New N5 route to have big impact on Mayo village's traffic levels

A 19% rise in vehicle flows is projected

Mayo County Council has proposed one amendment to the speed limits on the N60 Breaffy Road as a result of the construction of the N5 Westport to Turlough Road Project.

There is currently a 60km/h in place at the location until construction works are completed on the new N5.

But when the new N5 roadway opens shortly, the section of road in question would then revert to the default National Road Speed Limit of 100km/h, which was there previously.

The works on the N60 Breaffy Road have involved the construction of an overbridge for the N60 over the N5 mainline and the construction of a compact grade separated junction interchange for the N5/N60 with a new access on the N60 linking to the new N5 road on both sides of the new N5/N60 overbridge.

Both of these junctions will have right-turn ghost island facilities.

A 1.8m. footpath and 1.25 cycleway on both sides of the N60 is being provided over the entire length of the road.

This section of the N60 leads onto the east side of the roundabout at Kilkenny Cross, Castlebar, where currently the 100km/h speed limit changes to a speed limit zone of 60km/h on the other two exits from the roundabout.

The N60 from the roundabout to the eastern end of the road project is a built up area with a large number of accesses directly onto the mainline.

With the new road project a number of these direct accesses have been amalgamated into single junctions at three locations to improve safety and reduce the number of direct accesses onto the right-turn ghost islands provided for the new grade separated junctions.

On completion of the N5 Westport to Turlough Road project and associated works on the N60, this section is projected to see an increase of up to 19% in traffic due to the transfer of traffic between Claremorris and Foxford/Ballina onto the new N5 network over the existing regional road network via Kiltimagh.

To improve safety for vulnerable road users and vehicles along this improved section of the N60 and to provide an appropriate road traffic speed for this new environment, Mayo County Council has recommended that the 60km/h speed limit zone be extended from the N60 at the entrance onto the western side of the Kilkenny Cross roundabout to the eastern end of the N60 improved section as part of the N5 Westport to Turlough dual carriageway.

Preparations are in hand to extend the 60km/h speed limit on the N84 Ballinrobe Road to a point 322 metres northeast of its junction with the L5753. It is propose to advertise the proposal in the first week of April.