N61 - Ballymurray to Knockcroghery [route selection; ABP in 2021]

https://roscommonherald.ie/2020/10/21/website-launched-for-ballymurray-to-knockcroghery-bypass-project/

N61 Ballymurray to Knockcroghery

marno21

I decided to make a new thread for this scheme given it extends to 13-14km and is much longer than many other national secondary realignments. This is quite a large realignment.

Unfortunately, all the documents from the scheme website are missing and as such until they are replaced the information on this scheme is quite patchy.

Pete_Cavan

Info on project;

http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Roads/Publications-and-Information/N61-Ballymurray-to-Knockcroghery-Road-Project/

They should go with F, G or J as those routes should offer good opportunities to close three, possibly four, level crossings on the rail line. J probably the best option, run the offline build along the northern side of the rail line, allowing for reduced accommodation works due to less severing of lands.

BelfastVanMan

Not knowing this road that well, when I look on the map, Ballymurray is only 2 or 3 kms from Knockcroghery... can someone enlighten me as to where this upgrade will extend to and from, please?

BelfastVanMan

Also, most of the existing road is pretty decent, from memory; is this going to be 2+2 / Expressway?
Seems to me to be a bit of a waste of money building it as SC, unless it'a offline and with wide enough bridges for future dualling, like recent sections of the N5 for example.

Pete_Cavan

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

Not knowing this road that well, when I look on the map, Ballymurray is only 2 or 3 kms from Knockcroghery... can someone enlighten me as to where this upgrade will extend to and from, please?

The route options are on page 2 here;

http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Roads/Publications-and-Information/N61-Ballymurray-to-Knockcroghery-Road-Project/00-N61BK-PC-No-2-Brochure.pdf

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

Also, most of the existing road is pretty decent, from memory; is this going to be 2+2 / Expressway?
Seems to me to be a bit of a waste of money building it as SC, unless it'a offline and with wide enough bridges for future dualling, like recent sections of the N5 for example.

Can't see it justifying 2+2, good quality single carriageway should suffice. Most of the route options have <1.5km online on the northern end and ~5.5km online on the southern end.

BelfastVanMan

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

The route options are on page 2 here;

http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Roads/Publications-and-Information/N61-Ballymurray-to-Knockcroghery-Road-Project/00-N61BK-PC-No-2-Brochure.pdf



Can't see it justifying 2+2, good quality single carriageway should suffice. Most of the route options have <1.5km online on the northern end and ~5.5km online on the southern end.

Thanks very much for that, Pete.

marno21

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

Not knowing this road that well, when I look on the map, Ballymurray is only 2 or 3 kms from Knockcroghery... can someone enlighten me as to where this upgrade will extend to and from, please?

It was originally shorter but it has since grown legs and tails. 13-14km is very decent for a National Secondary upgrade and hopefully more like this follow.

Traffic levels along here are 7-9k so Type 1 SC should suffice.

BelfastVanMan

marno21 wrote: »

It was originally shorter but it has since grown legs and tails. 13-14km is very decent for a National Secondary upgrade and hopefully more like this follow.

Traffic levels along here are 7-9k so Type 1 SC should suffice.

Thanks very much for that, Marno.

Preferred route revealed, bypassing Lecarrow and Knockcroghery.

marno21

Emerging preferred route map:

https://n61roscommon.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/N61BK-RODA-PC3-RO_C-3-DR-CH-20002-A0-Discovery_reduced.pdf

spacetweek

I do remember that in the 2000s there was to be an Athlone-Boyle N61 scheme which apparently would have replaced the whole route. None of it ever saw the light of day so this scheme is the younger brother.

That said it's still fairly impressive and replaces a shocking section of existing road.

yabadabado

spacetweek wrote: »

I do remember that in the 2000s there was to be an Athlone-Boyle N61 scheme which apparently would have replaced the whole route. None of it ever saw the light of day so this scheme is the younger brother.

That said it's still fairly impressive and replaces a shocking section of existing road.

afaik the long term plan is to have Athlone-Boyle route fixed up .Wouldn't be replacing the route pwr mid 2000s but between this scheme, roscommon to fourmilehouse and Tulsk to Clashaganny all getting work done it does take a lot of bad sections out .

Still plenty more work needed on it .

Shankill Cross (Elphin Junction) to Boyle is a shocking road. The section closest to Boyle is the worst. I don't think the northern part of this route will be touched for many years to come. I'm not sure if there was or is a proposed route for a bypass of Boyle. There's a large amount of archaeology east of the town, though that looked like the most logical route.

BelfastVanMan

HabibiLibneni wrote: »

Shankill Cross (Elphin Junction) to Boyle is a shocking road. The section closest to Boyle is the worst. I don't think the northern part of this route will be touched for many years to come. I'm not sure if there was or is a proposed route for a bypass of Boyle. There's a large amount of archaeology east of the town, though that looked like the most logical route.

I think the plan was to go around the western side of Boyle.

spacetweek

I'm only noticing now that the piece of N61 north of Boyle out to the N4 is actually a new build, from the 20th century.

That was built as part of the Curlew Mountains bypass in the late 90s. Boyle to Shankill, bar the 2 recent realignments at Rathallen and Treannagry, is a cow track.

marno21

https://irl.eu-supply.com/ctm/Supplier/PublicPurchase/184127/0/0?returnUrl=ctm/Supplier/PublicTenders&b=ETENDERS_SIMPLE

Tender out for topographical survey of the route.

Looks like this is dead in the water until after 2030

https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2022/03/01/huge-blow-for-south-roscommon-as-e80m-n61-project-is-stalled/

FreedomOfSpeechAndChoice

Hardly the most needed scheme, anyway.

DumbBrunette

Interesting piece here on new plans for N61 Roscommon to Athlone. Some of the route is so busy it would justify a 2+2 road.

https://roscommonherald.ie/news/council-submits-funding-request-for-five-major-junction-improvements-on-busy-road_arid-8091.html

spacetweek

About 15 years ago this was being advanced as a single scheme. Then they changed to a collection of smaller schemes, but that seems to have gone nowhere due to funding issues. Now they’re just going for junction upgrades. So it goes.

veryangryman

Only Midlands to North West route. Could have done with it tbh

BagofWeed

Connectivity means nothing to our planners and politicians. Both urban and rural areas have useless connectivity. Only the motorways between Dublin and the small cities are in any way decent, fast and efficient. Even our trains are slow.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677810#Comment_121677810

Extremely mediocre alright-after the inter Urbans linking Dublin there needed to be a complimentary jigsaw of high quality inter links. Sadly this never happened and at best bits of piece meal schemes most of which have not left the planning boards.

Nothing major at all has been built on the railway network despite the spin and bluster. Mostly track renewals and signalling