The N6 road is a

national primary road A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from junction 11 on the M4 motorway at

Kinnegad Kinnegad or Kinagad () is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is on the border with County Meath, near the junction of the M6 and the M4 motorways - two of Ireland's main east–west roads. It is roughly 60 km from the capital, Dubli ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city ...

city. The N6 and N4 form a continuous motorway or

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

from Dublin city centre to Galway City passing in an east–west direction through the midlands of Ireland. Most of the road is motorway standard (designated as

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...

) with the exception of the Athlone bypass and stretches of urban road in Galway City, which are the only sections of the road that remain designated as N6 dual carriageway. There is one toll on the road outside Galway city. Major upgrades to the road were completed in December 2009 completing the first intercity motorway/dual carriageway in Ireland and the New Junctions of M6 are built and will be 164 km.

History

Prior to the 2005–2009 construction of the road currently designated as the N6, the designation applied to the older, parallel Dublin–Galway route which went directly through most of the now bypassed towns from

to Galway. That route is now mostly designated as R446, except the Athlone bypass which forms part of the new N6, a small section near Athlone now part of the N62 and a small section near Loughrea now part of the N65.

Route

The N6 route commences directly south of

in County Meath as the M6 motorway. The road runs west into

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

and bypasses

Rochfordbridge Rochfortbridge () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. The village is located at the intersection of the R400 and the R446 (formerly the N6) roads. As of the 2016 census, the population of Rochfortbridge was 1,473. History Rochfortbri ...

, with the N52 joining the M6 east of Tyrrellspass. The N6 continues west, with the N52 leaving the route south of

Kilbeggan Kilbeggan () is a town in the barony of Moycashel, County Westmeath, Ireland. Geography Kilbeggan is situated on the River Brosna, in the south of County Westmeath. It lies south of Lough Ennell, and Castletown Geoghegan, north of the boundar ...

. The route leaves Westmeath after bypassing Horseleap, continues west into

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hon ...

, and re-enters Westmeath bypassing Moate. The route bypasses Fardrum (where the N62 begins, leaving the N6 to the south) heading west towards Athlone. The route follows a dual carriageway bypass of Athlone around the northern side of the town, crossing the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Sha ...

into County Roscommon. This part of the route is non-motorway standard. Along the dual carriageway there are local access junctions, as well as junctions for the N55 and N61. After the Athlone bypass, motorway restrictions are re-enforced and the route continues as the M6. The route bypasses

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-c ...

over River Suck into

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

. The N6 bypasses west through Aughrim and Kilreekil. Further west at Kilmeen, the N65 commences, leaving the M6 to the south. Loughrea is bypassed to the north by a route opened in November 2005. The River Dunkellin is crossed by the M6 at

Craughwell Craughwell (historically ''Creaghmoyle'', from ) is a town and townland in County Galway, Ireland. Name The name Craughwell is also used as a surname, properly '' Ó Creachmhaoil'', though often anglicised as ''Craughwell'', ''Croughwell'' and ...

as it continues west towards

. Outside the city itself,

Oranmore Oranmore ( or ''Úarán Mór'') is a town near the city of Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib bet ...

is bypassed to the west and north, where the M18 crosses the M6. This dual carriageway bypass brings the route into Galway itself, where it meets the N83 along Bóthar na dTreabh. The Headford Road, Quincentenary Bridge across the

River Corrib The River Corrib ( Irish: ''Abhainn na Gaillimhe'') in the west of Ireland flows from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay. The river is among the shortest in Europe, with only a length of six kilometres from the lough to the Atlantic. I ...

and Quincentenary Bridge Approach Road bring the N6 through Galway itself to meet the N59 on the western side of the city.

Map of Route

Route of N6 overlaid on Google Maps

Upgrade to Motorway (M6) Transport 21

Junctions

Until 2011 there were two junction numbering schemes on the N6 route. The M6 junction numbers below are used on the entire length of the road. The Athlone bypass had a separate numbering scheme (J1–J6) but was renumbered to its current form (J8–J13) following the upgrade of the bypass in 2011.

References

External links

Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006
–

Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

N6 Galway to Ballinasloe
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Galway County Council
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Roscommon County Council
{{Roads in Ireland 06 Roads in County Meath Roads in County Westmeath Roads in County Offaly Roads in County Roscommon Roads in County Galway