N5 road (Ireland)

The N5 road is a national primary road in Ireland, connecting Longford town with Westport. It is the main access route from Dublin (via the M4/N4) to most of County Mayo, including the county's largest towns, Castlebar, Ballina (via the N26), and Westport.

Almost all of the route has been improved during the 2000s with the construction of bypasses and extensive resurfacing works on stretches not bypassed. From Longford, the N5 passes through Strokestown and close to Ballaghaderreen, before crossing the N17 at an interchange near Ireland West Airport Knock. The N26 to Ballina leaves the N5 just outside Swinford. The road is 134 kilometres (83 mi) long (map of N5).

Standard of route

The N5 is a two-lane, single carriageway route throughout its entire length. The road has wide driving lanes and hard shoulders for 65 km between Castlebar and just west of Frenchpark, and between Strokestown and Longford (20 km). The rest of the route has just short sections with hard shoulders but many remaining stretches were widened slightly during resurfacing works in the past 10 to 15 years.

Almost all of the route has a modern asphalt surface laid after the year 2000. The only areas with a lower quality surface are short stretches west of Frenchpark, around Bellanagare, and about 1km or so close to Westport.

Campaign to upgrade route

The standard of the N5 road is a significant political issue in Mayo. Local politicians have argued that because the N5 is the main access route to the county, it should be upgraded to a consistent standard - a single carriageway road with hard shoulders, bypassing all towns along the route.

Political arguments were given more weight in recent years when several major multinational firms based in Mayo joined forces to lobby the government to upgrade the N5. The Mayo Industries Group is made up of household names including Coca-Cola (through its Mayo subsidiary Ballina Beverages), Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Baxter and Hollister.

The group has met with senior government ministers on several occasions in an attempt to secure funding for further improvements to the N5. http://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/32538

Completed schemes

Ballaghaderreen bypass

This scheme comprises 13.6 km of standard single carriageway and provides a bypass to the north of Ballaghaderreen town. The project includes realignment/bridging of local roads and a major grade separated junction between the N5 and R293 to provide access to the town. An Bord Pleanála approved the scheme in 2008. Transport Minister Leo Varadkar turned the first sod on the project on November 2, 2012, and the road opened on September 2, 2014. ^[1]

Longford bypass

This is a 2.6 km standard single carriageway link between the N4 and the existing N5. It provides a bypass to the northwest of Longford town so that traffic between Dublin and Mayo no longer has to pass through Longford town centre. The scheme includes rail and river bridge crossings and access is restricted to the roundabouts at either end of the scheme. Construction commenced in April 2011 and the road opened to traffic in August 2012. Scheme website.

Charlestown bypass

An 18 km (11 mi) long single carriageway bypass of Charlestown, from east of Carracastle to the end of the Swinford bypass at Cloonlara, began construction in March 2006 and opened on November 2, 2007. It cost €81 million to build.

It is named the John Healy Road in honour of the late Irish Times journalist who wrote about the economic decline of Charlestown in the 1960s.

Scramoge - Cloonmore

An 8 km stretch of standard single carriageway between Strokestown and Longford commenced construction in September 2001 and was officially opened on May 10, 2004 at a cost of €21 million. The project includes two river bridges, one rail bridge, 500 metres of culverts and 600,000 cublic metres of earthworks - including excavation of 350,000 cubic metres of peat.

Swinford bypass

A 5 km single carriageway bypass of Swinford was completed in 1993. It incorporates a major junction with the N26 road to Ballina.

Castlebar - Turlough

This 10 km single carriageway includes a bypass of Turlough village and a relief road around Castlebar. It opened in 1990.

Planned schemes

Scramoge - Ballaghaderreen

The project involves the upgrade of the N5 in Co Roscommon between Rathkeery at the eastern end of the Ballaghaderreen bypass and Bumlin, near Scramoge, a distance of approximately 35 km. It will bypass Strokestown, Tulsk and Frenchpark. A preferred route corridor has been selected.

Westport - Turlough

This 25 km project will comprise a new 2+2 type dual carriageway from the N59, north of Westport in the townland of Deerpark East, to the N5 at Turlough, bypassing Westport and Castlebar and including an online upgrade of 4.6km of the N5 to 2+2 lanes from east of Castlebar to Turlough. An Bórd Pleanala approved the bulk of the planned route in May 2014, but the online upgrade of the N5 from east of Castlebar to Turlough was not approved.

Route through Longford and Roscommon

The N5 near Tulsk, County Roscommon in 2006, before upgrade works

The N5 leaves the N4 on the northwest side of Longford. The first 3km of the route follows a new bypass road that was completed in August 2012. Approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) west of the town, the N5 crosses the River Shannon into County Roscommon at Tarmonbarry Bridge. The road passes by Scramoge along a realignment (opened in May 2004) on the way to Strokestown. West of Strokestown, at Tulsk, the N61 crosses the N5. The route continues northwest and passes north of Ballaghaderreen before crossing into Co Mayo.

Route through Mayo

The N5 continues west bypassing Carracastle and Charlestown (bypass opened 2007). The N17 crosses the route near Charlestown. The N26 joins the N5 at Cloonlara just east of Swinford (bypassed to the south by the N5 Swinford Bypass). The N5 runs west/southwest through Bohola to Bellavary, where it meets the N58. The N5 continues west towards Castlebar, where it bypasses the town on the southeastern side. West/southwest of Castlebar, the road enters Westport along Castlebar Street, Bridge Street and Shop Street (the N5 also runs via James Street and North Mall). At The Octagon in Westport town centre, the N5 meets the N59. The N5 is County Mayo's busiest road with traffic counts of almost 18,000 on the Castlebar relief road. The section between Westport and Castlebar sees over 13,000 vehicles daily, the section with the lowest volumes is the Charlestown bypass and Co Roscommon section with no more than 7,000 vehicles. It dips as low as 5,000 at Frenchpark.

Confusion over termination point

Under the Local Government (Roads and Motorways) Act (Declaration of National Roads) Order 1977 - which defined the original national primary and secondary routes - the N5's terminus was set at Castlebar. The section of road between Castlebar and Westport was designated part of the N60, a national secondary route. Outdated road signage (which should have been replaced by the local authority or at least corrected) in Castlebar also indicates that the N5 commences on the Castlebar inner relief road at the Westport Road roundabout.

However the road between Westport and Castlebar was upgraded to national primary route status in 1994 (under the Roads Act, 1993 (Declaration of National Roads) Order, 1994) and became part of the N5 road. Road signage on this route reflects this. The route no longer runs through Castlebar town centre in any case, having been bypassed by a relief road. Road signage on the N4 in Dublin was mostly patched to reflect the new destination only in the early 2000s but some signs reading Castlebar still remain elsewhere.

See also

• Roads in Ireland
• Motorways in Ireland
• National secondary road
• Regional road

References

• Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006 – Department of Transport
• Current Status of Road projects under the Remit of the NRA (Current Status of Road projects under the Remit of the NRA as at January 2007)