Bypass delays to continue for several weeks

Motorists in Monksland look set to endure several more weeks of delays as Roscommon County Council await approval from the National Roads Authority (NRA) to carry out emergency works on the stretch. One lane of the east-bound carriageway of the N6 Athlone bypass, close to Monksland, remains shut to traffic between junction 12 Roscommon and junction 13 Athlone West, following a mudslide incident along the stretch of road over a three weeks ago now. A spokesperson for Roscommon County Council explained that pricing for soil nailing, judged the least intrusive way to secure the embankment, has been sent to the National Roads Authority for approval. It's hoped once they give the job the green light that work will begin shortly afterwards to secure the bank. However, the emergency work could take up to four to five weeks to complete, longer than initially thought which means bad news for motorists who will have to contend with delays in the area in the run-up to Christmas. Soil nailing involves a machine driving metal pins or nails into the bank, possibly shot blasting the embankment and putting a mesh over the top to ensure there is no movement there in the future. This is the preferred solution of the NRA to ensure there is no further slippage of debris along the stretch in the future. The council spokesperson also acknowledged recent complaints from motorists that the lane closure comes into force very close to the Dublin exit with no warning, promising that officials from the roads department will examine the matter in the coming days to see if cones can be moved in further, in a bid to allow cars more room to merge with oncoming traffic. The Roscommon local authority apologised for the ongoing convenience the lane closure and traffic management is having on local motorists heading towards Athlone and Dublin.