N6 - Athlone Bypass Upgrade works

Wonder how long before a wide load from a tractor will knock out the phones.

billbond4 wrote: »

Btw how do you know the phones work? They will be handy for cyclists who get a flat tyre at least

I was responsible for testing the phones and all were tested ok last Friday.

billbond4 wrote: »

Wonder how long before a wide load from a tractor will knock out the phones.
Btw how do you know the phones work? They will be handy for cyclists who get a flat tyre at least

good point!

The AA is there for motorists but who will come to the rescue of a cyclist in distress with a blown tyre?
Or someone out for a jaunt on their horse or pony (with or without trap) should the animal collapse on the side of the road?

I suppose for anyone out for a powerwalk on the dual carraigeway would be put onto the ambulance service should they themselves break down!

We really should have a thread for the most bizarre traffic on an intercity dual caraigeway. Seeing as anything goes on Irish roads you could march a circus or patricks day parade down these roads should the notion take you !!
(and now theres an emergency phone should anything go wrong)

Solberg2005 wrote: »

Will the upgraded bypass be eventually upgraded to full motorway spec?

No, as thousands of tractors per minute would then have to use the bridge in town.

Or something like that.

And the exits are too close together to allow for 120kph traffic, some are too short too like the roscommon on ramp to get to 120.
It was never designed to take 120kph traffic, only way for motorway would be to build a new one to the south, which they are plans for but will prob never happen

dolanbaker wrote: »

tharlear wrote: »

the "alternative route " is the route that was in use before the bypass was built.

Eliminated pedestrians,bicycles and tractors, post a 100kph speed and its a motorway.
What beside a ministerial order is reqiured ?

The alternative route is through the town, it's choked most days as it is with local traffic.
With the current downward trend in traffic volumes, it makes little sense to construct an alternative route for non-motorway traffic.

Anyway, the bypass is seldom congested!

True. Officially you could say it can be made motorway. But the Shannon is an anomaly that is mega hard to work around. Naas portlaoise etc are examples where motorways are there now with alternatives thru town. Problem of course is that you could conceivably take a 5 to 10 mile diversion. Not with athlone. That said I would like to see the restrictions in place. Will need to have someone killed on it before it happens though. I feel like saying rip in advance to the poor person it happens to.

flazio wrote: »

This discussion just keeps going round in circles anyway.

Yes, until there's a really big accident killing some large number of people. Someone takes out six power-walkers in the hard shoulder or a dog-walking collection of kids, something that gets the local politicians to see sense and realize they do not want the responsibility.

article about the works in the Athlone Advertiser this week, saying works should be completed by the end of june.
The last line is a good joke

Councillors welcomed the update, with Cllr Frankie Keena saying the works would
"make the road more user-friendly for motorists, the junctions safer for pedestrians, and the town more accessible"

This is a prime example of why County Councils should be disbanded, no cop on , just pissing away money cos they have it to spend.
There should only be a few Corporations and Provence Councils in the Country.

http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/news/name,11837,en.html

Due to Junction Upgrade Works on the N6 Athlone Relief Road the East Bound exit and entry ramps at Junction 10 and the West Bound exit ramp at Junctions 10 Ballymahon will be closed from Sunday 27th May2012 for two weeks.

Diversions will be in place and these diversions will be signposted and are shown on the Council website.

Westmeath County Council wishes to thank you for your co-operation and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Basically only the exit at the Cova shop is opened

whyulittle wrote: »

The right turn lane at J10 exit westbound has been kerbed out of existance. Already you have idiots holding up all the cars behind them persisting in turning right from the left lane, instead out just using the roundabout.

I dont necessarily regard them as idiots. I think its a small protest at the idiocy of the planners for this. If ever there was a case for cutting Westmeath Cocos budget its this recent project.

Should have spent the money knocking the houses down near the junction and upgrading it to a lilo leading up to the roundabout. Not fukcing traffic lights.

flazio wrote: »

Yeah, roundabouts are so efficient at managing traffic flow, just look at Galway Cit....oh no wait, nevermind.

1. This isnt Galway, traffic flow nowhere near as high
2. Replacing them with traffic lights slows my journey (yes even in Galway)
3. Any county councillor allowing the installation of traffic lights should be immediately shot.

LILOs ftw

i saw that they were cutting out parts of the slip roads, so that must be for the sensors for the lights.

Seemingly 6 weeks of works for the J10 area, just two weeks of ****e with the slip roads though

flazio wrote: »

Any chance the guards would remove that "abandoned" Furniture truck after Junction 12? Nice to know that a store is doing so well it can do without a truck doing it's proper job.

Could this be a job for the County Council rather than the Gardai?

Plenty of delays today, hopefully it will ease off once New surface is laid

Sure only the best will do for us Athlonians - can't be driving on six month old road!

Thats true, we constantly need new road surfaces.
Also the M6 is going to be closed westbound & eastbound between J13 and J14 in June, will see can I get dates

Huge volumes of the M4 tolled section were re-surfaced (lane-width patching rather than a full resurface) within weeks of opening. Sometimes it goes wrong.

The contractor is liable to fix any issues that occur within a certain time.

whyulittle wrote: »

The lights at Garrycastle and Ballymahon Road junctions are supposed to have gone live today - anyone been through yet?

Went through the ballymahon road lights, there was little traffic at the time,
Can't see it working too well during heavy traffic

Oh surprise. Surprise. We were proved right.
Sure what I would I know about peak time traffic. I'm just a lowly engineer.
Seemingly the guards turned off the light's .a nice waste of eu money

The lights at J11 were on yesterday evening and this morning, no problems for me. It often takes a while to get the sequence tuned after lights go on.

I do think that they could have gone with dumb-bell roundabouts at J11, there's plenty of land there.