N4/N5: How should they be developed?

Allergan, Baxter (x2), Hollister, Coca Cola... etc all on N5. Would actually be worse off in terms of longer haulage journey times via N60-N17-M6 than the current N5-M4.

The big Westport-Bohola DC plan was already scrapped. I dont expect any major work on N5 for a long time.

Most of the Mayo N5 is wide good quality SC with hard shoulder. Carracastle-Charlestown, Swinford, Bohola, Ballyvary bypassed over last 30 years so it has less ribbon development than some other N routes.

Westport-Castlebar is in contrast a very poor narrow windy section with reglar accidents and some of the highest traffic numbers on the whole N5. That and removing Ballaghaderreen bottleneck would make a huge improvement to the route.

Not sure if remaining Ballaghaderreen-Strokestown section will ever be tackled but some smaller schemes and passing areas could improve safety.

Ballaghaderreen-Strokestown is the worst part of the N5 and I would say also in national road terms... its badly needs to be upgraded... Tourists will not travel long distances from Dublin, commuting time has to be bought doen to 2.5 hours to get to the likes of Castlebar /Ballina.

It is of course Kenny related and with Longford being sorted as well it will make major inroads in terms of Mayo to Dublin travel. However as neither scheme is in Mayo it doesn't look too obvious in terms of looking after his own constituents.

The remaining 20 miles of the N5 are practically unfixable as discussed above and will remain in place for a long time, however the journey to Mayo is becoming increasingly easier and this can only be good news for an area that was massively overlooked in terms of infrastructure in the last decade.

Not only that the geophysics and Magnetic survey have found some fairly large structures. For example Cruchan mound (Rathcrogran) was found to have a palisaded circular enclosure 360metres in Diameter around it which has a Rock cut ditch about 5meteres wide. Here's an image of the geophysical survey



Image taken from this PDF:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/documents/waddell_2009_rathcroghan.pdf

PDF specifically on the mound and the buried inner circle in it.

http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/oldsite/documents/the_innermost_rathcroghan.pdf

Cruchan Ai is by far one of most important sites in Irish mythology and history. Not only does is it the starting point of the Táin (as well as site of the battle between the two bulls) but also the center of power for the Connachta and their descendant dynasties. The Uí Briúin Ai continued inaguration there until the 17th century (The O'Connor Don), plus the earliest writings on the Uí Néill state that Niall reigned from Cruchan and not Tara, thence the stories about the likes of both Niall and Laoghaire been buried in and around Cruchan.

Also "Uaimh na gCat" is the point where the dead are suppose to enter the world of the living on Oíche Shamhna (Halloween).

Neworder79 wrote: »

Public information day on the proposed N5 Westport to Turlough road project are being held this week in Castlebar, Westport and Turlough (Museum). Final designs on display and 3D renderings of major junctions. The project is in phase 4 and ready to move to CPO & EIS, subject to approval and funding.

No major changes to the recent plan, despite some concerns raised about T2 DC design (central wire barrier) and lack of a junction between Westport and Castlebar. There are several underpass and link roads provided for affected housing and villages such as at Islandeady.

Junctions are compact GS joining the N5 at Turlough, GS interface with N84 & N60, and 80m roundabout crossing existing N5 at Castlebar and again terminating at Westport.

The Westport - N59 northern relief road has been moved slightly further north to route around the IDA park which has has recently been purchased by Allergan Pharma.

Anyone know whether there are up to date online plans available to view for this stage of the project?

Those files are over 2 years old, hopefully they will put up the latest designs also. Can never understand why planning offices can organise brochures and open days but can't upload the content to their websites.

Neworder79 wrote: »

Those files are over 2 years old, hopefully they will put up the latest designs also. Can never understand why planning offices can organise brochures and open days but can't upload the content to their websites.

Not all of them, the Map is from September 2011, there is also an update from December 2011. This contains following titbit:

Following the decision by An Bord Pleanála (ABP) to refuse the N26 Ballina to Bohola Stage 2 Road Scheme a separate study was undertaken to check the validity of the connection point of the N26 and N5.   Based on the conclusions of this study it was decided to terminate the N5 Westport to Bohola Road Project at a point east of Turlough village from where the route may be continued as best suits the future re‐evaluation of the N26 connection. The new scheme resulting from this decision, the N5 Westport to Turlough Road Project is the scheme currently under consideration.

http://www.regdesign.com/pdf%20files/n5westport-turlough/project-update/Project%20Update%20161211.pdf

The older documents on route selection show all the way to Bohola, the map that from September however confirms to above paragraph.

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Even a half dualller is better than what is there now. Given the current state of the public finances the same may be done to the awful stretch north of Sligo too.

I doubt north of Sligo is anywhere near in the list of priorities. Traffic counts id imagine drop off significantly for anyone heading towards Donegal. Much less of a risk accident-wise than the N4 stretch.

He'll want to get that started before the Election that's for sure.