Traffic congestion in the Newcastle area is likely to ease somewhat next week with the completion of works on University Road. However works on the Quincentenary Bridge, the main artery across the city and the main bottleneck during this week’s peak time congestion, are due to continue until mid-October.
Simultaneous works on University Road and the Quincentenary Bridge saw traffic traversing the city grind almost to a standstill at peak times this week, with congestion on the two main bridges across the river. According to Gardaí motorists took up to an hour to cross the city during rush hour on Monday, when works began on the Quincentenary.
Resurfacing works on University Road are due to be completed next week, which should ease congestion on the route. The road traditionally marks the end of a bottleneck for traffic exiting the city centre via Francis Street along with motorists travelling from the Headford Road across the Salmon Weir Bridge.
However works on the junction of Lower Newcastle and the Quincentenary Bridge, which are being undertaken as part of the Bóthar na dTreabh (N6 ) Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme, will continue for another seven weeks. The junction is being refurbished as part of the scheme, and resurfacing works are also planned for sections of footpath and cycle path between UHG and the Tuam Road roundabout.
The bridge is the main artery across the river, and many of the motorists using the bridge also experience congestion on Seamus Quirke Road, where a massive road widening scheme is ongoing and is due to be completed by the end of the year.
