A very welcome improvement on the portlaoise to Kilkenny N77
I knew they’d be working in the planning etc of this realignment but didn’t know it was close to going to construction. Hopefully it’ll have a decent hard shoulder design like the existing road adjoining it
N53 Hedge removal seems to have started. Definite clearance at the point where the offline section returns to the existing road at the Hackballscross end. Let's hope that the main contract follows along fairly soon.
Notice to enter issued to land owners on the N17 Milltown to Gortnagunnad scheme with date of April 29th 2024. Indication is that site clearance, fencing and service diversion works will take place in Autumn 2024. Followed by demolition of structures. Main contract works to be tendered by Q2 2025.
So despite Notice of entry, main contract works still over a year away it seems. Progress all the same albeit slow!
There is a dedicated thread so would be good to post that here;
Edit; can't actually link to the thread because this site is a horrendous pile of shıte but the thread can be found by searching N17 Milltown.
Just click on the headline and it will take you there
From Wes Johnston's site, work to begin on Narrow Water bridge on 24th May
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/carlingfordloughbridge.html
BAM awarded the contract for this according to the Irish News.
https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/narrow-water-bridge-construction-to-get-underway-as-contact-awarded-for-major-cross-border-project-54GR3RNV6ZBO3KRMMLMTYVQSPA/
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
There are actual threads for these projects, they are far from minor.
https://www.etenders.gov.ie/epps/cft/prepareViewCfTWS.do?resourceId=4315650
Construction proceeding on realignment in Donegal.
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
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.
Went out to tender in July
In planning now nearly 10 years so it’s due.
It is still disappointing to see a National Primary road built to a a bare minimum standard without hard shoulders of any sort.
I agree. I wonder is it a low volume route or how can such a low spec be justified.
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.
Thanks for that. It doesn't seem like good future proofing anyway.
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
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.
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.
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.
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...
It's a glorified regional road so. Makes sense.
I agree - hard shoulders are good for breakdowns but misused for dangerous undertaking.
Nothing theoretical about it, it is the Sligo (and points west of there) to Belfast road.
There’s a few new decent realigned sections near Manorhamilton- I can’t remember if this has a hard shoulder?
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.
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
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/
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
That bit of road doesn't look too bad on Google maps, you'd think there would be higher priorities elsewhere on the N80.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w4.vanillicon.com/v2/42b15b2c78e0dc8b0fd2720b23f17a9d.svg)
