Gallery:Athlone
Heading east at the eastern end of the bypass.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
Sign doesn't quite fit the assembly. Looks messy. The exit number is also upside-down.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
End of motorway regulations heading west at Athlone. The Athlone bypass dual carriageway continues straight ahead. That end-of-motorway sign is far too small!
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
So this is what they've done with the parking areas! Rather than obliterate them completely, like they did on the M9, they're now for 'Authorised vehicles'... expect this to be used to pull in speeding drivers!
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
Clearly they don't measure the sign to the supports.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
It's a terminal junction, so the TSM says patching is allowed. Looks ugly IMO.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
Just after the start of the Kilbeggan - Athlone section. Taken 03.08.2008; the road won't officially be a motorway until the end of September.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
Heading east. The soon-to-be M6 is straight on, but can anyone spot the obvious mistake...?
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
This short dual section at the eastern end of the Athlone bypasshas become the N62 since the opening of the M6 Kilbeggan - Athlone road. The sign here reflects its new number, but all the signs at the roundabout and beyond still refer to the N6. Confusing! 03.08.2008.
Originally uploaded to Coppermine on Aug 03, 2008 by csd
Got the height wrong (as they did with all Exit signs on the M6 between Athlone and Kilbeggan)...but also put the Exit number upside down!
The N6 Galway - Dublin road has provided a stimulus for ribbon development to the south of Athlone. Athlone is not a large town, but now has suburbs stretching far into Co. Roscommon.
After the election came the storm......
Property for sale, lots of it. And a cute little cap on the telephone pole.
Dublin Road, Athlone. Before the Athlone bypass opened in 1991 this was the main Dublin - Galway road and Athlone was the most notorious bottleneck in the history of the nation. (Or so they say). It is still permanently choked but, thankfully, only the natives are affected these days.
On the Athlone N6 bypass heading west. The road between Galway and the edge of Dublin is motorway except for the 10km Athlone bypass. A proposal by the National Roads Authority to reclassify it as motorway was refused because it is widely used by internal Athlone traffic avoiding the congested bridge in the town centre. In a fit of pique the NRA left the decrepit old signs in place and just slapped the new 'M6' exit numbers on them. There is none so bitter as a roads engineer scorned.
Old and new reside side by side on the N61 Athlone to Roscommon road. The new one sensibly hides behind a monkey puzzle tree to minimise the noise of the constant traffic.
