The N59 road is a

national secondary road A national secondary road ( ga, Bóthar Náisiúnta den Dara Grád) is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national ...

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 ...

. It commences in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the an ...

, south of Sligo Town at the Belladrehid interchange with the N4 north of

Ballysadare Ballysadare (), locally also Ballisodare, is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. It is about 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Sligo town. The town developed on an important crossing of the Owenmore River. History Toponymy The Ox Mountains () ar ...

. The route circles around the west of Ireland, passing west from Sligo into County Mayo and through Ballina. The N59 continues around Mayo, proceeding indirectly to Westport. Continuing south through Mayo into County Galway, the road passes through the village of

Leenaun Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and 1,845 acre townland in County Galway, Ireland, on the southern shore of Killary Harbour and the northern edge of Connemara. Location Leenaun is situated on the junction of the N59 road, and the R336 ...

. The 182-year-old bridge in the centre of the village, carrying the road across the River Lahill, collapsed in floods on 18 July 2007. Due to the local terrain and road network, the diversionary route for getting from the south of the village to Westport was 110 km long. A temporary bridge was opened eight days after the floods, on 27 July. It has since been replaced by a new bridge. Leenaun Bridge 2009

South of Leenaun, the N59 proceeds southwest through

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...

. From there, it returns east through

Maam Cross Maam Cross () is a crossroads in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Shindilla, at the junction of the N59 from Galway to Clifden and the R336 from Galway to the Maam Valley Gleann an Mháma (English languag ...

and to

Oughterard Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...

, from which it proceeds southeast to

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 on ...

city. The N59 ends at a junction with the N6 at ''Quincentenary Bridge''. At , the N59 is the longest numbered road in Ireland.

Road length (2015)

Infrastructural upgrades

Co. Mayo Ballina Orbital Route Project The objective of the Ballina Orbital Route Project is to provide an orbital link around the town connecting all existing and future National Primary and National Secondary Roads, all existing Regional Roads and all existing Local Roads radiating from the town. The consequent benefit will be a reduction in traffic congestion due to traffic having the opportunity of avoiding the town centre. It will also serve to open up lands on the periphery of Ballina for future development
Project webpage
Ballina to Crossmolina This scheme will provide either an up-grade of the existing road or an off-line new route that will serve to bypass the town of Crossmolina on its western terminus, will link the towns of Crossmolina and Ballina and finally integrate with the preferred route for the Ballina Orbital Route on its eastern terminus. The project will be approximately 13 km long with at-grade junctions where necessary providing opportunities to interact with the existing road network. Co. Galway Moycullen Bypass Project *Galway Route Selection and Preliminary Design Complete 2001, but as of May 2009 the project is in review with a view to canceling. It is no longer on NRA website as a programmed project.

References

Connemara motorists facing 110km diversions

RTÉ News RTÉ News and Current Affairs ( ga, Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ), also known as RTÉ News (''Nuacht RTÉ''), is the national news service provided by Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Its services include local, nationa ...

, 18 July 2007.
Temporary bridge opens in Leenane

, 27 July 2007.
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 d ...

{{coord, 53, 46, 49, N, 9, 31, 47, W, region:IE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title National secondary roads in the Republic of Ireland Roads in County Sligo Roads in County Mayo Roads in County Galway

Road length (2015)

Infrastructural upgrades

See also

References