M17/M18 - Gort to Tuam [open to traffic]

veryangryman · 01-11-2012 12:51pm

antoobrien wrote: »

N17 & N18 will be redesignated as regional roads as they are being replaced as national routes.

I wonder though...Will the signs at Tuam say "M17 Galway" and "RXXX Claregalway" even though you are being taken close to Athenry

I cant see huge uptake of this road from Galway commuters, certainly those who work in the West of City and commute from Tuam

antoobrien · 01-11-2012 1:53pm

veryangryman wrote: »

I wonder though...Will the signs at Tuam say "M17 Galway" and "RXXX Claregalway" even though you are being taken close to Athenry

I don't pay much attention to what the road signs say in areas that I know where I'm going, so I suggest you take a look at any of the former N roads that have been replaced by motorways - the schemes will be the same.

veryangryman wrote: »

I cant see huge uptake of this road from Galway commuters, certainly those who work in the West of City and commute from Tuam

I know a lot of people that commute from Tuam or north of there (a lot of people from South Mayo working in factories in east Galway city) - they're looking forward to the combination of the M17 & Ballindine - Milltown realignment.

I think it's worth taking a look at what has happened to the N6 corridor since the motorway opened. Average average traffic in Kilreekill (old N6 now R446) dropped from 10,600 to about 3,500, with another 9,200 using the tolled section of the M6.

The interesting thing about those figures is that there's more traffic using the two roads now on average, than N6 alone than the highest recorded monthly average (12,163 is the average recorded for august 2009). The difference has to be rat runners (HGV numbers surveyed haven't dropped).

I think we'll see something similar on the N17 corridor. People that are rat-running around Claregalway, or even using the back roads to go the whole way to/from Tuam, will end up on one of the roads, whcih one will depend on where the journey starts. A lot of the traffic from Lackagh (near the Anagh hill junction) and North will end up on the motorway - especially given the 50km/h limit on the N17 from just south of the N17/N63 junction.

02-11-2012 2:26pm

What will happen to the N63 - would that end at the motorway and then the stretch through Lackagh become an R road?

This won't take all the traffic out of Claregalway but it will take a lot and will probably stop the rat running.

spacetweek · 02-11-2012 2:30pm

veryangryman wrote: »

I wonder though...Will the signs at Tuam say "M17 Galway" and "RXXX Claregalway" even though you are being taken close to Athenry

I cant see huge uptake of this road from Galway commuters, certainly those who work in the West of City and commute from Tuam

It's a pity Irish people don't follow the signs and use their instincts instead as there are larger reasons for directing traffic a particular way. For example using the Claregalway route may be more direct for motorists but residents of that town don't want you to go that way. You are being directed away for a reason.

antoobrien · 02-11-2012 2:40pm

Deleted User wrote: »

What will happen to the N63 - would that end at the motorway and then the stretch through Lackagh become an R road?

Probably, the N17 won't be a national route any more so they can't branch a secondary off it.

Deleted User wrote: »

This won't take all the traffic out of Claregalway but it will take a lot and will probably stop the rat running.

I could be pedantic and point out things like L plates can't use motorways, the local shops etc, but I don't think anyone expects anywhere close to all the traffic to be removed from Claregalway, especially as the rat runners will not have to use the side roads to get around the village.

spacetweek wrote: »

It's a pity Irish people don't follow the signs and use their instincts instead as there are larger reasons for directing traffic a particular way. For example using the Claregalway route may be more direct for motorists but residents of that town don't want you to go that way. You are being directed away for a reason.

The problem with that suggestion spacetweek is that one needs to know exactly where it is one is going to avoid Clarinbridge, Claregalway or Tuam (the three biggest hotspots left on the N17 & N18). It's too easy to take a turn a little early and end up in the bottleneck you were trying to avoid.

Oh yeah, one should also pray that the farmers aren't moving cattle or sheep or you'd nearly be better off in traffic.

galwayrush · 03-11-2012 9:27am

Lackagh to Parkmore, about 8 miles via N63 to N17.
By proposed motorway, approx 23 miles.

veryangryman · 03-11-2012 2:41pm

spacetweek wrote: »

It's a pity Irish people don't follow the signs and use their instincts instead as there are larger reasons for directing traffic a particular way. For example using the Claregalway route may be more direct for motorists but residents of that town don't want you to go that way. You are being directed away for a reason.

No offence to the residents but when this opens these is no way one would use the motorway going to west galway. Especially with the lower traffic count going through the town itself. Without a galway bypass and with the utterly shyte downgrade of the roundabouts to traffic lighted junctions you would be mad to take this route time wise.

On the plus side as a resident of athlone I think the route will do wonders for trips tn mayo Clare and limerick. Motorway for the most part albeit not direct.

yer man! · 03-11-2012 2:48pm

veryangryman wrote: »

No offence to the residents but when this opens these is no way one would use the motorway going to west galway. Especially with the lower traffic count going through the town itself. Without a galway bypass and with the utterly shyte downgrade of the roundabouts to traffic lighted junctions you would be mad to take this route time wise.

On the plus side as a resident of athlone I think the route will do wonders for trips tn mayo Clare and limerick. Motorway for the most part albeit not direct.

Coming from oranmore, I get into town quicker with the new traffic lights, I only get held up at the pill hotel and galway shopping centre.

veryangryman · 03-11-2012 9:12pm

yer man! wrote: »

Coming from oranmore, I get into town quicker with the new traffic lights, I only get held up at the pill hotel and galway shopping centre.

Wait. Did you say there are pills at this hotel. Maybe they want me to stop for a reason. I knew the councillors had some logic for this

beeintheknow · 06-11-2012 11:45am

galwayrush wrote: »

Lackagh to Parkmore, about 8 miles via N63 to N17.
By proposed motorway, approx 23 miles.

Somewhat disingenuous of you to frame this in such a manner.

If you are coming from Tuam, or beyond, are you going to get off the motorway to travel the last part of your journey? Can you leave the motorway at Lackagh? Time wise, what would you estimate it would take you to cover these respective distances on these roads?

antoobrien · 06-11-2012 12:04pm

beeintheknow wrote: »

Somewhat disingenuous of you to frame this in such a manner.

If you are coming from Tuam, or beyond, are you going to get off the motorway to travel the last part of your journey? Can you leave the motorway at Lackagh? Time wise, what would you estimate it would take you to cover these respective distances on these roads?

You can, there will be a junction with the N63 at Anagh Hill, which is about the same distance from Lackagh as is the (current) N17.

What the poster is carefully ignoring is the much lower speed limit - 50km/h for over half the distance along the N63/N17, as well as the fact that there is the little matter of the village of Claregalway, complete with traffic lights, schools and shops to interfere with rush hour traffic.

Personally I think discussing Parkmore is a distraction as it's only one small part of the jobs scene in Galway, after all there are more jobs in Mervue-Ballybane (spread across a number of factories and estates) amd that's before we start talking about anybody that's unfortunate enough to work in town or west of the river.

Sponge Bob · 08-11-2012 11:19am

This project, along with Arklow Rathnew...appears to have been kicked back another year or two.

Despite the July announcement that a deal had been done on certain infrastructure funding with the EIB it seems that no money has appeared at ALL and the more disconcerting implication, in fact, is that no deal was done with the EIB. The NPRF was supposed to provide bridging finance to get these going, questions to the Minister of Finance are in order as well as questions to Varadkar.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/28686-no-move-motorway-government-funds-fail-materialise

More than three months ago the Government announced the commencement of the 57 kilometre motorway as part of its stimulus package but since then no funding has been put in place to start the €530 million project.

At the time, the Government announced that the Direct Route consortium was awarded the contract but so far nothing has been signed because of an absence of funding.

It was understood that the Government would source funding from the European Investment Bank for the public private partnership scheme but this has not happened so far.

A source close to the National Roads Authority said that they could not sign any contract with the consortium because the Government had not come up with the funding to progress the motorway.

black47 · 08-11-2012 11:26am

Sponge Bob wrote: »

This project, along with Arklow Rathnew...appears to have been kicked back another year or two.

Despite the July announcement that a deal had been done on certain infrastructure funding with the EIB it seems that no money has appeared at ALL and the more disconcerting implication, in fact, is that no deal was done with the EIB. The NPRF was supposed to provide bridging finance to get these going, questions to the Minister of Finance are in order as well as questions to Varadkar.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/28686-no-move-motorway-government-funds-fail-materialise

I agree. If Kenny, Noonan & Varadkar have announced this without proper confirmation of funding, there needs to be serious quetions asked. Desperately dissappointing if it doesn't proceed. This schem alone has the potential to revolutionise the Atlantic Corridor

Sponge Bob · 08-11-2012 11:53am

If they went off at half cock as the Germans implied they also did in June on the bank debt then we are right in the dungheap and it ain't even warm.

jenningso · 08-11-2012 12:40pm

:mad:

I hope this isn't true. I also hope Noel Grealish isn't playing some political football. The confirmation of EIB funding has been repeated many times over the years since the project got the go ahead; surely ministers can't be using a fiction as fact to boost public opinion :rolleyes:

Irish and Proud · 08-11-2012 1:56pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

This project, along with Arklow Rathnew...appears to have been kicked back another year or two.

Despite the July announcement that a deal had been done on certain infrastructure funding with the EIB it seems that no money has appeared at ALL and the more disconcerting implication, in fact, is that no deal was done with the EIB. The NPRF was supposed to provide bridging finance to get these going, questions to the Minister of Finance are in order as well as questions to Varadkar.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/28686-no-move-motorway-government-funds-fail-materialise

General Rule: Never Trust a Politician!

antoobrien · 08-11-2012 2:04pm

jenningso wrote: »

I also hope Noel Grealish isn't playing some political football.

Actually I hope this is the case, as it's the right time of the year to be creating some media attention in order to get the minister to commit funding for next year. Maybe I should go have a word with my other set of local tds (the ones that I didn't vote for where I'm working in Dublin - I vote in Galway) - who happens to be the minister for jobs - and have a not-so-quiet word.

This article is rather typical of the Irish papers, story blown up over a nothing comment, while showing that the depth of understanding of the issue by the journalist can be written in ballpoint pen on a grain of rice.

The prospects of the Gort to Tuam motorway starting early in the New Year have been dealt a huge blow with the National Roads Authority confirming that no contracts have been signed for the project.

We (should) all know at this stage that the project must start within 30 days of any signing of a contract. There's a lot of leaps of logic being made here.

f2 · 09-11-2012 8:04pm

Just after reading the printed article, I happen to know that the land was purchased at a considerable discount when compared to the peak prices so if the rest of the article is as accurate, it really is a case of paper not refusing ink. There is no word on the ground of it starting, perhaps one of our politicans might make an announcement, due a bit of good news

Sponge Bob · 22-11-2012 2:01am

Fred Barry to the Oireachtas last week.

http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/committeetakes/TRJ2012111400010?opendocument

Deputy O'Mahony asked about the schedule for the Gort to Tuam project. It had reached a very advanced tendering stage. We have lined up a preferred tenderer who would like to build the scheme. However, there is a funding problem. The scheme was put on hold some time ago because the money was not available to fund the State's side of the obligations. Last summer the Government's growth initiative announced that the Gort to Tuam project would be one of the projects to be funded. However, the funding is not yet in place. We understand that the funding is to come from the sale of State assets, although from our narrow perspective the source of the funding is immaterial. Once the funding is committed to a project, we are good to go, so to speak. Assuming the funding becomes available some time during next year, we expect to be able to commence construction within six months

They got money from selling state assets, the mobile spectrum, last week. However that is being blown on a mini budget for James O Reilly next week or the week after. No other sales are planned that I know of.

spacetweek · 22-11-2012 5:56pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

They got money from selling state assets, the mobile spectrum, last week. However that is being blown on a mini budget for James O Reilly next week or the week after. No other sales are planned that I know of.

What do you mean by a budget for James O'Reilly? Who is he?

lotusm · 22-11-2012 6:16pm

spacetweek wrote: »

What do you mean by a budget for James O'Reilly? Who is he?

ehhhhh....The most popular minister in the Government as the moment

he has over spent in the Health Budget by 200/300 million so there will be a mini budget before the big one in two weeks time... alot of money from the 4G Sale could be diverted there to fill the hole in the health budget....

Sponge Bob · 22-11-2012 11:25pm

lotusm wrote: »

alot of money from the 4G Sale could be diverted there to fill the hole in the health budget....

all the money from the 4G sale.

f2 · 29-11-2012 9:24pm

Can none of the politicians see the sub contractors waiting for this, wake up lads there soon will be none here when they are wanted! Also noted the Luas is getting its upgrade DUBLIN wheres the WEST

etchyed · 30-11-2012 2:00am

f2 wrote: »

Also noted the Luas is getting its upgrade DUBLIN wheres the WEST

ugh

spacetweek · 30-11-2012 11:54am

f2 wrote: »

Also noted the Luas is getting its upgrade DUBLIN wheres the WEST

Uh oh...

veryangryman · 30-11-2012 1:00pm

Jesus Westerners do themselves no favour with the "Dublin gets everythign argument"

You please more people by doing Dublin first. When half the country moves to Mayo, of course we will build a "Bluas" for Ballyhaunis

Meantime, be thankful you got that stupid train track from Ennis to Galway, and a decent N5 upgrade while the 2nd and 3rd biggest cities in Ireland have a goat track linking them

yer man! · 30-11-2012 2:02pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Jesus Westerners do themselves no favour with the "Dublin gets everythign argument"

You please more people by doing Dublin first. When half the country moves to Mayo, of course we will build a "Bluas" for Ballyhaunis

Meantime, be thankful you got that stupid train track from Ennis to Galway, and a decent N5 upgrade while the 2nd and 3rd biggest cities in Ireland have a goat track linking them

I never saw the benefit in the western rail corridor and many people think similarly. What really does piss me off though is that in Galway city, there hasn't been a new road built in the city in over 10 - 15 years, it was at capacity around 2000 and nothing has been done since then. It's very annoying when you can seamlessy drive aound dublin on mostly upgraded and resurfaced roads, where in Galway the biggest improvement made in the last ten years is a few traffic lights and shiny road signs.

veryangryman · 30-11-2012 3:24pm

yer man! wrote: »

I never saw the benefit in the western rail corridor and many people think similarly. What really does piss me off though is that in Galway city, there hasn't been a new road built in the city in over 10 - 15 years, it was at capacity around 2000 and nothing has been done since then. It's very annoying when you can seamlessy drive aound dublin on mostly upgraded and resurfaced roads, where in Galway the biggest improvement made in the last ten years is a few traffic lights and shiny road signs.

Agreed that the traffic lights did nothing to help the much maligned driver. Galway does need improving. Something like a dual to headford or spiddal to make city more accessible. And of course the bypass

lotusm · 30-11-2012 3:26pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Jesus Westerners do themselves no favour with the "Dublin gets everythign argument"

You please more people by doing Dublin first. When half the country moves to Mayo, of course we will build a "Bluas" for Ballyhaunis

Meantime, be thankful you got that stupid train track from Ennis to Galway, and a decent N5 upgrade while the 2nd and 3rd biggest cities in Ireland have a goat track linking them

13.6 kM upgrade upgrade of the N5 of single carriageway.... if it was 100KM I would say you right ...sounds like you were never on the road... worst national road in the country... :rolleyes:

veryangryman · 30-11-2012 3:30pm

lotusm wrote: »

13.6 kM upgrade upgrade of the N5 of single carriageway.... if it was 100KM I would say you right ...sounds like you were never on the road... worst national road in the country... :rolleyes:

Ive driven Athlone-Westport so have done Tulsk-Ballaghadreen. These parts aint great but id have to see your N5 and raise you the N61, N55, N72, all of which are brutal roads, worse than the N5. N17 in places also

M17/M18 - Gort to Tuam [open to traffic]

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