N52 Carrick Bridge to Clonfad (Dalystown)

SeanW

Just wondering about this: I sometimes use the N52 around this area, and last time I was there a couple of months ago, the only sign that anything was being done in the area was the replacement of speed limits 100km (which was too fast) to 50km (which is too slow IMO). There are also some metal barriers which I think are new.

Any updates on this scheme? Is there going to be real road straightening etc?

roadmaster

They where very slow to get goin but over the last while jons have really pulled the finger out and got alot of muck shifting done.but i dont think they have started on the bridge yet

Wild Bill

Yep.

This is now under construction. Earthworks the entire length done; the section is entirely off-line to the existing road.

spacetweek

Wild Bill wrote: »

Yep.

This is now under construction. Earthworks the entire length done; the section is entirely off-line to the existing road.

I found it very hard to determine when exactly this started construction (for the purposes of updating my roads site). Emails to the contractor went unanswered! Anyone got a more specific date?

munchkin_utd

8th of feb was the sod turning cermony

http://www.merrionstreet.ie/index.php/2012/02/minister-varadkar-at-belvedere-house-sod-turning/

SeanW

I took this road last night: The new road veers off the old one at the boundary between the good road and the crappy section.
About here:
http://maps.google.ie/?ll=53.465097,-7.358651&spn=0.000013,0.013937&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=53.465209,-7.358601&panoid=9liIer8VTZZ5jTfAcsfL8A&cbp=12,189.4,,0,7.62

And veers towards the left (East)

Below the junction with the Kilbeggan Road, the new road will cross the existing N52 once, before the new road ends at this point:

http://maps.google.ie/?ll=53.423523,-7.388241&spn=0.000026,0.027874&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.423701,-7.388225&panoid=FFL4JrjkP4Mwd5TZbLB2EQ&cbp=12,178.38,,0,11.43

and continue along the existing road for 250M which I think is going to be widened, until it gets to the next 'good' section which you can see from there.

munchkin_utd

heres a basic map of the scheme off the CPO advertisment
http://www.wccprojectoffice.ie/new/database/downloads/Confirmation%20Advertisement%20Large%20Ad.%20N52%20Carrick%20Bridge%20with%20Drawing.pdf

What isnt so obvious on the map is how bad the old road is.
I travelled it last week and it really is a narrow bendy hilly road that has never seen an upgrade of any sort since the motor car was invented.
Well, the worst part of it here is anyhow where theres just about enough space for 2 trucks to pass and the current 50kmh limit isnt actually much out from what you can do on it safely anyhow

cargo

Passed through here yesterday evening. A lot of progress on it now. They have filling down along the bits I could see and seemed to be putting the first few loads of fine stone down on the visible section where it starts on the Mullingar end. End of year possible I'd say if they get a bit of reasonable weather.

That said a lot of this is ofline so maybe they are not as advanced in the other areas.

Sponge Bob

I remember driving the 'old' N52 from Kilbeggan to Mullingar. I think the route changed from Dalystown-Kilbeggan to Dalystown-Tyrellspass only around 1994.

A horrible goat track that was....and of course half of that road is still there from Dalystown to Kilbeggan.

cargo

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I remember driving the 'old' N52 from Kilbeggan to Mullingar. I think the route changed from Dalystown-Kilbeggan to Dalystown-Tyrellspass only around 1994.

A horrible goat track that was....and of course half of that road is still there from Dalystown to Kilbeggan.

I still go that way. I was on it yesterday. I'll be upgrading to the other route once these new works are done.

SeanW

Yeah, I use the old Mullingar-Kilbeggan road a lot myself. More direct.

road_high

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I remember driving the 'old' N52 from Kilbeggan to Mullingar. I think the route changed from Dalystown-Kilbeggan to Dalystown-Tyrellspass only around 1994.

A horrible goat track that was....and of course half of that road is still there from Dalystown to Kilbeggan.

I don't think it's that bad apart from that really narrow bridge. As Rroads go, it's not too bad. It's shorter distancewise. Though I would use the N52 now with the m6 and bypass of Kilbeggan.
The parts they are realigning now are/were equally as bad if not worse imo!

Jack breen

This road is now closed. I travelled to mullingar on saturday and had to endure a major detour up the old road. Is there a easier way around this?

munchkin_utd

Jack breen wrote: »

This road is now closed. I travelled to mullingar on saturday and had to endure a major detour up the old road. Is there a easier way around this?

If its closed then thats a GOOD thing as it means that they are doing some major work on the sections where the old and new road meet.

This is due for completion in December so now at the end of the second week of November you would be expecting (if not hoping) to see such works.

There was the same type of major diversions on the N55 just after the Fleadh in the summer for a week and when finished the new section of realignment was open to the public.

No pain no gain as they say.

tomflynn

http://www.wccprojectoffice.ie/new/scheme.asp?schemeId=8

Posted on: 6 Nov 2012

We shall be closing the N52 between Carrick Bridge and Clonfad (South of Belvedere to North of Tyrrellspass) from Monday 5th November until Monday 3rd December inclusive, this is to enable completion of construction to the new N52 road alignment.

Mad_Mike

And it's still shut

roadmaster

I could be very wrong but i heard this road is fully opening today cam anyone confirm?

Sponge Bob

Ring Varadkars office and ask where he is.

Mr Cumulonimbus

Open now according to this bit in the Indo. See down towards the bottom.

road_high

Great to see a scheme like this get done...a few hundred million around the country would do wonders improving and widening on even smaller stretches like this, especially on National Secondaries and removing bends.

Mad_Mike

mfitzy wrote: »

Great to see a scheme like this get done...a few hundred million around the country would do wonders improving and widening on even smaller stretches like this, especially on National Secondaries and removing bends.

Opened. Was on it last night. Its a great job

Irish and Proud

Mr Cumulonimbus wrote: »

Open now according to this bit in the Indo. See down towards the bottom.

The whole mainline is open? - If so, that was pretty quick!

roadmaster

Id say the way jons are gettin the projects done on good time for wcc they be odds on for the garycastle bridge in athlone

road_high

Looking forward to trying this road. Is it an offline realignment or development of the old narrow bendy route with lotsa houses?
High standard road all the way between Mullingar and Tullamore now.
As I said, schemes like this will make a huge difference to road safety and driving times for fairly low cost. Hopefully see a few more like this on the horizon soon.

SeanW

mfitzy wrote: »

Looking forward to trying this road. Is it an offline realignment or development of the old narrow bendy route with lotsa houses?
High standard road all the way between Mullingar and Tullamore now.
As I said, schemes like this will make a huge difference to road safety and driving times for fairly low cost. Hopefully see a few more like this on the horizon soon.

Yes.
The has for some time been a good "new" standard of road from Mullingar to Carrick Bridge. At that point the road narrowed and became super-twisty. That continued for several miles to a point where the N52 turned off the road! and the "main" road continued as a local road to Kilbeggan, this having been the historical Mullingar-Kilbeggan (and points South) road.
The bad twisty road then continued another couple of km to a point where new roads had been built as part of the N6 dual carriageway (now motorway) project.

This rebuild puts a new road in that gap.

SeanW

Was out that way a few days ago, and I am impressed by the new build. I also got some pix

First 2 pictures are of the tie-in to the pre-existing road at the Southern end near Tyrellspass.

SeanW

Next, a few pictures from the Dalystown Junction area.

Notes: The L1127 to Rochfortbridge appears to have been extensively modified.
The L1122 (Ballynagore road) is being rerouted over the old junction. At first glance this doesn't make sense, but if it is the intention to make the L1122 the main road to the new junction, the realignment pictured is logical. It too has been/is to be extensively realigned to fit a staggered crossroads junction setup with the new N52. The sign from the old Dalystown junction to Mullingar has been blanked out, as it is no long the road to Mullingar

SeanW

(Dial up warning for all pics so far)

Between Dalystown and the Southern end:

SeanW

Finally, pictures from/around a local road that had to be rebuilt as an overbridge to the old road.

spacetweek

SeanW wrote: »

Finally, pictures from/around a local road that had to be rebuilt as an overbridge to the old road.

Surprised they bothered with a grade-separation there. Hardly seems necessary, but nice all the same!
If only the whole N52 was this standard...

cargo

spacetweek wrote: »

Surprised they bothered with a grade-separation there. Hardly seems necessary, but nice all the same!
If only the whole N52 was this standard...

Have they closed off a few crossing and directed them all via this new grade separated crossing? I remember passing during construction and a few roads seemed to be getting cutoff. Basic Map of the new layout in post #7 above doesnt show what access they are terminating and what they are leaving open but I imagine from it they are all open except perhaps where the old N52 veers off.

SeanW

No, there are multiple links from the old road to the new one. As for the local road in my last post, it's bridged over the new road to the old road, where from there a local resident etc. would use one of the links to the new road, to get to Mullingar/Tyrellspass.

SeanW

I don't think the local road in my last pictures would be suitable for a local trunk as you outlined in your last post, because was not - and the parts that remain are not - suitable for two way traffic. As I was driving across that bridge, there's a "road narrows" sign. I did not go beyond the new section of it, but as to the part of the old road I was most familiar with, I found that a section of it (having been disconnected) was literally just wide enough to park the car. No more.

While I don't have detailed memories of junctions with local roads to the East (the other side from the old N52), it was my general feeling that there was no aversion to at grade junctions in general, albeit there was a serious aversion to allowing crossroads junctions, as the Ballinagore/Rochfortbridge junction showed.

veryangryman

Anyone able to show on google maps the exact area this covers. Considering using it as part of "ye old cheapskate" route Athlone to Belfast, avoiding tolls

spacetweek

veryangryman wrote: »

Anyone able to show on google maps the exact area this covers. Considering using it as part of "ye old cheapskate" route Athlone to Belfast, avoiding tolls

Here

SeanW

Nothing "ye old cheapskate" about it as the N52 is the signed route from Tyrellspass to Ardee (signs still say Dundalk). Tyrellspass-Mullingar is now of a very high standard throughout, I haven't been up that way but I'm fairly sure it's not so good North of Mullingar.

L1011

With the exception of two short schemes just north of Mullingar, the road reverts back to crap (but with obvious fenced land for improvements) pretty much the way to Kells; and from Kells to Ardee (albeit with some corner smoothing and similar done in the last two years).

Its only Mullingar->Birr and maybe Borrisokane-Nenagh that is of a consistant standard now.

spacetweek

MYOB wrote: »

With the exception of two short schemes just north of Mullingar, the road reverts back to crap (but with obvious fenced land for improvements) pretty much the way to Kells; and from Kells to Ardee (albeit with some corner smoothing and similar done in the last two years).

Its only Mullingar->Birr and maybe Borrisokane-Nenagh that is of a consistant standard now.

Yea, was checking this recently and summarised the N52 needed improvements:
Birr bypass
Borrisokane bypass
Ardee bypass
Mullingar-Kells (new stretch)
Kells-Ardee (new stretch)

SeanW

could someone with access to OpenStreetMap update the N52 section there? It's still showing the old road.

JupiterKid

With this scheme completed, the middle section of the N52 - from Birr to Mullingar - is finally of an acceptable standard.

Now, I think the NRA should detrunk the appalling sections of N52 between Borrisokane and Birr and Ardee and Dundalk - and get cracking on upgrading as much of the Mullingar to Ardee section as soon as possible including a Delvin bypass and a new roundabout N51/N52 junction.

ardmacha

could someone with access to OpenStreetMap update the N52 section there? It's still showing the old road.

The problem is that it does not seem to have been given a regional road number, or even an L number. So it is hard to change it to a reasonable class. It may not be ideal as a trunk road, but may still form a useful regional route of decent standard for Co Louth traffic.

SeanW

ardmacha wrote: »

The problem is that it does not seem to have been given a regional road number, or even an L number. So it is hard to change it to a reasonable class. It may not be ideal as a trunk road, but may still form a useful regional route of decent standard for Co Louth traffic.

I'm referring to the old Carrick Bridge-Dalystown section. OSM still shows it (rather than the new build) as the N52.

ManAboutCouch

SeanW wrote: »

could someone with access to OpenStreetMap update the N52 section there? It's still showing the old road.

Everybody has access to OpenStreetMap. It's easy to set up an account and start editing. I think a problem with this new road is that there aren't any GPS traces showing where it is and how it's laid out - yet. If anybody can upload a trace there are plenty of regular OSM contributors on here and elsewhere who can add the road. It's too new to show up on the aerial imagery.

L1011

I have a trace if one is still needed. Wouldn't contribute enough to justify learning how to upload it..

ManAboutCouch

Can you stick it online somewhere, or PM it to me? I'll take care of it from there, if you want.

Uploading / editing is fairly simple, if you want to do it yourself. There's a fairly comprehensive Beginners Guide here.

ManAboutCouch

Thanks to MYOB I've added the new part of the N52 to OpenStreetMap. There is still some tidying up of tie-ins etc to be done, but you can see it here: http://osm.org/go/es3f_8Z

spacetweek

Drove this over the weekend. Grand job, I noticed the old road alongside once or twice. I drove the old road back in Nov 2011, it was a goat track.

spacetweek

Photos

cheerylemon

Anyone going to jump start this thread again?

We could just use it as a base for how bad the rest of the N52 is 😆