NRA - The Golden Years

FURET

A nice glossy PDF charting the history of road improvements over the noughties. Not very detailed, but nice to see: www.nra.ie/policy-publications/general-publications/general-publications/A-Decade-of-Progress.pdf

marmurr1916

I doubt the Golden Years will ever return, but there's still plenty of work to be done on the National roads network to bring the whole network up to the standards that prevail in many countries.

Most of the national secondaries should at least be brought up to a decent single-carriageway standard, with some scope for Type 2 dual-carriageway (2+2) on certain sections and routes.

There's a long way to go before the original 25 national primaries are fully up to scratch.

The N2 needs work north of Monaghan town, including a bypass of Emyvale.

The N3 needs a Virginia bypass with improvements on either side of Virginia to link in with the Cavan bypass and the Kells bypass.

The N4 could do with a HQDC/motorway from Mullingar to Longford, with 2+2 all the way from Longford to Collooney.

The N5 needs decent single-carriageway from Longford to the start of the Ballaghaderreen bypass, including several bypasses, a new Castlebar bypass and realignment between Castlebar and Westport.

The N11 needs to have the Enniscorthy bypass done, along with improvements to the route south of Enniscorthy to its junction with the N25 at Wexford.

The N12 needs a complete overhaul from Monaghan to the border.

The N13 needs some realignment and improvements from its junction with the R236 to Ballybofey/Stranorlar.

The N14 needs major realignment between Lifford and Letterkenny.

The N15 needs major improvements between Sligo and the Bundoran/Ballyshannon bypass, improvements in the Barnesmore Gap, a bypass of Stranorlar/Ballybofey, improvements north of those towns, including bypasses of Castlefinn and of Lifford, with a new bridge to link to the A5.

The N16 needs realignment and improvements along most of its length from Sligo to the border.

The N17 could do with major improvements from Curry to Collooney, and from Tuam to north of Ballindine, including bypasses of Ballindine and Milltown, with room for some improvements between Knock and Charlestown, including an N17 bypass of Charlestown.

The N20 needs to be replaced by the M20 asap.

The N21 needs realignments and bypasses from its beginning to west of Abbeyfeale.

The N22 needs realignment and bypasses from the end of the Ballincollig bypass to beyond Ballyvourney and between Killarney and Tralee.

The N24 needs realignment and bypasses along most of its length, with some safety improvements on the Piltown/Fiddown bypass.

The N25 could do with an eastern extension of dual-carriageway from Midleton to the start of the Youghal bypass, including bypasses of Killeagh and Castlemartyr, an upgrade of the section from Rosslare to the Wexford bypass, completion of the New Ross bypass and hopefully continuous HQDC from there to Waterford city and improvements in west Waterford, including a new bypass of Dungarvan.

The N26, N28 and N30 all need improvements too, and the plans for an N28 HQDC will hopefully go ahead at some point.

AugustusMinimus

The N24 needs to be upgraded to 2+2 for its entire length IMO.

The N72 between Mallow and Fermoy is an absolute disgrace of a National Primary Road.

I can also think of several Regional roads which need significant spend. A lot of these Regional roads carry a lot more traffic than other National Secondaries.

N40 NRR will also have to be build to compliment the eventual M20.

marmurr1916

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

The N72 between Mallow and Fermoy is an absolute disgrace of a National Primary Road.

It's a national secondary road - barely...

Once that lot above are done, the NRA needs to start work on eliminating the most seriously sub-standard sections of the national secondary routes before implementing a nationwide programme of improvements to national secondary routes.

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I can also think of several Regional roads which need significant spend. A lot of these Regional roads carry a lot more traffic than other National Secondaries.

Yeah, there are a few thousand kilometres of regional road that could do with serious upgrading.

Many other regional roads need long sections to be resurfaced, with improvements to sightlines at junctions, removal of the worst bends, better road markings, signposting etc.

I would like to see the NRA given responsibility for regional roads so that consistent standards for regional roads could be implemented

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

N40 NRR will also have to be build to compliment the eventual M20.

TBH, it's not a priority, especially if the Dunkettle interchange improves the traffic flow at the Jack Lynch Tunnel exit. But it will have to be built eventually.

If budgets ever again permit, it would be great to see major improvements on some cross-country national secondary routes, especially the N52 between Ardee and Tullamore, the N80 between Tullamore and Portlaoise and the N77 between Portlaoise and Kilkenny. Imagine if you could travel from Ardee to Portlaoise to Kilkenny on high-quality single-carriageway roads (think Tullamore bypass standard) with bypasses of all towns and villages in between.

The roads would connect the M1 to the N2, M3, M4, M6, M7, M8 and M9, providing alternative routes for traffic to/from the south to much of Northern Ireland via the Midlands.

These national secondaries, along with the N33 between the M1 and Ardee could be renumbered as the N99, providing one single numbered route acting as a viable alternative to the M50.

Kermit.de.frog

Just to say to marrmurr. This year and next 75km's of new motorway is under construction - that is more than the average for each year of the 10 years that this thread is about.

Just sayin.

The golden years role on and with loads of projects ready and planned will get goldenier.

Compo82

N6 - Galway bypass is badly needed

AugustusMinimus

Compo82 wrote: »

N6 - Galway bypass is badly needed

The way I view it is that Galway was either going to get the M17/M18 or the Galway bypass scheme.

It got the M17/M18 scheme and I would now think that the bypass has fallen down the list of future road projects.

yer man!

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

The way I view it is that Galway was either going to get the M17/M18 or the Galway bypass scheme.

It got the M17/M18 scheme and I would now think that the bypass has fallen down the list of future road projects.

Not really true, the bypass is stopped because of legal issues, they're still funding the legal costs in order to get it to shovel ready stage. The money has been allocated for when this is going to happen. It's looking like an IROPI is going to be the only way, work is starting on that process now last I heard in the paper. Leo has said it offers the best cost:benefit ratio of any road project in Ireland at this moment in time.

AugustusMinimus

yer man! wrote: »

Not really true, the bypass is stopped because of legal issues, they're still funding the legal costs in order to get it to shovel ready stage. The money has been allocated for when this is going to happen. It's looking like an IROPI is going to be the only way, work is starting on that process now last I heard in the paper. Leo has said it offers the best cost:benefit ratio of any road project in Ireland at this moment in time.

Good to hear.

Irish_rat

Good read, not much I didn't already know. Some amount of investment in fairness but so much waste too. The Waterford bypass springs to mind and several bypasses that were not adequate in the first place for the rising AADT numbers like the Nenagh Bypass.

Great to see the M17/M18 going ahead very much needed.

Next priorities:
Galway bypass and the M20
D3M of the M7 to J14

A few roads to be improved:
Some upgrades on the N24
The N21 needs to be put back on track.
N17 from Curry-Colooney needs upgrading

AugustusMinimus

Irish_rat wrote: »

Good read, not much I didn't already know. Some amount of investment in fairness but so much waste too. The Waterford bypass springs to mind and several bypasses that were not adequate in the first place for the rising AADT numbers like the Nenagh Bypass.

Why in God's name was the Waterford bypass a waste of money ? There seems to be people constantly lining up here to have a pop off of any road project which benefits Waterford. The truth is that Waterford has essentially had 2 projects done (M9 and N25 Waterford bypass) and that's it. The county has no motorway whatsoever and is surely in the bottom 6 or 7 counties in terms of HQDC miles (about 2 miles of it).

The only thing they did wrong with the Waterford bypass is the bizarre way they've linked the N25, the N24 and the M9. Makes no sense.

road_high

Despite the huge progress there remains a huge body of work and investment to be made. Particularly in the regions and all the routes mentioned above. Encouraging to see some major progress to construction such as the M11, M17 and N5. Would love to see a few schemes get going on the N21, M20 and N24 now too.

yer man!

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Why in God's name was the Waterford bypass a waste of money ? There seems to be people constantly lining up here to have a pop off of any road project which benefits Waterford. The truth is that Waterford has essentially had 2 projects done (M9 and N25 Waterford bypass) and that's it. The county has no motorway whatsoever and is surely in the bottom 6 or 7 counties in terms of HQDC miles (about 2 miles of it).

The only thing they did wrong with the Waterford bypass is the bizarre way they've linked the N25, the N24 and the M9. Makes no sense.

Ya they went a bit roundabout mad there with those three roads, I see most cars exit the N25 after the bridge to get to the M9, would have been a bit better if that bridge connected to the M9 directly and the N24 would then link directly to the N25 creating one intersection. But hey, it's better than what we have in Galway anyway.