Traffic arrangements: Road closures in the area around Shannon Airport and Dromoland Castle began yesterday as security tightened around both venues.
A number of back access roads from Shannon town to the airport are already blocked off to traffic, while restrictions were also implemented in the Newmarket-on-Fergus area, close to Dromoland Castle.
The R458 from the Clare Inn roundabout off the N18 to Ministers Cross, Newmarket-on-Fergus, on which the US presidential cavalcade may travel tomorrow night, was closed entirely to traffic from 10 p.m. last night and will remain closed until President Bush departs tomorrow.
The main disruption is set to be caused by the closure of an entire stretch of dual carriageway on the main Limerick-Galway N18 road from 3 p.m. tomorrow for 24 hours until the departure of Mr Bush.
The 10km section of the N18 will be closed from the Clonmoney flyover, south of Shannon town, to Clarecastle, south of Ennis.
Galway-bound traffic will be diverted at the Clonmoney flyover on the Limerick side of Shannon through Sixmilebridge and Tulla.
Traffic will rejoin the N18 at Lough Cutra near Gort.
Ennis-bound traffic will also be diverted at Clonmoney along the R352 through Sixmilebridge.
Traffic from Galway and Ennis will be diverted at Skehanagh, travel through Clarecastle, Quinn and Sixmilebridge. It will rejoin the N18 at Clonmoney.
While President Bush is expected to travel along the route, US security may yet decide to fly him and his wife by helicopter from Shannon Airport to Dromoland Castle.
All manhole covers have been welded over along the route. Bridges over the route to be travelled by Mr Bush have been guarded on a 24-hour basis all week as part of the security operation.