West-bound drivers warned as exit closures begin

Monksland or westside-bound motorists could be in for some headaches and further disruption later this week as the latest round of exit closures takes place as part of the relief roadworks. From this Thursday, drivers are being warned that the junction 13 (Monksland) of the Athlone bypass will be closed, and to take diversions signposted at junction 12 (Roscommon) instead. Otherwise, west-bound drivers will end up having to travel all the way to Ballinasloe as there is no other exit off the motorway until junction 14 (Ballinasloe). The bypass will also be down to one lane in each direction using a contraflow system between junction 12 (Roscommon) and junction 13 (Monksland) until September 2 next. All diversions will be signposted and there will be flashing signs in advance of junction 12 (Roscommon) to warn motorists of the closures, according to Craig Smart, Senior Resident Engineer in Westmeath County Council. However, he wants drivers to be on the alert as the westbound entry at junction 12 (Roscommon) and the exit at junction 13 (Monksland) will be closed from Thursday for two weeks, and to take diversions signposted at junction 12 instead. Otherwise, westbound drivers will end up having to travel all the way to Ballinasloe as there is no other exit off the motorway until junction 14. The diversion will take drivers after junction 12 at Sean White's Garage right onto the Roscommon road towards Baylough and then at the top of the road, to take another right onto the old Galway road and right back up to the Monksland roundabout. Although he admitted the closures will cause some traffic disruption, Mr Smart stressed that they want to warn travellers about the upcoming closures because the difficulty is that if people miss the turn off at junction 12 otherwise they will have a much longer journey time. "We want to warn people in advance, if they miss the diversion at junction 12 (Roscommon) they will have to travel the 20 kilometres or so to Ballinasloe and back which will add an extra half hour to the their journey," he said. He apologised in advance for any delays the closures may cause later this week and thanking local people for their understanding throughout the extensive project. The bypass upgrade works are on schedule to finish in the autumn. "Hopefully people will understand and see the benefits at the end," he concluded. Regular updates and diversion drawings will be posted on council website at www.westmeathcoco.ie