N5 - Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge [underway]

paulbok

user1842 wrote: »

This is great news. I would agree it is not the busiest section of our primary network but it is an extremely dangerous section of road. In reality the 100kph speed limit is far too high on some of the sections.

I am not sure why so many roundabouts are needed on the proposed new road though.

Only 3 are on the mainline, 1at Strokestown, 1 crossing the Boyle - Roscommon road and 1 at Frenchpark

RedDevil55

paulbok wrote: »

Only 3 are on the mainline, 1at Strokestown, 1 crossing the Boyle - Roscommon road and 1 at Frenchpark

There needs to be one at the intersection with the N61 but are the other 2 needed? Would turning lanes not suffice for the traffic that would be using them?

Although I suppose road safety is the main reason this scheme is going ahead. If there ends up being a high speed collision because of someone turning right it defeats the purpose of the whole thing.

paulbok

The one at Strokestown crosses the L1405 which has a lot of quarry and other lorry traffic so I'd guess the roundabout is deemed safer than two T junctions there.

paulbok

marno21 wrote: »

I have no interest in starting an argument with you because we are on the same page but relative to the rest of the national primary network this is a quiet road. It carries approx 5k AADT per day. There are large sections of the national primary road network that are also shocking and significantly busier.

This road is where it is purely for political reasons, from the days of Kenny and Ring.

There was an archaeological services tender issues in late last year that should start this year now that it's approved. Archaeological works will take more than a year so I'd be guessing the earliest this will start is Q1 2021 or so. The fact that there is currently zero competition apart from the M28 will be a significant help in getting it to construction quick.

When would you guess the archeology work will start. Cpo's complete by summer and then the digs start?

paulbok

CPO notification in the Independent today, available on the Roscommon co co website

marno21

marno21 wrote: »

Tender out for archaelogical consultancy services for this project

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=138340&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

Now tendered in full.

https://irl.eu-supply.com/ctm/Supplier/PublicTenders/ViewNotice/212882

€12.7m for archaeology.

spacetweek

marno21 wrote: »

€12.7m for archaeology.

Hopefully they don't find too much. They've avoided the archaeologically rich Tulsk area on purpose.

marno21

spacetweek wrote: »

Hopefully they don't find too much. They've avoided the archaeologically rich Tulsk area on purpose.

It will be time consuming though. Frustratingly so.

dubhthach

spacetweek wrote: »

Hopefully they don't find too much. They've avoided the archaeologically rich Tulsk area on purpose.

Given the historic importance of Magh nAoi (Mag Aí) they'll find a fair bit I imagine. The area was one of most important regions in Ireland between 400 and 1200AD. All probability it was the origin point for the Uí Néill expansion from the early 5th century onwards.

yop

Great to hear. Drove that road daily from Westport to Dublin for 2 years for work and that part of the road was painful.
While its not ideal for passing out the new roads are a vast improvement.

marno21

Roscommon County Council have tendered for land valuation services for the lands to be CPOd for the scheme.

marno21

Roscommon County Council have now tendered for land conveyancing and legal services for the route

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=145520&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

annfield1978

Tenders for Consultants roles during TII Phases 5 to 7 due for submission in a fortnight

Neworder79

"Approval granted for N5 Ballaghadereen to Scramogue road to go to construction"

http://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/30990-approval-granted-for-n5-ballaghadereen-to-scramogue-road-to-go-to-construction

Out of interest, how has this section progressed so quickly compared to N5 Westport?

BelfastVanMan

It may be because it's pretty much the final part of the N5 (at least the final DREADFUL parts of it) to be realigned/replaced, and with the rest of it decent SC, and especially with the new DC starting construction shortly from Westport to Castlebar, Ballaghadereen to Scramoge would stick out like a sore thumb.

BelfastVanMan

Anyone got an idea of when we could expect to see shovels on the ground?

marno21

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

It may be because it's pretty much the final part of the N5 (at least the final DREADFUL parts of it) to be realigned/replaced, and with the rest of it decent SC, and especially with the new DC starting construction shortly from Westport to Castlebar, Ballaghadereen to Scramoge would stick out like a sore thumb.

I admire your logic but when you have a Minister for Transport who tells TII to suck up because they ask for funding to complete the targetted 20 minor safety schemes per year that the Road Safety Strategy sets out and tells them to do 4 per year, that logic doesn't apply. The most likely reason its moving so fast is that it's the ONLY major project with planning permission not already tendered or under construction and they need something to spend money on in 2020 and 2021.

The project is to start in 2020 according to DPER's Ireland 2040 documentation released last week.

CatInABox

marno21 wrote: »

I admire your logic but when you have a Minister for Transport who tells TII to suck up because they ask for funding to complete the targetted 20 minor safety schemes per year that the Road Safety Strategy sets out and tells them to do 4 per year, that logic doesn't apply. The most likely reason its moving so fast is that it's the ONLY major project with planning permission not already tendered or under construction and they need something to spend money on in 2020 and 2021.

The project is to start in 2020 according to DPER's Ireland 2040 documentation released last week.

They'll also want to burnish their rural credentials ahead of the local elections, and this was probably the easiest to progress to this stage.

marno21

CatInABox wrote: »

They'll also want to burnish their rural credentials ahead of the local elections, and this was probably the easiest to progress to this stage.

That's a possibility, but there is literally no other project on the table bar this one. It's the result of years and years of neglect and a failure to spend small sums on advancing planning during the 2010s.

BelfastVanMan

marno21 wrote: »

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

It may be because it's pretty much the final part of the N5 (at least the final DREADFUL parts of it) to be realigned/replaced, and with the rest of it decent SC, and especially with the new DC starting construction shortly from Westport to Castlebar, Ballaghadereen to Scramoge would stick out like a sore thumb.

I admire your logic but when you have a Minister for Transport who tells TII to suck up because they ask for funding to complete the targetted 20 minor safety schemes per year that the Road Safety Strategy sets out and tells them to do 4 per year, that logic doesn't apply. The most likely reason its moving so fast is that it's the ONLY major project with planning permission not already tendered or under construction and they need something to spend money on in 2020 and 2021.

The project is to start in 2020 according to DPER's Ireland 2040 documentation released last week.

Thanks for that info. :-)

Yeah, on reflection, I think your logic is the correct one.

annfield1978

Tenders for the Employer Role during Phases 5 to 7 of TII PMGs were submitted last week so decision by end of month probably

marno21

annfield1978 wrote: »

Tenders for the Employer Role during Phases 5 to 7 of TII PMGs were submitted last week so decision by end of month probably

Good stuff. Full steam ahead with this one.

road_high

yop wrote: »

Great to hear. Drove that road daily from Westport to Dublin for 2 years for work and that part of the road was painful.
While its not ideal for passing out the new roads are a vast improvement.

Presume this new N5 while not DC will have climbing lanes?

marno21

TII/Roscommon County Council plan to have the tender for construction awarded by end of 2020

https://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2019/05/08/4173646-n5-ballaghaderreenscramoge-road-approval-good-news-for-mayo-motorists/

paulbok

marno21 wrote: »

TII/Roscommon County Council plan to have the tender for construction awarded by end of 2020

https://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2019/05/08/4173646-n5-ballaghaderreenscramoge-road-approval-good-news-for-mayo-motorists/

So looking like guts of 2 years before it starts?

marno21

paulbok wrote: »

So looking like guts of 2 years before it starts?

Around 18-21 months I'd imagine. 3 year construction timeline according to the article.

paulbok

marno21 wrote: »

Around 18-21 months I'd imagine. 3 year construction timeline according to the article.

Seems a long construction time. Then again the first few km from Scramogue is through bog.

marno21

paulbok wrote: »

Seems a long construction time. Then again the first few km from Scramogue is through bog.

35km of single carriageway with potential for having to work around a sensitive archaeological area would likely be the reason for the length of time taken.

marno21

Press release on the scheme:

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr. Shane Ross T.D. is happy to announce that the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project has obtained planning approval and is to progress to construction.

Minister Ross said:

“This new national road will provide essential links between communities. As well as a new carriageway the project will include an additional 13km of side roads and existing road improvements, 17 at-grade T-junctions and 5 roundabouts. Good roads mean safe roads for all who use them. This new project improves safety for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists and supports the Government’s Road Safety Strategy. It will also eliminate sections of the N5 that have a collision rate twice above the national average.

The road network is the workhorse of our social and economic infrastructure. All of our bus services rely on our road network, the bulk of our freight is carried by road, and crucially, our road network links towns, cities and villages together boosting employment and investment.”

The project comprises the construction of 34km of new single carriageway road that will extend from the western end of the existing N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass to the townland of Scramoge in County Roscommon, bypassing the towns and villages of Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk and Strokestown.
During the economic downturn Roscommon County Council continued to develop a plan to improve the N5 corridor. As a result, a business case was produced and it concluded that the construction of a new road to replace the existing N5 route was required.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland approved the business case for the project in December 2017 following technical appraisal reviews carried out by both the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport (DTTaS) and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). Approval was also given to Roscommon County Council to commence the statutory planning process and the scheme was submitted to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) in December 2017, along with the associated Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).
An oral hearing into the proposed road development was convened by ABP on the 9th & 10th October 2018 in Strokestown and the Board confirmed approval for the scheme on 16th January 2019.
After concluding statutory public notifications process Roscommon County Council notified all affected landowners of the CPO becoming operative on 21st of March 2019. Roscommon County Council will continue to liaise with land and property owners as the road project proceeds.
Following the expiry of the period in which a party may apply for leave to seek a judicial review of ABP’s decision under the provision of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended (latest date being 23rd April 2019), Roscommon County Council are now in a position to proceed with the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project.
Currently, technical consultancy services are being procured to assist the Roscommon National Roads Office with the preparation of the main construction contract documents, the procurement process and the administration and monitoring of the main construction contract. During 2019, a series of advance works contracts will commence including archaeological investigations, ground investigations, boundary fencing, tree felling and additional clearance works. TII will support Roscommon County Council to achieve contract award before the end of 2020. Following receipt of tenders and subject to Government Approval to proceed the main construction contract will take three years to complete.
The total estimated investment value of the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project is approximately €200million.
This project is a key deliverable identified in Project Ireland 2040, improving access to the North West region of the country. When completed it will replace one of Ireland’s more deficient sections of national primary road.

Benefits of the Project
The anticipated benefits of this road project include: -
• Provides a safe and modern road to meet the requirement of the EU Regulations relating to the TEN-T network;
• Improves the environment of Strokestown, Tulsk, Bellanagare and Frenchpark by the removal of through traffic and in particular HGVs;
• Improves safety for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists and support the Government’s Road Safety Strategy;
• Eliminates sections of the N5 that have a collision rate twice above the national average.
• Reduces the cost of travel for business and improve journey times and journey time reliability along the N5;
• Provides a consistent high quality road along the N5 corridor to encourage and support investment and employment in County Roscommon and the west and north-west regions; and
• Avoids adverse impact on the existing internationally important archaeological site of Rathcroghan.

Aontachtoir

Fab. Hard to beat road schemes moving along. They're so slow...but when they move there's few things better.