www.uibhfhaili.com

Phew.
Another part of Wastemeath finally gets a proper road!
It was a real pain of a road to drive.
No overtaking for 12 or 13 kilometres, an 80kph speed limit. Get stuck behind a big vehicle doing 50 or 60kph and you were phecked.
Now if they could remove the town of Moate from the N6 (don't bother bypassing it), we would be sorted!

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Cullen to open new Kinnegad to Tyrrellspass road today

Transport Minister Martin Cullen is due to formally open the latest section of the M6 between Kinnegad and Tyrrellspass today.
The new 19km dual carriageway is part of the motorway project linking Dublin and Galway.

The next 9km section between Tyrrellspass and Kilbeggan is due to open next year, while the 30km section from Kilbeggan to Athlone is expected to be finished in 2008.

I believe the section to Kilbeggan is six months ahead of schedule and should be finished by the middle of next year.

The understanding I have is that the section to Kilbeggan is complete, or as good as, but they don't want to open it because until Moate is bypassed it would just add to the bottleneck there. Until the Moate bypass is ready, nothing else will be opened. That could be just hearsay though, obviously.

Sounds like hearsay, as I don't think the new road will actually create any more traffic that isn't already there.
Also it is government policy to open up whatever sections are complete asap. With the amount of exiled Dubs and commuters now in Wastemeath, it wouldn't be politically wise to keep completed roads shut with an election on the way. Especially when childcare and transport were hot issues in the recent by-elections in the commuter zones of Kildare and Meath.

"The remainder of the road scheme from Tyrrellspass to Kilbeggan is not scheduled to open until the end of next year. A following section from Kilbeggan to Athlone comprising about 30 kilometres of motorway is already under construction but is not expected to open until 2008."

http://www.athloneadvertiser.ie/index.php?aid=3040

To certain extent I can see the logic of both sides. However I agree that it was probably something a counciller said taken out of context. Maybe a line from a TR Dallas song perhaps.