N6 - Athlone Bypass Upgrade works

billbond4

I think they will be starting the work in September/October, but they have to be finished it by Christmas time.
And also there will be other road works in Baylough at the same time.
And they are building the new roundabout and foothpaths at Supervalue, so traffic is going to be bad on the westside of the town this year.

JupiterKid

What exactly will these upgrade works for the Athlone bypass entail exactly?

I presume a complete resurfacing will be done, but will there be any structural work such as widening, median upgrade or junction improvements?

Zubeneschamali

JupiterKid wrote: »

will there be any structural work such as widening, median upgrade or junction improvements?

They just built a brand new junction at Junction 13 and it's rubbish, so it's unlikely that they are going to go out and fix all the other rubbish junctions.

billbond4

Well they will have to spend 700k to move the fiber optics from the median to the edge of the bypass. so they have only 6.3million to spend.
I would say they will just resurface the whole bypass & slip roads, and maybe put a roundabout at the FAS exit

KevR

JupiterKid wrote: »

What exactly will these upgrade works for the Athlone bypass entail exactly?

I presume a complete resurfacing will be done, but will there be any structural work such as widening, median upgrade or junction improvements?

I think they're going to remove the hedges/grass from the median and have hard median strips rather than soft.

Amtmann

Presumably there will be some resurfacing and relining done too?

KevR

Yeah, I think it's getting a full resurface and line painting also.

Well, they have to decide on the road classification before relining!

whyulittle

More in the local paper this week.

Waiting on the decision whether or not to move the cables from underneath the central median. Hoping to go to tender in August with a possible start date at end of September or October.

whyulittle

whyulittle wrote: »

More in the local paper this week.

Waiting on the decision whether or not to move the cables from underneath the central median. Hoping to go to tender in August with a possible start date at end of September or October.

Talk about putting it on the long finger, you'd be almost thinking that they want to drag it out until the money allocated gets clawed back by central government! :eek:

Couldn't plan a píssup in a brewery. :rolleyes: :mad:

whyulittle

By the way, no mention of any junction upgrades.

"We intend to do the surface of the whole bypass and upgrading of the safety barrier...We're really trying to give it a facelift" said Project Engineer Michael Kelly.

The council want to move the cables (and pave the central median), but don't want to pay for it. Looking for extra funding/cable companies to pay.

flazio

They might start by filling 2 nasty potholes in the driving lane eastbound just after you drive over the shannon bridge.

flazio

flazio wrote: »

They might start by filling 2 nasty potholes in the driving lane eastbound just after you drive over the shannon bridge.

I usually "overtake" those, if I remember them!

Wild Bill

I´d reckon the bridge is wide enough to put two lanes of local road alongside the Motorway...that would solve the local traffic issue. No hard shoulders on the bridge....but what the heck? :cool:

D.L.R.

Wild Bill wrote: »

I´d reckon the bridge is wide enough to put two lanes of local road alongside the Motorway...that would solve the local traffic issue. No hard shoulders on the bridge....but what the heck? :cool:

What about barriers?

KevR

Are the two carriageways not on two seperate bridges? I don't know what effect that would have on extra lanes for local traffic..

veryangryman

KevR wrote: »

Are the two carriageways not on two seperate bridges? I don't know what effect that would have on extra lanes for local traffic..

Lads..this is all very pie in the sky.

The bypass (especially the bridge) couldnt cope with an extra lane for local traffic, nor should it need to.

Bypass serves multiple purposes and for the most part, does them well. Its only when you compare to the M6 either side that it looks below par, but obviously a bypass on the busiest area on the D-G corridoor is going to be busier than the other sections.

I dont like messing with stuff that there is little inherently wrong with. A couple of more roundabouts on junctions would be the icing on the cake, but even then you dont get held up at any of them longer than 2-3 minutes anyway so hardly a big priority.

It reminds me of that simpsons episode with the Burlesque house when Otto says

"Quit bad mouthing the house! Leave the house alone"

L1011

veryangryman wrote: »

but obviously a bypass on the busiest area on the D-G corridoor is going to be busier than the other sections.

Would the 'bypass on the busiest area on the D-G corridor" not be the Maynooth Bypass which runs behind my house?

Wild Bill

Nah. I'd reckon the Lucan bypass is busier!

whyulittle

NRA expected to detail its plans for the bypass in September.

Proposed to use a similar surface as between Athlone and Ballinasloe to reduce noise. However, no barriers will be erected to shield houses from noise, particularly those between Junctions 10 &11.

veryangryman

MYOB wrote: »

Would the 'bypass on the busiest area on the D-G corridor" not be the Maynooth Bypass which runs behind my house?

Should have qualified my statement with "busiest outside the commuter belt"

Jayuu

Having just driven this section of road in the last few days it really shocked me how down-at-heel and overgrown it was, especially compared to the new roads on either side of it. Its badly in need of improvement.

A new road surface would be a start and some tidying back of the overgrown sections but surely they could do enough remedial works to upgrade this to motorway quality.

CerebralCortex

Jayuu wrote: »

Having just driven this section of road in the last few days it really shocked me how down-at-heel and overgrown it was, especially compared to the new roads on either side of it. Its badly in need of improvement.

A new road surface would be a start and some tidying back of the overgrown sections but surely they could do enough remedial works to upgrade this to motorway quality.

IIRC there's an entrance to an estate on to it :rolleyes: Am I wrong?

whyulittle

CerebralCortex wrote: »

Am I wrong?

Yes, you are.

whyulittle

Work now expected to start in October, and unlikely to be finished by Christmas.

Two way traffic is to be maintained, and no diversions are expected.

Work will include replacement of safety barriers, upgrade of the median including relocation of utility cables and work on pavement overlay.

Westmeath Co Co have been informed by Dept that it will not be upgraded to motorway in the "foreseeable future".

Article also says 30,000 vehicles a day use the bypass. Is it really that much?

KevR

whyulittle wrote: »

Article also says 30,000 vehicles a day use the bypass. Is it really that much?

It's usually more than 30,000 per day. Link

billbond4

its still going have rolling one lane closures and fairly heavy traffic at peaks times during re-surfacing.
From the previous post
"Two way traffic is to be maintained, and no diversions are expected. "
It sounds like it wouldnt effect traffic (I wish)
---> Im going to get caught with more roadworks in Baylough which are starting in October, not to mention the new roundabout in front of River Village which work is only barely started on now.

whyulittle

Full article now online here.

billbond4

"There will be some disruption but it will be minimal," yeah right, why do they bother saying things like that

No mention of improving the junctions! I was hoping they would include installing mini roundabouts to improve traffic flow onto the link roads.