Killaloe bypass, Shannon crossing & R494 Birdhill-Killaloe

It's only got 33m of head (measured at low tide!). That's a measly 3.2 bar of pressure, 0.2 more than my plumbing operates at.

Some of the lads from my Men's Shed went on the tour there last year. They very much enjoyed it. I haven't been there since a school tour back in the 70's.

another update here. 15minute long drone video.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGemXY5yW/

O connel quarriee tiktok footage of concrete pour

There is a dark side to this project. The roads on the Ballina side were in need of a major fix and upgrade even a couple years prior to them even removing all those lovely old trees, but the project has delayed any prospect of that as it's part of the finishing touches, so in the meantime the roads have further degraded and become more manky.

I can't wait till this is finished just so the roads get the attention thay have needed for years.

The R496 was being patched almost weekly when it was raining and thay have had to resurface bits and scrape dirt accumulations at the base of bounding walls to recover lost width as all traffic now uses it and large semi's are barely squeezing past each other, and they have to pick their places in order to manage that. It's not reacting gracefully to taking all the traffic. As for that moronic, typical Irish penny pinching single lane choke point at the R445 junction, words fail me. Effectively now 4 lanes of traffic all squeezed down into one to save rebuilding or adequately upgrading a tiny bridge across a stream - grrrrr.

The R494 is the one that I am mostly referring to. It has been of inadequate condition for years. The remaining section not closed from the R496 junction into the village up to the car park at the boat ramp would be the bit that most needs some attention. I can't even remember the last time any resurfacing was done on it. It's needed doing for many years.

Knowing something will be fixed in time is no consolation in the present.

Had I been aware they were going to remove all the trees along the R494 in order to improve it as much as they look to be doing, I'd prefer they had left the trees alone and not upgraded it beyond what could be done consistent with retaining the trees.

I know that sounds very nimby but anyone not familliar with the Bidhill to Ballina journey prior, I would hope would concur. Must have been quite impressive for tourists, I know it had an impact on me first time I drove it.