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Road infrastructure discussion

«1345

Comments

  • #2
    recyclebin
    Registered Users Posts: 3,501 ✭✭✭recyclebin


    Seems strange that it's dual carriageway.


  • #3
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Is it really necessary, especially when we are supposed to be moving towards a greener economy and society?

    If the above figure is correct and it works out to a cost of €10,478,260 per kilometre!


  • #4
    Lukekul
    Registered Users Posts: 527 ✭✭✭Lukekul


    Busiest stretch of road in the county, regularly massive tailbacks, regular accidents. I swear people will take any news as a reason to give out


  • #5
    RedDevil55
    Registered Users Posts: 811 ✭✭✭RedDevil55


    recyclebin wrote: »
    Seems strange that it's dual carriageway.

    It will be type 2 dual carriageway, similar to the Tuam bypass. No hard shoulder.


  • #6
    DuckSlice
    Registered Users Posts: 2,884 ✭✭✭DuckSlice


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Is it really necessary, especially when we are supposed to be moving towards a greener economy and society?

    If the above figure is correct and it works out to a cost of €10,478,260 per kilometre!

    You still need roads to run electric cars on.


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  • #7
    yew_tree
    Registered Users Posts: 530 ✭✭✭yew_tree


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Is it really necessary, especially when we are supposed to be moving towards a greener economy and society?

    If the above figure is correct and it works out to a cost of €10,478,260 per kilometre!

    Yes it is...just we just stop all development and turn the county into a giant nature reserve? I seen similar commmets on the re surfacing of the runway at knock...we need safe good roads and those self driving electric cars that will be all over the place in 20 years will also need good quality roads.


  • #8
    irishgeo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,369 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    yew_tree wrote: »
    Yes it is...just we just stop all development and turn the county into a giant nature reserve? I seen similar commmets on the re surfacing of the runway at knock...we need safe good roads and those self driving electric cars that will be all over the place in 20 years will also need good quality roads.
    And road markings. Sadly something alot of roads are missing.


  • #9
    Knock2
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭Knock2


    Great news for the county and well done to all concerned.Now where does that leave the n26 and north mayo,forgotten?


  • #10
    Gagagogo
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭Gagagogo


    Seems like absolute madness to me spending €241M on a dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. Who even wants this?

    Fair enough the current Westport to Castlebar road has its faults but why not improve that for a fraction of the cost. Removing some of the bad bends and dips, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes is all that is required in my opinion. And probably some re-surfacing to boot.
    As for the existing Castlebar-Turlough road is that not one of the best roads in the county.

    If we were investing ridiculous money in our roads there are many roads across Mayo that are in greater need of investment. Castlebar to Belmullet for example.

    And did the government not declare an environmental emergency. Should we not be encouraging more use of public transport instead of more driving of private cars, because more road will just lead to more cars. Sure there's limited public transport in Mayo but why cant that be improved? Imaging if €241M was spent on public transport/ safe cycling routes etc in Mayo. It would transform the county but instead we're building a new road to replace an existing road. There is of course a rail service running between Castlebar and Westport multiple times a day.

    Apologies for the rant, just can't get my head around it. Mayo and rural Ireland in general has many problems. This wont fix any of them.


  • #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Gagagogo wrote: »
    Seems like absolute madness to me spending €241M on a dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. Who even wants this?

    Fair enough the current Westport to Castlebar road has its faults but why not improve that for a fraction of the cost. Removing some of the bad bends and dips, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes is all that is required in my opinion. And probably some re-surfacing to boot.
    As for the existing Castlebar-Turlough road is that not one of the best roads in the county.

    If we were investing ridiculous money in our roads there are many roads across Mayo that are in greater need of investment. Castlebar to Belmullet for example.

    And did the government not declare an environmental emergency. Should we not be encouraging more use of public transport instead of more driving of private cars, because more road will just lead to more cars. Sure there's limited public transport in Mayo but why cant that be improved? Imaging if €241M was spent on public transport/ safe cycling routes etc in Mayo. It would transform the county but instead we're building a new road to replace an existing road. There is of course a rail service running between Castlebar and Westport multiple times a day.

    Apologies for the rant, just can't get my head around it. Mayo and rural Ireland in general has many problems. This wont fix any of them.

    But it will help maintain investment and help with job creation. This helps to reduce the "many" problems that you refer to. Quite simply without decent road infrastructure Mayo would be overlooked for future investment and those jobs would go else where.

    Now if you just wanted Mayo to be a retirement/ holiday county then keeping all the rubbish roads and installing cycle tracks would be the way to go.

    Thankfully some of our local politicians (Not Enda Kenny obviously who when given the opportunity to improve things for a neglected part of Ireland, decided to turn his back on his own county) have lobbied to keep county Mayo open for business.

    Amazing since Kenny left, we got funding for Knock airport, N5 through roscommon, Westport - Turlough, Cloongullane bridge. While he was Taoiseach he redirected funding away from Mayo.


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  • #12
    Thou
    Registered Users Posts: 144 ✭✭Thou


    If you look at this infrastructural project in the greater scheme of things it has the potential to benefit the county as a whole.

    As the poster above mentions it will be critical for future investment projects, which will in turn make Mayo a more attractive place to live.
    As the new road will be central to the Castlebar - Westport hub strategy, it will be interesting to see how plans for that project develop.

    If Co. Mayo has its own growth center, by effectively combining the towns, the area will act as a counter balance to places like Sligo, Galway and elsewhere in the country. Will hopefully create more opportunities for people to stay and live in Mayo.

    At the same time it is disheartening to see no real plans going ahead for road improvement or transport projects in North and North West Mayo, especially when you see communities suffer from depopulation and have very little in the way of opportunities, however as already said this project has the potential to improve the entire County longer term.


  • #13
    yew_tree
    Registered Users Posts: 530 ✭✭✭yew_tree


    Gagagogo wrote: »
    Seems like absolute madness to me spending €241M on a dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. Who even wants this?

    Fair enough the current Westport to Castlebar road has its faults but why not improve that for a fraction of the cost. Removing some of the bad bends and dips, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes is all that is required in my opinion. And probably some re-surfacing to boot.
    As for the existing Castlebar-Turlough road is that not one of the best roads in the county.

    If we were investing ridiculous money in our roads there are many roads across Mayo that are in greater need of investment. Castlebar to Belmullet for example.

    And did the government not declare an environmental emergency. Should we not be encouraging more use of public transport instead of more driving of private cars, because more road will just lead to more cars. Sure there's limited public transport in Mayo but why cant that be improved? Imaging if €241M was spent on public transport/ safe cycling routes etc in Mayo. It would transform the county but instead we're building a new road to replace an existing road. There is of course a rail service running between Castlebar and Westport multiple times a day.

    Apologies for the rant, just can't get my head around it. Mayo and rural Ireland in general has many problems. This wont fix any of them.

    Do you know the road and drive it often? Not sure how it could be re-aligned...I’m sure engineers had looked at that...many houses like the road on both sides practically the whole way. A Rail line at idlandeasy and even a school right up against this road.

    You mention public transport, there is huge objections to the western rail corridor being opened from athenry to claremorris and onto Collooney..that it’s a waste of money, they may be right but if certain people don’t want roads or rail built in the west, I don’t know what they want us to do to attract investment....we all can’t be eco farmers and live some sort of happy vegan style utopia....


  • #14
    irishgeo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,369 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    what need to do is dual carriage way from tuam to claremorris or maybe the airport and then link castlebar and claremorris and then a stick in a park and ride serivce from claremorris to galway.


  • #15
    Lukekul
    Registered Users Posts: 527 ✭✭✭Lukekul


    Motorway from Sligo down to Cork, Dual carraigeway from westport to claremorris junction, dual carraigeway from leterkenny to sligo. Is that so much to ask? :P


  • #16
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Thou wrote: »
    If you look at this infrastructural project in the greater scheme of things it has the potential to benefit the county as a whole.

    As the poster above mentions it will be critical for future investment projects, which will in turn make Mayo a more attractive place to live.
    As the new road will be central to the Castlebar - Westport hub strategy, it will be interesting to see how plans for that project develop.

    If Co. Mayo has its own growth center, by effectively combining the towns, the area will act as a counter balance to places like Sligo, Galway and elsewhere in the country. Will hopefully create more opportunities for people to stay and live in Mayo.

    At the same time it is disheartening to see no real plans going ahead for road improvement or transport projects in North and North West Mayo, especially when you see communities suffer from depopulation and have very little in the way of opportunities, however as already said this project has the potential to improve the entire County longer term.

    Three infrastructure project that i think are badly needed to help Mayo compete. The Ballina - Ballyvary road(including bends between Foxford and Swinford), the Castlebar - Claremorris road, and the Knock - Collooney road.

    Get Gas and enough electrity connectivity to the county and then its up to the IDA to do their job.
    After that the nice to haves like the link road improvements and the the greenways could follow, but i think we are looking at the 30's for that.


  • #17
    irishgeo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,369 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Three infrastructure project that i think are badly needed to help Mayo compete. The Ballina - Ballyvary road(including bends between Foxford and Swinford), the Castlebar - Claremorris road, and the Knock - Collooney road.

    Get Gas and enough electrity connectivity to the county and then its up to the IDA to do their job.
    After that the nice to haves like the link road improvements and the the greenways could follow, but i think we are looking at the 30's for that.

    you need the M4 motorway to come further west too.


  • #18
    PARlance
    Registered Users Posts: 21,093 ✭✭✭✭PARlance


    Lukekul wrote: »
    Motorway from Sligo down to Cork, Dual carraigeway from westport to claremorris junction, dual carraigeway from leterkenny to sligo. Is that so much to ask? :P

    Bypass, or bomb, Roscommon?


  • #19
    naughto
    Registered Users Posts: 7,316 ✭✭✭naughto


    PARlance wrote: »
    Bypass, or bomb, Roscommon?

    I second that motion


  • #20
    RedDevil55
    Registered Users Posts: 811 ✭✭✭RedDevil55


    Gagagogo wrote: »
    Seems like absolute madness to me spending €241M on a dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. Who even wants this?

    Fair enough the current Westport to Castlebar road has its faults but why not improve that for a fraction of the cost. Removing some of the bad bends and dips, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes is all that is required in my opinion. And probably some re-surfacing to boot.
    As for the existing Castlebar-Turlough road is that not one of the best roads in the county.

    If we were investing ridiculous money in our roads there are many roads across Mayo that are in greater need of investment. Castlebar to Belmullet for example.

    You'd be surprised how costs can spiral when trying to widen and improve an existing road. Removing bends will require compulsory purchase orders which could mean houses and farm buildings being knocked. Removing dips would cause enormous disruption. The existing road would need to be closed for months. Even if all this got done you'd still have the following problems...

    The barley hill section of N59 is incredibly dangerous.
    Westport needs a ring road as the place is choked by traffic.
    The Westport to Castlebar road is at capacity and will only get busier.


  • #21
    spakman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,081 ✭✭✭spakman


    irishgeo wrote: »
    you need the M4 motorway to come further west too.

    That already planned - motorway to be extended from Mullingar to Longford
    http://www.irishmotorwayinfo.com/inex/roads/futures/m4_up.html

    and also N5 to be upgraded from Scramogue (Tarmonbary side of Strokestown) to meet up with the Ballagh bypass, so it would bypass Strokestown, Tulsk, Ballinagare, Frenchpark.

    If/when all that is done, it would be a massive improvement.


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  • #22
    Knock2
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭Knock2


    Agree
    It will benefit the whole county when completed and is a badly needed improvement but the n26 is equally as bad and is a major road into that part of the county so where is the plan for it?
    Where is the balanced county development?
    And is it not of equal importance to improve access between the two largest population centres in the county?
    From my experience of driving around the country I don’t think there is a major town with as poor a road into as ballina( I’m open to correction on that statement)
    Also if you take county Kerry as an example which would be similar to mayo in a lot of ways( distance from Dublin,western seaboard,emerigation)look at the connection they have between there 2 large population centres Tralee/Killarney it’s a great road why can’t we plan/achieve the same in mayo between Castlebar/Ballina?or am I missing something?


  • #23
    FaganJr
    Registered Users Posts: 565 ✭✭✭FaganJr


    Knock2 wrote: »
    Agree
    It will benefit the whole county when completed and is a badly needed improvement but the n26 is equally as bad and is a major road into that part of the county so where is the plan for it?
    Where is the balanced county development?
    And is it not of equal importance to improve access between the two largest population centres in the county?
    From my experience of driving around the country I don’t think there is a major town with as poor a road into as ballina( I’m open to correction on that statement)
    Also if you take county Kerry as an example which would be similar to mayo in a lot of ways( distance from Dublin,western seaboard,emerigation)look at the connection they have between there 2 large population centres Tralee/Killarney it’s a great road why can’t we plan/achieve the same in mayo between Castlebar/Ballina?or am I missing something?




    Yes, the Healy Rae's :D


  • #24
    Mickeroo
    Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,132 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    I think rather than have the road go out to turlough they should have been looking at claremorris and then joining claremorris to tuam. Motorway all the way to Galway and Dublin from Westport/Cbar then. Sure people are already going via Tuam to Dublin these days for the better road and less congestion on busy days like match days....


  • #25
    spakman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,081 ✭✭✭spakman


    Mickeroo wrote: »
    I think rather than have the road go out to turlough they should have been looking at claremorris and then joining claremorris to tuam. Motorway all the way to Galway and Dublin from Westport/Cbar then. Sure people are already going via Tuam to Dublin these days for the better road and less congestion on busy days like match days....

    It's a longer (distance-wise) journey to go to Dublin via Galway though. If that was done it would probably negate the need for the M4/N5 upgrades, so be careful what you wish for!


  • #26
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,500 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    Knock2 wrote: »
    Agree
    It will benefit the whole county when completed and is a badly needed improvement but the n26 is equally as bad and is a major road into that part of the county so where is the plan for it?
    Where is the balanced county development?
    And is it not of equal importance to improve access between the two largest population centres in the county?
    From my experience of driving around the country I don’t think there is a major town with as poor a road into as ballina( I’m open to correction on that statement)
    Also if you take county Kerry as an example which would be similar to mayo in a lot of ways( distance from Dublin,western seaboard,emerigation)look at the connection they have between there 2 large population centres Tralee/Killarney it’s a great road why can’t we plan/achieve the same in mayo between Castlebar/Ballina?or am I missing something?

    Ta da!
    N5 / N26 / N58 Castlebar East to Bohola and Swinford to Mount Falcon Road Project
    http://www.regdesign.com/?page_id=590

    Some good reading on that site.


  • #27
    UsBus
    Registered Users Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭UsBus


    Gagagogo wrote: »
    Seems like absolute madness to me spending €241M on a dual carriageway from Westport to Turlough. Who even wants this?

    Fair enough the current Westport to Castlebar road has its faults but why not improve that for a fraction of the cost. Removing some of the bad bends and dips, and increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes is all that is required in my opinion. And probably some re-surfacing to boot.
    As for the existing Castlebar-Turlough road is that not one of the best roads in the county.

    If we were investing ridiculous money in our roads there are many roads across Mayo that are in greater need of investment. Castlebar to Belmullet for example.

    And did the government not declare an environmental emergency. Should we not be encouraging more use of public transport instead of more driving of private cars, because more road will just lead to more cars. Sure there's limited public transport in Mayo but why cant that be improved? Imaging if €241M was spent on public transport/ safe cycling routes etc in Mayo. It would transform the county but instead we're building a new road to replace an existing road. There is of course a rail service running between Castlebar and Westport multiple times a day.

    Apologies for the rant, just can't get my head around it. Mayo and rural Ireland in general has many problems. This wont fix any of them.

    I really don't see what's difficult to understand about this investment. You have multi million euro medical device employers located in Westport with new investment also planned for Castlebar. Do we really expect them to transport their product along windy secondary roads..? Extending the national network between Mayo's largest towns makes excellent sense in terms of investment and spin off benefits. Building a road between Castlebar and Belmullet serves very little purpose, no requirement for it at all.
    As previous posters have said, you don't stop all investment just because the politically correct flavour of the month is green. Heaven help us if the Green Party ever get near government again - we would be finished. The reality of the Green agenda is Ireland could fill the whole country with roads and it wouldn't scratch the surface of the US, China or India's emissions levels..


  • #28
    yop
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 16,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭yop


    Taking these from the New Businesses Thread.


  • #29
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    runawaybishop wrote: »
    Ta da!
    N5 / N26 / N58 Castlebar East to Bohola and Swinford to Mount Falcon Road Project
    http://www.regdesign.com/?page_id=590

    Some good reading on that site.

    They should at least get the money to get it through the design and planning process, probably take 5 years for that anyway.


  • #30
    Dudda
    Registered Users Posts: 1,541 ✭✭✭Dudda


    Deleted User wrote: »
    They should at least get the money to get it through the design and planning process, probably take 5 years for that anyway.
    Disagree. It’s a lot of time, money and effort to get planning and prepare detailed drawings. All the archaeology, flooding, traffic, noise, construction and environmental reports you need to get planning. Then the objections. Eventually get it and if the funding isn’t available the planning will expire, regulations and reports will change and you’re back to square one. This is a lot more of an issue with buildings rather than roads. The amount of schools and other public buildings that have millions wasted on this would scare you. I know in detail one school in Mayo that started this in 2001 and only finished in 2019. Thousands wasted on planning, reports and drawings.
    Spend a smaller amount on a report. The route options for a road are included in the development plan and you can’t build on them. Then when the time is right and money available you proceed with planning followed by construction. This is what they're doing.

    I'm saying this in general for all public projects, not just any N26 or other road.


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  • #31
    yew_tree
    Registered Users Posts: 530 ✭✭✭yew_tree


    Coca Cola and Hollister in Ballina send a lot of freight via rail to North Wall. Agree though that Ballina is very cut off with the road infrastructure into it.

    The Castlebar - Belmullet road is indeed a disgrace and very dangerous but I’m sure there are 100s of projects around the country on waiting lists..

    Interesting a public consultation takes place next week on a new road from knock to Colloney...? I would think Curry up to the roundabout at collloney is what is required.


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