Why do you think heading west is a better option?. Is it the land topography?
Still think they should be heading west not south to hook in with an eventually widened N15.
Looks like Sligo CoCo are getting the ball rolling on extending the recently improved stretch of road at Lugatober on the N16 down to Sligo Town. A distance just shy of 4km. Early stages yet
https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=5159672
I'd agree with you on not reducing the speed on the R498 overall but the Latteragh bends section should likely have been 60km/h all along.
Hopefully thevworks will get underway soon
Tralee Northern Relief Road due to open middle of next year according to below. I think this will really increase the access to and benefit of the existing Tralee bypass as this relief road will enable motorists from all villages and towns north and north west of Tralee to avoid the town completely as they head to Limerick, Cork and beyond.
https://www.radiokerry.ie/news/main-contract-for-section-a-of-tralee-northern-relief-road-awarded-to-tipperary-firm-420473
What looks like a bit of clearance and flattening for site compounds has been established. A few lads there digging today.
I do fear that they are about to reduce the entire of the R498 to 60kmh as part of the reduction in speed limits in a few months, which will be an awful stretch of road to potter along at that speed.
Has a particularly high accident rate and there’s been a lot of local pressure to improve this - traffic volumes have increased a lot on this road since the M9 opened but the N80 has stayed the same
That bit of road doesn't look too bad on Google maps, you'd think there would be higher priorities elsewhere on the N80.
Notice of Application to An Bord Pleanala and CPOs for 3km online upgrade of the N80 south of Carlow here;
Consultations | Carlow County Council's Online Consultation Portal
Another €600k minor upgrade was opened in late summer on the N55 between Ballinagh and Cavan on "Cashel Cross" which staggers a junction and provides turning lanes where a number of fatalities happened over the years.
https://www.anglocelt.ie/2024/08/14/cashel-cross-works-near-completion-in-ballinagh/
I’d love to see the rest of the N77 from south of ballyragget to Kilkenny ring road upgraded next. Much of it is of a poor legacy standard. Also bypasses of ballyragget, durrow and Abbeyleix would be fantastic but probably a very long way off, if ever
I know near the end around the Glencar Centre they have no hard shoulders. There is a short cycle lane on the Eastbound side from the school there back towards a nearby church.
There’s a few new decent realigned sections near Manorhamilton- I can’t remember if this has a hard shoulder?
Nothing theoretical about it, it is the Sligo (and points west of there) to Belfast road.
It's a glorified regional road so. Makes sense.
I agree - hard shoulders are good for breakdowns but misused for dangerous undertaking.
Expected traffic volumes dictate the width of the road. Hard shoulders are not needed at very low traffic levels, and can actually create safety issues. In this case it looks like the standard chosen was bumped upwards because N16 is part of the national primary network. A national secondary road at this traffic level would be upgraded as Type 3 single, not Type 2.
I think this road is primary numbered only because it's part of a theoretical Sligo-Belfast road...
What's the criteria for a road to be named a National primary or National secondary?
Regardless of traffic levels on the N16 Sligo - Enniskillen, if it is deemed to be of national importance and given that it's located between 2 significant towns should it not have a hard shoulder at the very least?
Otherwise it feels like it should be classified regional.
Nobody said that it should be a dual carriageway, but neither should it be built at a lower standard than national roads built in past when traffic was less and the country could less well afford it.
This is Type 2 single carriageway, which has a capacity of 8,600 AADT. Current traffic is 3,100 or so at the two urban ends (Sligo, Blacklion; there's no counter at Manorhamilton).
If this road wasn’t designated as a National Primary route, the works would have been carried out as a Type 3 Single carriageway, which at 5,800 AADT capacity would have been more than enough to meet future traffic growth here.
Saying a quiet, lightly-trafficked road through an area of low population should be a dual carriageway just because it has a "low route-number" is a mistake. Route numbers only tell you what category of road you’re dealing with (1-50=Primary; 51-100=Secondary; 101+=Regional), but within a category, they have no significance whatsoever.
If it don't lead to Dublin, good luck with even 2+2 designation.
Bit sh1te but that's always been the way. Even the M18 sorts ennisians/tuamoids with a motorway to Dublin
Thanks for that. It doesn't seem like good future proofing anyway.
It is low volume around 3,000 ADT, so half of a lot of national secondary and regional roads. But it is designated as National Primary owing to its role in the network and you would expect some recognition of that. There are sections of the M8 or M9 with only 4 times that volume and they are fully fledged motorways as primary routes.
I agree. I wonder is it a low volume route or how can such a low spec be justified.
It is still disappointing to see a National Primary road built to a a bare minimum standard without hard shoulders of any sort.
Went out to tender in July
In planning now nearly 10 years so it’s due.
Does anyone have any information on the short stretch of R498 between Thurles and Nenagh thats due to be upgraded? (Around the Nenagh River bends, by Templederry).
Clearance done, fencing done, just waiting now on something/anything to happen.
The N16 Lugatober Upgrade has been completed and is operational (Although not officially opened per say). The route took out some bad bends out of the N16 Sligo→Enniskillen road within Sligo. A welcome update. There are still sections that are very poor, but we'll take anything in the current environment :-). Buts its done now.
Sligo CoCo had this video update a few months back to give an idea of the project. Pic is snapshot of the new road.
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/sligocountycouncil/videos/1182656846403864
https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=4315650
Construction proceeding on realignment in Donegal.
There are actual threads for these projects, they are far from minor.
Ardee bypass judicial review thrown out
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/louth/news/ardee-bypass-judicial-review-dismissed-in-its-entirety-on-all-counts-is-welcomed-by-louth-elected-representatives/a1982552407.html
