islands for SOS posts have been in place between J13 and J14 for nearly 2 months now and still no sign of any actual comms units.

KevR

Saw a bag of rubbish dumped in the median between Athlone and Ballinasloe on Friday evening :mad:. It was still there this morning and there was a dead fox beside it . Poor fox more than likely only came onto the motorway because of the bag of rubbish..

L1011

KevR wrote: »

Anyone know what these restrictions are for?

Gantry signage bases. Should mark the M6 diverge a bit better!

KevR

Debris on the M6 Westbound between Athenry and Oranmore (J17-19) causing a lot of sudden braking and swerving. I'd advise anyone travelling on this stretch tonight to slow down and take care.

L1011

Debris around Tyrrellspass also tonight.

KevR

AA Roadwatch wrote:

*M6/WESTMEATH* Patchy ice reported on the M6 Galway/Dublin Rd around J10 Kinnegad.

I presume they mean J1 Kinnegead.

There was no ice at J10 on the Athlone BP this morning when I passed..

Sponge Bob

They better grit this motorway this winter particularly Galway - Ballinasloe, the gritting was crap last winter it was a bloody skating rink

Zubeneschamali

I passed two active gritting lorries on my way home on Friday between Galway and Athlone.

I saw a car on the Athlone bypass today near the bridge over the Shannon that had "lost it" and slid along the central barrier before ending up in a sorry state on the hard shoulder.

KevR

Surface between Galway and Athlone seemed fine this morning. Visibility not great because of the fog. Most people, including myself, were taking it handy.

Eastbound express lane on the M6 toll was shut this morning. Westbound was open.

antoobrien

Drove from Galway to Dublin yesterday afternoon. Apart from fog between Galway & the toll at cappy the road was great until we got to Maynooth.

It looks like the NRA taking over responsibility for gritting the major roads (which I think happened in the wake of some of the inconsistencies last year) has helped the situation

dubhthach

Went down to Galway on Saturday and came back yesterday. Only issues I noticed with weather was heavy fog on the M6 out to past Oranmore and also between Athenry and toll booths. Other then that the roads were fine until I got in as far as Maynooth on the M4.

KevR

Avoid(!) the M6 between Galway and Athlone. Lane 1 was just about driveable a while ago; Lane 2 was not. Not sure what it's like further East.

Athlone Bypass is particularly bad. Traffic is totally jammed on the BP. Two trucks stuck on J12 Eastbound on-ramp. Compacted snow has re-frozen so it's really dangerous.
I saw a plough at J13 trying to clear the Eastbound on/off ramps. Hopefully they will have a go at the mainline as well.

They had the non-express barriers lifted at the toll plaza when I passed through an hour ago. I almost skidded into the bollards for the express lane - the green arrow was on for the express lane so I drove slowly in*, barrier didn't lift so I had to try and exit the express lane. Started skidding/sliding all over the place, just avoided demolishing the bollards.

*I didn't realise the barriers for the non-express lanes were up at this stage.