Towns still waiting for a bypass

road_high · 15-08-2006 1:19pm #1

Despite the progress made on many roads inrecent years, there are still a sizeable number of towns awaiting (under construction)/ have no bypass yet.

The ones I can think of are;

- Portlaoise (N80 i refer to)
-Mountmellick (N80)
-Tullamore (N80)
-Birr (N52)

-Navan (N3)
-Dunshaughlin (N3)
-Kells (N3)
-Virginia (N3)

-Longford (N5)

-Abbeyleix (N8)

-Thomastown (N9)
-Gowran (N9)

-Enniscorthy (N11)

-Cahir (N24)
-Carrick-on Suir (N24)
-New Ross (N25)

-Athy (N78)

Towns/City with Bypass under construction, but still not open;
-Carlow (N9)
-Waterford (N25)
-Gorey (N11)
-Fermoy (N8)
-Ennis (N17)

I'm sure there must be loads more towns that are still awaiting a bypass at this stage?

spacetweek · 15-08-2006 3:09pm

mfitzy wrote:

Despite the progress made on many roads inrecent years, there are still a sizeable number of towns awaiting (under construction)/ have no bypass yet.

The ones I can think of are;
<snip>
I'm sure there must be loads more towns that are still awaiting a bypass at this stage?

All of those are getting bypasses in the current program except for 3 of the first 4. (Mountmellick's is starting this year).

Presumably they are concentrating quite rightly on the national primaries for the mo until they address the deficiency. Following that there's likely to be a focus on the secondaries.

mike65 · 15-08-2006 4:53pm

Cahir bypass is underway.

Mike.

Chris_533976 · 15-08-2006 6:48pm

Im going to add Cobh to that list - although it doesnt of course need a bypass due to the fact that its an island, the state of the road going to it is more than bad enough to warrant bypass-like funding.

mysterious · 15-08-2006 7:37pm

Newcastlewest... A nasty bottleneck on NATIONAL primary route. Adare is getting worse. both in N21

Adare bypass should warrant DC at this stage. June traffic is sizzling to almost 16,500. 2+1 will be out of date when Adare get it's bypass built.

Claregalway on N17... snarlup of a place

Gort on N18. another...

Finallly people forget New Ross and Carick on suir.

These towns are by far the most needed of the ones mentioned than above.:p

mysterious · 15-08-2006 7:41pm

Mountrath.. since everyone mentioned Portlaoise, Mountmelick and Abbeyleix.:p

nordydan · 15-08-2006 7:49pm

ballybofey/stranorlar. shocking during the summer

trap4 · 15-08-2006 7:51pm

I could be wrong but I believe Adare is now getting DC? And with the Castleisland bypass going ahead soon (?) I agree that Newcastlewest and Abbefeale are going to be major bottlenecks on the N21.

Chris_533976 · 15-08-2006 8:14pm

mysterious wrote:

Gort on N18. another...

Agreed. Once Ennis is done Gort will become a desperate mess.

Not to mention you'll get off the nice DC Ennis bypass, come onto single lane track for about 500m, then all have to do a tight S bend under a low, narrow, disused railway bridge :rolleyes:

mysterious · 15-08-2006 8:19pm

CastleIsland scheme is def high priorthy since either end is now first class standard. N21 at Tralee is upgraded. and now the Abbeyfeale to Castleisland completed. all is left is the Newcastle to Adare and the CastleIsland bypass itself.

Adare has greater traffic than either N7, N8 or N6 and from what the NRA are planning to build is a 2+1.. In five year traffic will pass 20,000 and a 2+1 is just not adequate. I hope your right.

mysterious · 15-08-2006 8:21pm

Chris_533976 wrote:

Agreed. Once Ennis is done Gort will become a desperate mess.

Not to mention you'll get off the nice DC Ennis bypass, come onto single lane track for about 500m, then all have to do a tight S bend under a low, narrow, disused railway bridge :rolleyes:

It looks like a job for the T21....:D in 2020. well wasn't humerous but that road is indeed dangerous for a N road.

westtip · 15-08-2006 8:51pm

Ballina county mayo, needs a bypass from the N59 sligo ballina road around to south side of the town, foxford road.

mysterious · 15-08-2006 9:04pm

westtip wrote:

Ballina county mayo, needs a bypass from the N59 sligo ballina road around to south side of the town, foxford road.

not high priorthy like the ones mentioned. The N59 would have a consideringly small amount of through traffic to warrent a bypass. most of the traffic in Ballina would be destination, not through traffic, what Ballina needs is circular road, due to so many regional roads converge at this point. N59 is a quiet road, and I tell yas it won't get a bypass in this t21 plan.

cor · 15-08-2006 9:44pm

Longford is already by-passed. You no longer have to go through the town.

Was in Ballina last weekend and there was a queue to get in to the town due to the new traffic restriction (not being able to go straight towards the cathedral when coming from Sligo direction) imo.

monument · 15-08-2006 10:56pm

The circular road for Ballina is planned, for years now; I think the council has ownership of the land or at least wouldn’t let anything be built on them.

The 'Ballina & Environs Development Plan, 2003-2009' plans for the building of stage one of the "outer ring road linking the N26 (Foxford Road) with the N59 – West (Crossmolina Road), and the R314 (Killala Road)”.

On the N59 north (to Sligo), a small stretch of the small stretch between of Ballina and the Sligo boarder was worked on recently. The road was widened, which would have left a decent road, however, the surface was left on par to the worst road surfaces around the town.

The one-way system between the bridges is logical. It allows for greater free flow, leaving the queues in places they won’t interrupt other traffic.

In 2005 a small section of N26 was also modernised (this time the surface was Minister for Press Releases material), the upgraded road hardly makes it out of the town, far short of Foxford is an understatement.

Continuing the upgrading of N26 (the Foxford Road, used at least in part to get to Dublin, Galway, Castlebar etc) may be of similar importance of even higher then any ring road for the town and the surrounding area.

Anyone know the crazy roundabouts and inner ring road in Castlebar? The story, apparently, goes that the funds were earmarked for the upgrading of the N26 (I think this was about the time Castlebar got its road then unofficially named after Padraig Flynn), but after objections from some locals it wasn’t to be.

westtip · 16-08-2006 12:07am

mysterious wrote:

not high priorthy like the ones mentioned. The N59 would have a consideringly small amount of through traffic to warrent a bypass. most of the traffic in Ballina would be destination, not through traffic, what Ballina needs is circular road, due to so many regional roads converge at this point. N59 is a quiet road, and I tell yas it won't get a bypass in this t21 plan.

The N59 is one of the most dangerous roads in the country and a lot of traffic from Ballina uses it to swing up to the N4 rather than use the N5 route to Dublin, also you would be surprised at the level of traffic flowing between Ballina and Sligo. A Ring road around Ballina would pretty much serve the pupose of a by-pass, the route I mentioned N59 around the back of an area called Ardnaree and swinging through to about where Hollister is on the N26 would relieve a great deal of congestion in the town, and open up areas to develop for out of town retail and wholesale, it would connect with the Crossmolinia and Killala roads. In effect the ring road you mentioned would de-fact be a by-pass. You say it is not a high priority - it is for the people of Ballina and surrounding areas, just as much the priorities are for other towns mentioned in this thread for the people in those towns. Ballina suffers from traffic congestion like any other town which involves river crossings and badly needs this kind of ring relief road, which admittedly does not need to be DC but a good quality single carriageway would be fine.

monument · 16-08-2006 12:58am

westtip wrote:

The N59 is one of the most dangerous roads in the country

That's not something a ring road/bypass would fix.

westtip wrote:

and a lot of traffic from Ballina uses it to swing up to the N4 rather than use the N5 route to Dublin,

Out on their Sunday drive?

PoolDude · 16-08-2006 7:38am

N11

Camolin
Ferns
Enniscorthy
Oilgate
Tagoat
Kilrane

and if it were possible it would be great to sort out Kilmaganoue

MG · 16-08-2006 8:18am

On the N25 between Waterford and Cork Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Kilmeaden (?? am I thinking of the wrong village). If these were bypassed there would be a reasonably good road all the way from Waterford to Cork, albeit a mixture of DC, 2+1 and mixed quality single lane roads. There can be horrible bottlenecks on these at times.

towger · 16-08-2006 8:20am

Dublin :d

nordydan · 16-08-2006 9:06am

mysterious wrote:

Newcastlewest... A nasty bottleneck on NATIONAL primary route. Adare is getting worse. both in N21

Adare bypass should warrant DC at this stage. June traffic is sizzling to almost 16,500. 2+1 will be out of date when Adare get it's bypass built.

I got an email from the company in charge of the design of this road, and they said the cross-section of the road is under review. Maybe it will be DC after all as this would make sense to continue the DC past Adare.

nordydan · 16-08-2006 9:29am

mysterious wrote:

Claregalway on N17... snarlup of a place

I just got a new latest design map of the new N17 Galway Tuam road, which will take Claregalway out of the picture. It starts at an at grade roundabout on the N17 and heads towards about 2/3miles west of athenry. There is one junction in the middle on the N63 which has a LILO design, with access roads on the N63 about half a mile apart. It then finishes on the proposed N6 Galway-Ballinasloe road at what looks like this type of junction here. I got an email which states construction isnt expected before 2010, which would make sense as they will be finishing off the N6 at this stage then adding the N17 N/B and the N18 S/B.

mike65 · 16-08-2006 9:50am

MG, Kilmeaden will be by-passed as part of the Waterford City bypass.

Mike.

loyatemu · 16-08-2006 10:12am

PoolDude wrote:

N11
.
.
.
and if it were possible it would be great to sort out Kilmaganoue

nothing further is going to be done at Kilmac. It's not a great design but its not a bottleneck either. Wicklow CC wants to raise the limit there, but the NRA doesn't.

dmeehan · 16-08-2006 12:33pm

Killarney - Cork road
Macroom, Ballyvourney need by-passing, and also the piece of $hit "road" in between those two towns

jank · 16-08-2006 1:04pm

As above and bandon too needs a Proper bypass

Chris_533976 · 16-08-2006 1:05pm

I think better Cork-Killarney is in planning. Macroom is a joke though, and the main road does weave through the hills a lot.

Castlemartyr and Killeagh can be bad at times. Killeagh isnt **too** bad, but Castlemartyr can be a sod. I think its planned (eventually) to DC as far as Youghal, so that'll mean a bypass for both.

jank · 16-08-2006 1:10pm

Chris_533976 wrote:

I think better Cork-Killarney is in planning. Macroom is a joke though, and the main road does weave through the hills a lot.

Castlemartyr and Killeagh can be bad at times. Killeagh isnt **too** bad, but Castlemartyr can be a sod. I think its planned (eventually) to DC as far as Youghal, so that'll mean a bypass for both.

I keep hearing that alright, DC as Part of the Atlantic corridor and as a main Link to Waterford/Rosslare it should but i cant find it written anywhere or a timetable where it will be DC.

D'Peoples Voice · 16-08-2006 1:27pm

westtip wrote:

The N59 is one of the most dangerous roads in the country

not according to page 5 of this study
http://www.nra.ie/PublicationsResources/DownloadableDocumentation/RoadSafety/file,1403,en.PDF
However while I'm not saying that Taoiseach Elect Enda Kenny will put local issues ahead of national issues, but I think the N59 will somehow get the funding ahead of more dangerous roads highlighted on page 5 of this study.

mysterious · 16-08-2006 1:43pm

It would be wise to go with a DC past Adare. The new road won't be starting for at least another 2yrs. By then traffic levels would require a DC.

mysterious · 16-08-2006 1:46pm

What kind of DC is going between Croom and Mallow. I doubt it will be HQDC, I don't think that's important, as standard DC would be fine.

westtip · 16-08-2006 2:04pm

monument wrote:

That's not something a ring road/bypass would fix.

Out on their Sunday drive?

No a ring road would not solve the problems of the N59, from Ballina to Sligo - the Ballina - Dromore West Section is notably dangerous with numerous blind summits as you probably know. A ring road though would hugely alleviate the congestion in Ballina, and more importantly take the HGVs out of the town.

Re those using the N59 to connect with N4 - it is a bit fecitious to say out on their sunday drive, you are no doubt aware of the crap state of the N26 still despite the piffling effort to improve it which stops just short of Foxford and the still crap state of the N5, which has to be one of the most dangerous national routes, although it will improve over the next year or two. These two issues force drivers to route via the N4. The volume of commercial traffic on the N59 is quite significant these days and passing an artic on most sections of this road is hell raising - and in the rain which we get quite a bit of up here it is a horrendous road.

Bards · 16-08-2006 2:14pm

MG wrote:

On the N25 between Waterford and Cork Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Kilmeaden (?? am I thinking of the wrong village). If these were bypassed there would be a reasonably good road all the way from Waterford to Cork, albeit a mixture of DC, 2+1 and mixed quality single lane roads. There can be horrible bottlenecks on these at times.

As Mike said Kilmeaden will be part of the Waterford CIty Bypass currently under construction. Dungarvan of the many roundabouts has a planned Outer Bypass but is suspended due to the finding of a rare Fern. At times it can take an age to get through this town

westtip · 16-08-2006 2:14pm

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

not according to page 5 of this study
http://www.nra.ie/PublicationsResources/DownloadableDocumentation/RoadSafety/file,1403,en.PDF
However while I'm not saying that Taoiseach Elect Enda Kenny will put local issues ahead of national issues, but I think the N59 will somehow get the funding ahead of more dangerous roads highlighted on page 5 of this study.

such is the influence of having a minister in your constituency you may well be right, and from a selfish point of view I would probably say and thank goodness too, although I don't agree with this kind of parish pump politics, the map on the next page of the report does nevertheless show the N59 as a medium to high risk road for fatalities, not an acceptable situation - just as the situation is not acceptable on the high risk roads, but we shall continue to rant and rave and perhaps something might be done eh.

monument · 16-08-2006 6:04pm

westtip wrote:

No a ring road would not solve the problems of the N59,...

Yeah, that's what I said.

westtip wrote:

...from Ballina to Sligo - the Ballina - Dromore West Section is notably dangerous with numerous blind summits as you probably know...

Re those using the N59 to connect with N4 - it is a bit fecitious to say out on their sunday drive, you are no doubt aware of the crap state of the N26 still despite the piffling effort to improve it which stops just short of Foxford and the still crap state of the N5, which has to be one of the most dangerous national routes, although it will improve over the next year or two. These two issues force drivers to route via the N4

The volume of commercial traffic on the N59 is quite significant these days and passing an artic on most sections of this road is hell raising - and in the rain which we get quite a bit of up here it is a horrendous road.

With the volume of traffic and the state of the N59, and that it's such a detour, I’m still doubtful that there’s so many drivers using the N4 vie the N59 from Ballina. Maybe I’m wrong. How do the times compare etc?

nordydan · 16-08-2006 6:13pm

mysterious wrote:

It would be wise to go with a DC past Adare. The new road won't be starting for at least another 2yrs. By then traffic levels would require a DC.

The detailed design will not occur till 2008. I reckon by then DC will be the choice.

nordydan · 16-08-2006 6:18pm

jank wrote:

I keep hearing that alright, DC as Part of the Atlantic corridor and as a main Link to Waterford/Rosslare it should but i cant find it written anywhere or a timetable where it will be DC.

There is a text report on the cork co co website which seems to indicate that the stage is split into 3 parts with a different cross section considered for each. I believe they may have considered DC for the first part and WS2 for the rest. But then I think 2+1 wasnt really on the agenda at thie time of the report.

westtip · 16-08-2006 9:55pm

monument wrote:

Yeah, that's what I said.

With the volume of traffic and the state of the N59, and that it's such a detour, I’m still doubtful that there’s so many drivers using the N4 vie the N59 from Ballina. Maybe I’m wrong. How do the times compare etc?

Sure didn't I agree with you on the ring road, I just think it would be a huge benefit for Ballina (and many other towns of course) I think the time (to Dublin) via the N59 is about 3 hours with a wet sail, a bit longer on the N26 route largely due to the number of towns you curently have to go through Longford being the worst delay. I drove to Sligo tonight from Enniscrone on the N59, the traffic was very heavy coming form the Sligo direction, it was between 5 and 6 so maybe to be expected but there is now a significant amount of commuter traffic on the N59 coming from places like Enniscrone, Easkey, Dromore West, Skreen etc going to Sligo everyday, and it is heavily used by HGVs and local commercial and agricultural traffic, whichif it where upgraded to wide single lane would make passing easier - it is a dangerous road and its poor state is well known in this neck of the woods.

1huge1 · 16-08-2006 10:56pm

trap4 wrote:

I could be wrong but I believe Adare is now getting DC? And with the Castleisland bypass going ahead soon (?) I agree that Newcastlewest and Abbefeale are going to be major bottlenecks on the N21.

thats interesting adare getting a dc were did you hear that? i agree though traffic is terrible there

trap4 · 17-08-2006 12:03pm

Can't remember where I saw it (or heard it?) and its driving me mad. Could have been the Limerick Leader but not sure. So don't quote me on it.... d'oh... you already did

Cian R · 01-11-2008 3:37pm

Add Ferns and Camolin on the N11 to that list- the traffic there especially in Ferns is deadly in the mornings since the Gorey bypass opened.

murphaph · 01-11-2008 5:03pm

Newcastle Co. Dublin has a bypass planned which will take traffic from the R120 at Greenogue crossing the bottom of Aylmer Road and heading across the fields to emerge on the R120 at Peamount Hospital, the intention to take N7->Celbridge/Lucan bound traffic away from the village main street. No sign of it materialising of course and I reckon it'll be long fingered.

mysterious · 01-11-2008 6:33pm

1huge1 wrote: »

thats interesting adare getting a dc were did you hear that? i agree though traffic is terrible there

2+1 schemes that were and are under planning have been scrapped for 2+2 schemes instead. Reason, it's actually cost saving in the long run, just to put in the other lane, the land required is the same for both schemes anyhu.

But speaking on the Adare scheme, i think it will be HQDC Imo. They wil probably just extend the N21 DC further south with the spec of HQDC just for the sake of another 7 miles or so.... I don't imagine they will repeat the downs N4 Scheme where it's 2+2 standard. Now they are going back to replace the at grades to Grade separated interchanges. Traffic levels are simalar for both schemes. So I do think the NRA should take this into consideration.

The road carries 17,000 vehicles a day. When it's finished in 3 years or so, If they actually started next year. Traffic will be close to 20,000 A.A.D.T

Sponge Bob · 01-11-2008 7:23pm

The disaster that is Claregalway and to a much lesser extent Barna, Athenry ( north) and Clarinbridge all of which are in County Galway and all of which need simple at grade inner bypasses like Claregalway does irrespective of any major road plans in their vicinity.

BluntGuy · 01-11-2008 8:43pm

mysterious wrote: »

What kind of DC is going between Croom and Mallow. I doubt it will be HQDC, I don't think that's important, as standard DC would be fine.

Well, we now know it's going to be motorway.

But motorway doesn't have to be HQDC as we've seen from the Cashel Bypass and Nenagh Bypass.

Tbh I don't really see too much of a difference between HQDC and standard Type 1 DC in this country anyway.

I think standard DC will do the trick here too, but I'd say they'll build the whole M20 route as HQDC.

E92 · 02-11-2008 1:41am

I would imagine its only existing DCs that have been reclassified to Motorways that may not be the full HQDC spec.

I would imagine that any future Motorways will be built to the same standard as the narrow median Motorways that have been recently opened like the M8 schemes i.e. the proper spec.

Hence I would expect that whenever the M20 does eventually get built it will be the same standard as all the roads that were Motorways before the re-classification came in.

It would be incredibly short sighted to have LILOs, shorter entrance ramps etc on any new roads due to be built IMO.

BluntGuy · 02-11-2008 1:56am

Well, I hope they keep the motorway build standard relatively high.

I don't want the fact that some of our motorways now have those low-spec junctions to mean a reduction in build standard.

I also hope emergency phones are making a comeback, because I haven't seen them on any recent schemes except the Fermoy bypass. (But that may be due to the fact the others schemes were built as HQDC and then redesignated AFTER construction, where as the Fermoy bypass was M DURING construction).

SeanW · 02-11-2008 9:00am

cor wrote: »

Longford is already by-passed. You no longer have to go through the town.

Was in Ballina last weekend and there was a queue to get in to the town due to the new traffic restriction (not being able to go straight towards the cathedral when coming from Sligo direction) imo.

Yes, Longford is bypassed - on the N4. Not the N5, which still weaves its way through the town centre.

Try driving down Ballymahon St. in the town on a Friday afternoon surrounded by lorries and MO registered cars, then tell me the town is "bypassed."

The now cancelled (oops "deferred" from now until never-nevertime) N5 bypass to go ahead next year was to involve 2.6km of single carriageway through green field. Total cost would have been ~€12m and would have alleviated much of a massive traffic problem in the area.

Now, you'd think that after closing our barracks and taking all these other measures, that they'd be able to afford it - in particular with all the excess construction capacity now available - but I suppose de-centralisation, storing the e-Voting machines, property developers bailouts and a toll free Motorway to Martin Cullen's constituency are all more important. :mad:

road_high · 02-11-2008 3:44pm

SeanW wrote: »

a toll free Motorway to Martin Cullen's constituency are all more important. :mad:

A bit like when Albert was Taoiseach and the N4 bypass of Longford was opened.....

rameire · 02-11-2008 5:39pm

athy was supposed to get a bypass about 20 years ago and a new bridge over the barrow.
but the locals said the town didnt want it or need it, so it wasnt built.
so now its like the m50, and now all the locals are complaining that a bypass has never been built.
but nothing will be built or designed for many years.

road_high · 02-11-2008 6:59pm

rameire wrote: »

athy was supposed to get a bypass about 20 years ago and a new bridge over the barrow.
but the locals said the town didnt want it or need it, so it wasnt built.
.

You are joking right? I presume there was some legitimate reason, no? Perhaps the town centre businesses kicked up a fuss? That was quite common in the not too decent past.

Towns still waiting for a bypass

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