N56 - Inver to Killybegs

marno21

Now that Mountcharles-Inver is on the home straight, the local politicans have moved west for their latest wish

https://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/home/379628/donegal-election-candidate-calls-for-further-progress-on-n56-road.html

Two route corridors were identified in the past: https://www.donegalcoco.ie/media/donegalcountyc/planning/pdfs/viewdevelopmentplans/draftcountydonegaldevelopmentplan2018-2024/Map%205.1.10%20N56%20Inver%20to%20Killybegs.pdf

Hopefully this is advanced and then the N56 redesignated along the R262 to provide a direct link between Inver and Glenties rather than the current circuitous route via Ardara. The N56 doesn't even go all the way to Killybegs as is.

L1011

Rather elderly bounce here, but this forum keeps threads alive, so....

I happened across a copy of the 2009 Secondary Road Needs Study on an old hard drive today; and it has the entire existing N56 routing marked for works - this bit as a major scheme, which the more Northerly route in the CDP would suggest - and the rest as upgrades like Dungloe-Glenties

Interestingly, it has a town bypass of Ardara, and of Glenties, proposed.

I suspect a lot of traffic would continue to use the R262 even if there was a new scheme, cutting North of Bruckless/Dunkineely and also bypassing Ardara, on the N56. It would need a lot of good overtaking opportunities to make going ~14km (guess based on the new road being shorter in places) longer be quicker.