N3 - Virginia Bypass [route options published]

marno21 · 08-08-2025 10:53AM

https://www.anglocelt.ie/2025/08/06/bypass-business-case-preppeed-for-submission/

Off to Government for approval next year, which will be followed by a submission to An Bord Pleanala.

This should be early next year unless there's been some slippage.

KrisW1001 · 08-08-2025 12:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123546081#Comment_123546081

It was only ever “talk”, though - this isn’t a case where a shorter town bypass would have been feasible. The complete bypass is 13 km long, and 8 km of it would have to have been built just to bypass Virginia. Dropping the 5km wouldn’t save a huge amount, and would have left Lisduff as a bottleneck, plus a short section of single carriageway between two of dual carriageway is really hard to justify on safety grounds.

L1011 · 09-08-2025 04:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123706512#Comment_123706512

The Carrick on Shannon scheme was cut down leaving a village unbypassed to satisfy Ryan; and leaves a section of SC between DCs.

KrisW1001 · 09-08-2025 05:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123709580#Comment_123709580

The suspended section of Carrick-On-Shannon was much longer, though, and was a greater part of the total scheme. Dropping it saved a considerable amount of money (blame Ryan all you want, but these cuts were an order to all departments to pull back their spending after the costs of Covid and amid the huge uncertainty of early 2022).

In this case, the way the scheme is designed means that the only "droppable" part is 5 km out of 13 km total.. it's not going to save much money once you factor in setup and teardown costs of the whole project (maybe 25%?) so the CBA would be against cutting it.

road_high · 29-08-2025 09:06PM

the “N3” in Co Fermanagh A5309 (?) is not in good shape is it? Noticeable when you cross the lovely wide level surfaced N3 feels like a billiard table in comparison. The whole thing really needs resurfacing for starters.

Charles Babbage · 29-08-2025 10:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123767429#Comment_123767429

Back in the day this was not an important route. The Fermanagh side was a B road and the Cavan side an L (Link) road and the border element was unapproved. It became important in the 1965 when it was designated the main road and a customs post was opened. But as the British, through their agents, blew up the bridge it was not busy from 1971 to the opening of the George Mitchel Bridge. Since then The Cavan side has been entirely reconstructed, but the Fermanagh side has had only half hearted improvements.

Pete_Cavan · 30-08-2025 09:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123767429#Comment_123767429

The northern side is terrible. The road really represents the changing fortunes of both states. When I was a kid, crossing from south to north meant going onto a higher quality road, now those tables have turned. The N3 north of Cavan town is generally very good (although the junctions around Butlersbridge make that section unnecessarily dangerous) but once you cross the border, the road goes to crap. The roads generally around Enniskillen are dreadful, not much has changed since the 80s, particularly the road heading for Ballyshannon.

road_high · 30-08-2025 06:29PM

yes I was surprised how bad, I thought it had deteriorated in the few years since I had last used it. There’s actually little bits of grass growing up through parts of the cracked sections. I like the N3, irs a fine road. Will be a good one once the Virginia bypass is completed at long last

N3 - Virginia Bypass [route options published]

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