Roads update Q2 2023

marno21

I haven't posted one of these in a while and the confusion around roads funding on the forum let me to make a new update.

Before I posted schemes based on what stage they were at in TII's guidelines, but given the complexity and ambiguity of what's funded or not, I decided to re-order the list based on this years TII allocations, the funding profiles, news updates since, the NDP itself.

This took some time to properly order so please inform me of any corrections.

To make it easier to follow I split the low volume national secondary projects into a second post.

marno21

Projects at/proceeding to construction

Completed:

N5 Westport-Turlough: Castlebar bypass [10km T2DC]

N22 Macroom-Ballyvourney: Macroom bypass [8km T2DC]

Under construction:

N3 Clonee-M50: Snugborough Interchange

N5 Westport-Turlough: Castlebar-Westport [10km T2DC] [mid 2023 completion]

N5 Westport relief road [5km T2SC] [mid 2023 completion]

N8/N25/N40 Dunkettle Interchange [Feb '24 completion]

N22 Macroom-Ballyvourney: Macroom-Ballyvourney West[12km] [2023 completion]

N59 Moycullen bypass [4.5km T1SC] [2023 completion]

N69 Listowel bypass [5.95km T1SC] [Q1 2024 completion]

Proceeding to construction (with planning)

N5 Ballaghaderreen-Scramoge [35km T1SC] [tender stage]

M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy [12.5km T1DC(M)] [advance works underway, procurement commencement pending]

Proceeding to construction (planning approved but under judicial review)

M6 Galway City Ring Road [12km T1DC (M) + 6km T1SC] 

M21 Limerick-Foynes [16km T1DC (M) + 17km T2DC + 2.5km T2SC] 

N52 Ardee bypass [4.5km T2SC] 

Planning and design underway (schemes fully funded and proceeding with Ministerial backing)

Cork-Limerick

M20 Cork-Limerick [80km T1DC (M)] [route selection complete, design & EIS preparation underway]

Port access/regional access/TEN-T

M11/N25 Oilgate-Rosslare Harbour [31km T1DC] [route selected; design & EIS preparation underway]

N13/N56 Letterkenny Bypass + DC upgrade [6km DC + 2.5km SC) [planning submission expected in mid 2023]

N13/N15 Ballybofey/Stranorlar bypass [8.3km T2DC + N15 SC link] [planning submission expected in mid 2023]

N14 Letterkenny-Lifford [17.6km T2DC] [planning submission expected in mid 2023]

Prioritised bypasses

N3 Virginia bypass [14.5km T2DC] [final route selection complete] *prioritised by Minister

N4 Carrick on Shannon-Dromod [21km] [preferred route published] *prioritised by Minister

N21 Abbeyfeale bypass [6.6km T2DC] [route selection complete, design & EIS preparation underway] *prioritised 

N21 Newcastlewest bypass [7.3km T2DC] [route selection complete, design & EIS preparation underway] *prioritised

Other bypasses (not explicitly prioritised by Minister - funding commitment not clear)

N2 Slane bypass [3.4km] [design & EIS preparation underway]

N22 Farranfore-Killarney [22km T2DC] [route selection underway]

N24 Cahir-Limerick Junction [37km] [route selected] *scheme possibly phased

N25 Midleton-Youghal [26km] [feasibility & scope]

N58 Foxford bypass [route selection underway]

N72/N73 Mallow relief road [3.8km SC] [route selected]

GDA Transport Strategy/CMATS projects (none fully funded to progress)

N2 Kilmoon Cross-Ashbourne [6km T1DC]

N3 Clonee-M50 [5km T1DC]

M4 Maynooth-Leixlip [route selection underway]

M11 J4 Bray - J14 Coyne's Cross [23km] [preferred option published]

N40 Cork North Ring Road [initial planning underway]

Other upgrades in NDP (funded in 2023)

N2 Ardee-Castleblayney [31.3km T2DC] [route selected; planning submission within 1 year of funding]

N2 Clontibret-NI border [26km T2DC] [route selected] *contingent on EU funding to progress

N4 Mullingar-Rooskey [55km] [route selection ongoing]

N17 Knock-Collooney [40km] [route selected]

N24 Waterford-Cahir [55km] [route selection ongoing]

Other upgrades in NDP (not funded in 2023)

N25 Carrigtwohill-Midleton [4km T1DC] [preferred route published]

N25 Waterford-Glenmore [9.5km T1/T2DC] [design commenced] 

N52 Tullamore-Kilbeggan [8.1km] [emerging preferred route published; funding withdrawn]

N59 Clifden-Maam Cross [initial strategic assessment sent to DTTAS]

Non NDP projects currently active

N13 Bridgend-County Boundary [route options published]

N26 Ballina bypass [route options published]

N26 Foxford-Mount Falcon [planning to commence 2023]

N40 Cork South Ring Road upgrade [initial planning underway]

N55 Athlone-Ballymahon [17km T1SC] [emerging preferred route published]

N61 Ballymurray-Knockcroghery [13.6km T1SC] 

N83 Claregalway relief road [planning to commence 2023]

N84 Galway-Clonboo

marno21

Low volume national secondaries

These projects were commissioned by the NRA as a pilot in the early 2010s. Basically long stretches of woeful national secondary routes, low volume, often in tricky areas environment wise, mainly low volume tourist routes and lifeline routes to isolated coastal towns. It's now 13 years into the project and we are here (please note that the Clifden-Maam Cross section of the N59 project was not approved by An Bord Pleanala):

--> N56 Dungloe-Glenties (23km complete out of 26km)

--> N59 Westport-Mulranny (10km complete out of 25km)

--> N59 Oughterard-Maam Cross (5km complete out of 15km)

--> N86 Tralee-Dingle (4km complete out of 30km - 4km done as part of a separate scheme in 2012)

Here is the status of the component parts of the 4 projects

Please note that distances are approximate due to overlapping tie-in sections

N56 Dungloe-Glenties (26km)

a. Dungloe-Cloghbolie (7.1km) [completed in 2021]

b. Cloghbolie-Boyoughter (3.3km) [completed in 2014]

c. Boyoughter-Kilkenny (4.9km) [completed in 2017]

d. Kilkenny-Letterilly (3.6km) [completed in 2019]

e. Letterilly-Glenties (4.1km) [completed in 2023]

f. Glenties-Kilraine (2.6km) [proceeding to construction]

N59 Oughterard-Maam Cross (15km, split from N59 Oughterard-Clifden scheme)

a. Maam Cross-Bunnakill (5km) [completed in 2021]

b. Bunnakill-Oughterard (10km) [advance works ongoing]

N59 Westport-Mulranny (25km)

a. Mulranny-Roskeen (4km) [in queue after phase b]

b. Roskeen-Derrada (5km) [in queue after phase c]

c. Derrada-Newport (4.7km) [next phase, advance works ongoing]

d. Newport-Rossow Bends (2.9km) [completed 2013]

e. Rossow Bends (2km) [completed 2017]

f. Kilmeena (2.6km) [completed 2020]

g. Westport-Kilmeena (2.5km) [completed in 2023 as part of the N5 Westport-Turlough major scheme]

N86 Tralee-Dingle (27km)

96% of the land required for this scheme has been acquired as of Q1 2023.

a. Dingle-Lispole (10.7km)

b. Lispole-Ballynasare (2.7km) [completed in 2018]

c. Ballynasare-Ballinclare (4km) [advance works ongoing since 2018, present status unclear]

d. Ballinclare-Annascaul (0.8km) [construction underway, completion Q3 2023]

e. Annascaul-Gortbreagoge (4km) [completed in 2012]

f. Gortbreagoge-Ballygarret (9.6km) [section of this has advance works ongoing since 2018, 3.3km section planned, now reduced to 2.3km from Ballygarret to Doonore North, present status unclear]

g. Ballygarret-Camp (1.1km) [completed in 2018]

h. Camp Upper-Camp Lower (1.3km)

marno21

Based on the above information, it seems the current priority list is something like this:

Projects to commence before 2030:

N3 Virginia bypass [14.5km Type 2 dual]

N4 Carrick on Shannon to Dromod [21km cross section tbc]

N5 Ballaghaderreen-Scramoge [35km Type 1 single]

M6 Galway City Ring Road [12.5km Type 1 dual motorway + 6km Type 1 single]

M11/N25 Oilgate-Rosslare Harbour [31km Type 1 dual (to be fully confirmed)]

N13/N15 Ballybofey-Stranorlar bypass [8.3km Type 2 dual]

N13/N56 Letterkenny relief road + dual carriageway upgrade [6km Type 1 dual + 2.5km Type 1 single + other bits]

N14 Letterkenny-Lifford [17.6km Type 2 dual]

M20 Cork-Limerick [80km Type 1 dual motorway]

M21 Limerick-Rathkeale-Foynes [17km Type 1 dual motorway + 16km Type 2 dual + 2.5km Type 2 single]

N21 Abbeyfeale bypass [6.6km Type 2 dual]

N21 Newcastlewest bypass [7.3km Type 2 dual]

M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy [12.5km Type 1 dual motorway]

N52 Ardee bypass [4.5km Type 2 single]

This would appear to be the priority list according to TII. All are NDP projects so should be somewhat immune to Ministerial interference.

There is also potential for the following projects to commence:

N2 Slane bypass [3.4km]

N24 Limerick Junction-Cahir

N25 Midleton-Youghal

N58 Foxford bypass

The funding profiles appear to show the first 14 projects above will be fully prioritised for funding to advance them through the planning and design stages between now and 2025 while funding remains limited (with the exception of the N5 project which will commence construction in 2023). The period 2026-2030 will see them commence in stages. The 14 projects above will likely soak up a good chunk of the allocated funding from 2021-2030 given the size of some of them (M20, M6 Galway, M21 and Oilgate-Rosslare are all 30km+ projects or in Galway's case involve expensive per km structures).

In addition to this, presumably work will continue on the four LVNS projects above and this successful programme (maybe not successful re: speed of implementation) will be expanded to other similar routes.

mydiscworld

With the N22 Macroom-Ballyvourney final section opening next week and N59 Moycullen bypass also due to open this month, feels like not a lot left under construction.

When Dunkettle opens in Feb there won't be any major project under construction?

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121314173#Comment_121314173

Just the N5 Ballaghaderreen-Scramoge. 2024 should see the M28 start and the M21 around Adare in 2025.

Gunner3629

and N25 Castlemartyr bypass/relief road in 2050

Westernview

Unless Eamon Ryan comes through with his public transport investment that looks like a big slowdown in construction work alright.

neiljung

Looks like a push to get the designed N25 Carrigtoohill - Midleton back in the funding queue. Can't understand the reference to a Northern Bypass?!?! https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41293810.html

Geuze

N52 Tullamore-Kilbeggan [8.1km] [emerging preferred route published; funding withdrawn]

That road is fine, no need for any changes.

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121516238#Comment_121516238

Northern Bypass is not a good bit of wording for it - its basically an extension of the Midleton Northern Relief Road. Which still has to use the undercapacity Midleton West junction.

Anyone any info on the Tullagrene (Cobh) junction upgrade? Presumably just some slip roads or whack traffic lights onto it. I feel if it was more major, we'd know about it.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121516504#Comment_121516504

It does need improving but the way things are I don’t think a new build dual carriageway is realistic