N13 roadworks

Essexboy

Can some resident of Donegal tell me why Donegal County Council is obsessed with the N13 Letterkenny-Derry road? to be precise with that stretch between the Lifford roundabout (the roundabout at the end of the dual carriageway) and Newtown Cunningham.

I drive up through the county every week and the chances of finding roadworks on that stretch of road are far higher than on the N13/N15, Letterkenny-Bundoran, a much longer stretch of road. It does not help that the county council does not bother to inform national media eg AA Roadwatch of these works so the first any visitor knows of the holdup is when they are stuck in a queue.

.17hmr

Essexboy wrote: »

Can some resident of Donegal tell me why Donegal County Council is obsessed with the N13 Letterkenny-Derry road? to be precise with that stretch between the Lifford roundabout (the roundabout at the end of the dual carriageway) and Newtown Cunningham.

I drive up through the county every week and the chances of finding roadworks on that stretch of road are far higher than on the N13/N15, Letterkenny-Bundoran, a much longer stretch of road. It does not help that the county council does not bother to inform national media eg AA Roadwatch of these works so the first any visitor knows of the holdup is when they are stuck in a queue.

Wellcome to Donegal:D

Domscard

We're so grateful and excited to see any of our roads being fixed that we put up with all sorts of inconveniences here
Seriously though, we rarely manage to fix a road at the first attempt - we need lots of tries and even then there's no guarantee that we've got it right enough to last through a cold winter or a wet summer. And it's usually one or the other ....

JoannieG

They're not repairing the road they're merely trying to keep it passable! The road's in such bad shape that if they didn't work on it constantly they'd just have to close it. But sure isn't it quaint? A lovely twisty winding boreen for tourists to marvel over as they're stuck for miles behind a tractor or another slow moving tourist who's admiring the scenery. And of course this piecemeal approach is just sooooo much more cost effective than fixing the thing properly! But then again, I'm not an engineer so what would I know..... :D:D

muffler

Im open to correction on this but are there not plans to have a motorway or dual carriageway constructed from the Manor roundabout right to the border?

If that is the long term plan then I cant really see them spending much money now in the short term. I'd think the idea is just to keep it up to a half reasonable standard until such time as the big bucks become available.

irish1967

yep the plans for the new road have been there for a few years.. starting at the manor Roundabout and going through the likes of Argry (spelling) near Ballindrait and coming out onto the Lifford / Castlefin road near Lifford and crossing the river there to connect to Strabane/ Omagh road

muffler

irish1967 wrote: »

yep the plans for the new road have been there for a few years.. starting at the manor Roundabout and going through the likes of Argry (spelling) near Ballindrait and coming out onto the Lifford / Castlefin road near Lifford and crossing the river there to connect to Strabane/ Omagh road

Yeah, I'm aware of that one but its the Manor/Newton/Burt/Bridgend road I think there may have been plans for also.

Redsoxfan

muffler wrote: »

Yeah, I'm aware of that one but its the Manor/Newton/Burt/Bridgend road I think there may have been plans for also.

Never heard of those myself (not to say some local politician didn't 'promise it' or demand it) and it doesn't show up anywhere on the NRA website.

Harps

No chance that'll be going ahead any time soon, it was announced as part of the Atlantic Corridor project but thats been shelved for everything north of Galway as far as I know

homer simpson

Harps wrote: »

No chance that'll be going ahead any time soon, it was announced as part of the Atlantic Corridor project but thats been shelved for everything north of Galway as far as I know

I think your getting confused, although i could be wrong, they are building a duel carrigeway that will eventually run onto the M1 motorway from letterkenny (going through derry), its a north south government thing its a good few years old , news wise, now though thats what the new road works down about ballygalwey are about, the are making 2 roads there 1 going to the belfast motorway the other heading southwords, i'd imagine it'll be a few years yet before we see anything being finished on our side yet though.

Redsoxfan

homer_simpson wrote: »

I think your getting confused, although i could be wrong, they are building a duel carrigeway that will eventually run onto the M1 motorway from letterkenny (going through derry), its a north south government thing its a good few years old , news wise, now though thats what the new road works down about ballygalwey are about, the are making 2 roads there 1 going to the belfast motorway the other heading southwords, i'd imagine it'll be a few years yet before we see anything being finished on our side yet though.

I presume you mean Letterkenny to the N.I. M1 (which is not a continuation of the ROI M1)?

There is only one project I am aware of that will benefit Donegal any time in the horizon, and that's the A5/M2

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055633950

When/if we see money again allocated to the NW for serious road building, it will likely be Manor-Lifford and the Balybofey/Stranorlar bypass. I've seen no plans or talk of anything north of Manor.

Harps

Yeah thats the only major road thats progressing at the moment, theres no planned link with Letterkenny, it starts outside Derry, runs past Strabane and Omagh and ends near the border.

The other project was the Atlantic corridor which was planned to link Letterkenny to Sligo and on to Galway, Limerick, Cork and eventually Waterford. The southern half is still going ahead but everything north of Tuam is on hold.

Map..

Redsoxfan

Where did you get that map as a matter of interest?

I'm not sure that the Atlantic Corridor actually involves DC/Motorway all along the route, e.g. taken from the T21 website

Although not intended for full completion before 2015, significant improvement works have already been carried out along its length. The N15 Ballyshannon / Bundoran Bypass, work on which commenced in July 2004, was officially opened in April 2006.

And the NRA link

http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/DonegalCountyCouncil/N13StranorlartoDerry/SchemeName,16527,en.html

Harps

I got that from wikipedia, the Atlantic Corridor page. It doesnt state that there will be motorway along the entire route, just shows the roads to be upgraded.

Going a bit off topic now but the point still stands that theres no plans to do anything to extend the DC on the N13 for the moment. Hopefully they'll do it eventually as the Lifford road badly needs upgrading but aside from the M20 and Galway - Tuam motorway I cant see many new projects being started in the next few years

mistermouse

Although the Lifford to Letterkenny road was a 'priority' using the term very loosely in Donegal, there was talk at the time of the gateway status that Letterkenny and Derry should be joined by a dual carraigeway.

Don't think it went any further than the gateway status ie talk. While plans and designs started for the Stranorlar bypass and Lifford Road, it appears the powers that be botched both before funding was pulled anyway. Letterkenny needs to be properly connected with the new A5 Strabane to Aughnacloy Road but its unlikely to happen

The Lkenny to Derry Road was never of the standard of the Letterkenny to Sligo Route and probably won't be unless its rebuilt as much of the former was over the past 20 years

Again, why most roadworks take place at the end of budget and into winter, baffles me, repairs are usually substandard and have to be redone again and again.

Mint Sauce

mistermouse wrote: »

Although the Lifford to Letterkenny road was a 'priority' using the term very loosely in Donegal, there was talk at the time of the gateway status that Letterkenny and Derry should be joined by a dual carraigeway.

Don't think it went any further than the gateway status ie talk. While plans and designs started for the Stranorlar bypass and Lifford Road, it appears the powers that be botched both before funding was pulled anyway. Letterkenny needs to be properly connected with the new A5 Strabane to Aughnacloy Road but its unlikely to happen

The Lkenny to Derry Road was never of the standard of the Letterkenny to Sligo Route and probably won't be unless its rebuilt as much of the former was over the past 20 years

Again, why most roadworks take place at the end of budget and into winter, baffles me, repairs are usually substandard and have to be redone again and again.

have noticed the same about this road as well (the one between manor roundabout and derry), everytime am on it theres cones and think to my self are they ever foing to finish it. as for the budget, prehaps they never have the money to do it proberly, and are just doing a bosh job with the little budget at the end of the year so that they dont lose it for the following year

its like a lot of roads, they just do enough to make it drivable on every year or two, rather than do a repair that may last many years longer.

if a duel carrigage way was built, where in derry would it terminate, or would it form part of a duel carriageway/bypass around derry, am not familar with the route linking the bridgend/strandroad side of derry, mainly use the newton/letterkenny/foyle road route any time going to derry. comapring the two routes would have imagined it would be easier to upgrade the bridgend side, has there been any submitted plans or is it all debate and propasals at the moment

homer simpson

mistermouse wrote: »

...
Again, why most roadworks take place at the end of budget and into winter, baffles me, repairs are usually substandard and have to be redone again and again.

As to why they do it this time of year, its because if they have a budget allocated and dont use it all before the following years figures are to be released they will get less the, so they tend to do loads of work to use up the budget!

And i totally agree about the substandard work comment but this year it isnt the council doing it so it might just be done properly, with the exception of the strech from murry motors - end of the galdanagh / raphoe road which the council seem to put a new lane of chips over every 6 months or so, which is a waste of money!

Essexboy

I tried the alternative route yesterday (N15 to Lifford) and guess what - there was an unannounced contraflow beyond Stranorlar.

AA Roadwatch said "Those works are not on the reports because we have not received any notification from a contractor or county council about them."

Time Donegal was moved back into Northern Ireland, I'm afraid. That was the original plan back in 1920 before the Unionists took fright at too many nationalists being moved into the new statelet and opted for Armagh instead.

Domscard

Essexboy wrote: »

Time Donegal was moved back into Northern Ireland, I'm afraid.

:eek: I'd settle for more/better allocated funding and resources - and I'm well aware of the recession and its implications. Much of the problems experienced in Donegal can be traced back to its alter ego as the forgotten county, a status that has existed for far longer than the current spending crisis.

muffler

N13 roadworks

Thats the topic folks ^ ^

Thanks

Essexboy

I contacted all of the Inishowen councillors and a couple from the Stranorlar area about this but only one bothered to reply.

madalig12

Did I read that Donegal County council were doing this work?? Methinks its whitestone from belfast doing this work, No donegal council signs/vests anywhere near this roadworks. All north reg vehicles being used, even the stone is coming from the north of the border. Nice, more folk on the dole then!

Redsoxfan

In relation to the N13, looks like works are ongoing til 5 October?

http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/AA-Roadwatch/Story.aspx?id=112982

homer simpson

madalig12 wrote: »

Did I read that Donegal County council were doing this work?? Methinks its whitestone from belfast doing this work, No donegal council signs/vests anywhere near this roadworks. All north reg vehicles being used, even the stone is coming from the north of the border. Nice, more folk on the dole then!

Listen I for one want the job to be done right so would rather that whitemountain done it, the council have recurfaced the straight strech outside colm dillions new garage and its pointless they come back time after time and make it bumpier every time! If the council could do it right do you think there would be a need to go over the border to get it done? I live outside newtown and have to use that road numerous times every day and i dont mind putting up with the roadworks so long as its done right in the end, and to be fair they dont even have traffic lights up its just slow moving traffic, and beside its could be worse look at the suituation in china ATM, lol!