N5 - Westport to Turlough [open to traffic]

Some nice new aerial shots too, courtesy of Mayo County Council. Nearly there!

Is Breaffy missing an on ramp or off ramp?

The section between the current Westport road and the N84 looks pretty much finished anyway going by the latest Jack Walsh video on Instagram.

Before and after pics from Jack Walsh drone photography.

From Connaught telegraph article tonight

THE new N5 road between Turlough and Westport will be fully open by mid-April.

This was confirmed by head of roads Paul Dolan at a meeting of Mayo County Council’s roads strategic policy committee.

It is expected that the Castlebar section will open in late January or early February, with the entire route open by the middle of April.

There had been speculation that the Turlough section could have opened for Christmas.

The ring road between Mulroys and Cathal duffys should see the biggest improvement.(hopefully)

I was up in Mayo visiting people and took the opportunity to bring my bike and cycle the new roadway.

As stated by @DumbBrunette the section from Turlough Road at the north of the project to the roundabout at current N5 is largely complete. Local rumour is that the lighting not being completed was why this section wasn't open before Christmas. However there appears to be lots of small jobs to do. The barrier is complete, but some road markings are missing and small gaps on some side barriers. A lot of signage remains to be done too. Its more tidying up and with the pace they have done other jobs on the route this shouldn't take long to complete. This section could be open in a month. But I reckon they will open the whole lot in one go.

The southern section from current N5 roundabout to Westport is not as advanced. For Drumneen to Westport (about 4k) still is awaiting its final top layer of tarmac. The median barrier is only as far as Annagh and there are no road markings or signage. However overall its quite advanced at that section also. I did continue on the single carriageway after the rnew oundabout entering Westport but turned at Lodge Road as this area was not tarmac at all.

Picture of the the Castlebar rugby pitch and the overpass to it

Amazing pic from upintheeire via Instagram. Looks like it's a month or two old but what a shot.

Would make a lot of sense, plus it fits into Eamon Ryan's idea of approving less large-scale style bypasses, and more smaller-scale distribution roads.

This current project will free up a lot of traffic around Castlebar town and especially on its current "bypass", however it won't make a drastic change to traffic around Westport. For traffic coming from Castlebar/Dublin and heading towards Kilmeena, Newport, Achill etc. it will make a huge difference, but for traffic heading for Leenane, or out the West Road towards the Reek, the beaches, and Louisburgh, it will not change anything.

Were this Southern Bypass to be approved, you could look into the possibility of pedestrianising Bridge Street, but any pedestrianisation of Westport cannot even be considered unless this Southern Bypass is done imo.

It'll still be busy I reckon. GPS (which most tourists will be using) will take you via the bypas to the Newport road, but anyone heading to Croagh Patrick etc and Clare Island will still need to use the town. But it will certainly help.

A southern bypass would make sense, but I think Westport has had "enough" for now and a "second" bypass would send the locals into a tizzy and set non-locals off as well, as they want their own bypass of their town.

Castlebar section to open by the end of January, as per the Mayo News.

Any signs up yet?