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N6 road (Ireland)

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For others roads called N6, see N6.
File:N6 national IE.png
Destinations (E to W)
On route / bypassed / bypassed by M6
* Bypass under construction.
† Bypass planned.
‡ To be completely bypassed by new N6 route.

The N6 road is a National Primary Route in Ireland, connecting Dublin to Galway (by connecting from the M4 motorway at Kinnegad) across the midlands of Ireland. The route starts at Junction 11 on the M4 at Kinnegad. From there the road bypasses Rochfordbridge, Tyrrellspass, Kilbeggan and Moate. The route follows a bypass around the central Irish town of Athlone, crossing the River Shannon, before passing through Ballinasloe and Loughrea. A section of dual carriageway brings the route into Galway, providing a link also for the N18 road from Limerick, which joins it near Oranmore.

Route

The N6 route commences directly south of Kinnegad in County Meath. The road runs west into County Westmeath and bypasses Rochfordbridge, with the N52 joining the N6 east of Tyrrellspass. The N6 continues west, with the N52 leaving the route south of Kilbeggan. The route leaves Westmeath after bypassingHorseleap, continues west into County Offaly, and re-enters Westmeath bypassing Moate where the N80 commences, leaving the N6 to the south.

The N6 bypasses Fardrum (where the N62 begins, leaving the N6 to the south) heading west towards Athlone. The route follows a dual carriageway bypass of Athlone around the northern side of the town, crossing the River Shannon into County Roscommon. Along the dual-carriageway there are local access junctions, as well as junctions for the N55 and N61.

At Ballinasloe the route crosses the River Suck into County Galway. The N6 passes west through Aughrim and Kilreekil. Further west at Kilmeen, the N65 commences, leaving the N6 to the south. Loughrea is bypassed to the north by a route opened in November 2005. The River Dunkellin is crossed by the N6 at Craughwell as it continues west towards Galway. Outside the city itself, Oranmore is bypassed to the west and north, where the N18 crosses the N6. This dual carriageway bypass brings the route into Galway itself, where it meets the N17 along Bóthar na dTreabh. The Headford Road, Quincentenary Bridge across the River Corrib and Quincentenary Bridge Approach Road bring the N6 through Galway itself to meet the N59 on the western side of the city.

M6 motorway and upgrades

Proposed M6 outside Athlone looking east; the road will officially become motorway from 24 September 2008.
Junction 7 on the N6. Section will become motorway on 24 September 2008
J8 heading west on the M8 at Athlone. Terminal signs are patched on Irish motorways (N6 ahead is the Athlone by-pass, a non-motorway).

The Template:Km to mi section of dual carriageway south of Kinnegad has motorway restrictions on it, though only eastbound, and is signposted in that direction as the M6 motorway (see thumbnail). This is to prevent non-motorway traffic from being trapped on a road leading to a motorway, the M4.

A High Quality Dual Carriageway reaches from this point to the start of the Athlone bypass, and opened in stages.

  • The first section, from Kinnegad to Tyrrellspass opened on 5 December 2006. [1]
  • The next section, a Template:Km to mi stretch from Tyrellspass to Kilbeggan opened on 16 May 2007.
  • The section connecting Kilbeggan to the eastern end of the Athlone by-pass opened on 16 July 2008. From 24 September 2008, motorway regulations will apply from Kinnegad to the eastern end of the Athlone bypass. [2]. In preperation for this, the Kilbeggan-Athlone section is signed as a motorway (and numbered "M6") and has the road markings appropiate to a motorway, however motorway regulations are not in force and the speed limit is 100 km/h.

The bypassed road is now reclassified as a regional road and designated the R446.

  • A second dual carriageway section between Ballinasloe and Galway will have motorway restrictions from the start, as it will be a toll road. This section was a matter of some controversy. The environmental agency An Taisce claimed that the National Roads Authority's planned M6 route would be "particularly destructive" in passing the site of the 17th century Battle of Aughrim [1]. The tolling of the route is also controversial, as the M4 motorway to/from Dublin which connects with the N6/M6 route is also tolled, which will mean two tolls when driving between Dublin and Galway. The authorities have indicated that there will be two tolls on each of the main interurban routes. The new section of N6/M6 between Ballinasloe and Galway is unusual. Unlike most national road upgrade projects in the state, the new route will differ significantly from the original. The route will run roughly east-west between the two destinations, rather than dipping south to Loughrea as the current N6 does. This means that the town of Athenry will be located near to a national primary route for the first time.
  • The final upgrade of the Dublin to Galway route will be the Template:Km to mi in county Roscommon, between the towns of Ballinalsoe and Athlone, which will also be a fully grade separated dual carriageway. This section is under construction as of June 2008.
  • The Athlone bypass will not be upgraded to motorway status at present. However, when the N6/M6 route is completed it is likely to be upgraded to maintain route consistency.

Junctions

At present there are two junction numbering schemes on the N6 route. The M6 junction numbers below are used on the Kinnegad-Athlone section. The Athlone bypass currently has a separate numbering scheme (J1-J6) but is likely to be in the future renumbered.


M6 Motorway
Westbound exit Junction Eastbound exit
Start of motorway (M4 )
The EAST (M4 )

- Dublin, Kinnegad, Leixlip, Lucan

Kinnegad (R446)
Kinnegad (R446) Sligo, Westport (N4) Enfield (R148)
Rochfordbridge, Milltownpass (R446)
Rochfordbridge, Milltownpass (R446)
Tyrrellspass, Mullingar (N52)
Tyrrellspass, Mullingar (N52)
Tullamore, Kilbeggan (N52)
Tullamore, Kilbeggan (N52)
Moate (N80)
Moate (N80)
Moate (R446)
Moate (R446)
Athlone (R446) End of motorway
(Athlone bypass J1)
Athlone (R446) Start of motorway
N6 Athlone Bypass
Eastbound exits Junction Westbound exits
Athlone (R446)
1 (M6 )
Athlone (R446)
Athlone
2 (future )
Athlone
Athlone (N55)
3 (future )
Athlone (N55)
Athlone
4 (future )
Athlone
Athlone (N61)
5 (future )
Athlone (N61)
Athlone (R446)
6 (future )
Athlone (R446)
M6 Motorway (Under Construction)
Westbound exit Junction Eastbound exit Completion
Ballinasloe (R357)
Ballinasloe (R357)
Q4 2009 [3]
Ballinasloe (R446)
Ballinasloe (R446)
Q2 2010 [4]
Kiltullagh, Loughrea
Kiltullagh, Loughrea
Athenry (R348)
Athenry (R348)
Local access
Local access
Oranmore (N18)
Oranmore (N18)
Galway (R446)
Galway (R446)
Galway (N84)
Galway (N84)
Preliminary Design [5]
Galway (N59)
Galway (N59)
End of N6 with R336

References

  1. ^ Dispute over M6 route through Aughrim - RTÉ News
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