N5 - Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge [underway]

Even in Texas they're pushing for densification, carpooling, road tolling and other measures to reduce car traffic. There's really no place left on earth where people think more roads are the answer.

It's time we gave up on the delusion that everyone should be able to travel from their own driveway to a parking space right outside the front door of their destination, no matter where that happens to be.

Our most depressing rural towns are so crap because their main streets are just long carparks.. the space taken up with cars means there's zero incentive to walk around, so people just drive right up to the place they need to go, then drive away again, and the vicious cycle continues..

See it all the time, people drive from Dunnes to Tesco where i live, despite the fact the carparks are separated by a kerb only and walking would be quicker

Castlebar? I've seen the same there.

At this point they should cancel the whole project and spend the money in a community that might welcome an improvement to the public realm. Of course if they did that we'd never hear the end of how "rural Ireland" is being ignored. Sometimes you just can't win.

Anyway even though I don't travel the M5 that often I will look forward to the bypass being built so I never have to worry about Strokestown again.

I think by 'virtually' you really mean 'relatively'

Some welcome aerial shots courtesy of Roscommon County Council. Not sure of the exact locations.

Yes, you are correct regarding the first picture - its Lugboy, between Elphin & Strokestown. That is the R368 that's in the foreground and the shot is facing southeast. Works on the road are visible on Google street view taken in May.

Second photograph is taken right above current N5 at Cashel between Frenchpark & Bellanagare. The view is to the east of the current N5 looking towards southeast. Again, Google street view shows work on road.

Third photograph is at Dungar outside Frenchpark looking towards the northwest. The L5629 is in the foreground and in the background is where the new N5 will tie in with the existing N5. Google street view of works here.

Will there be overtaking lanes on this new stretch of road? I’d be a firm believer in looking to the future. I don’t believe any new national primary road should be anything less than a 2+2 dual standard as per Turlough-Westport.

The traditional wide road with a hard shoulder each side is just as dangerous. I see it every day, overtaking slow vehicles, oncoming traffic pulling over on their side. It’s mental stuff.

Ah its the most Irish thing ever and does my head in.

In relation to point a), a newish bus service, the 721, already uses the route going from Castlebar to Dublin Airport via Claremorris and Tuam and using the motorway from there on. It also takes advantage of the recently upgraded N60 between Claremorris and Balla.

I live on an L road in south Mayo and since the M17 opened the traffic increase is very noticeable as motorists now use various local roads outside Ballinrobe/Kilmaine/Shrule/Hollymount as rat runs to zig zag their way into Tuam and onto the motorway.

I wonder if once the new N5 is completed, could we see a change of priority to that junction in Tulsk? With the Roscommon to Boyle road becoming straight through and the downgraded Strokestown to Ballinagare getting junctions?

Probably would still need some sort of realignment works to do that safely.

Probably cheaper to build a roundabout.

Given the state of the effort roscommon coco got for the roundabout at Bealnamulla, I'm not optimistic

One of my main concerns with this project has always been that it would get bogged down, literally, due to deep peat excavation. I assumed this was one of the reasons for the long construction timeframe of 4 years.

I came across a map today which shows this actually shouldn't be a major issue, which is great news.

The new N5 will run south of Frenchpark, then across to Elphin and down to Strokestown. The only area where it will run through peatland is near Frenchpark, and only for a short distance. Hopefully this increases the odds that this project will be completed far sooner than the 4 year contract period.

Map extract courtesy of Teagasc.

I'd have assumed most of the route was bog and marshland too. If that's not the case I think there's a very good change it will be done ahead of schedule. Wills have often completed projects ahead of time.