M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

Jayuu · 30-06-2010 2:30pm

dmeehan wrote: »

is that not a screencap from transformers II? :-)

LOL! I was thinking the exact same thing. Where was this picture taken by the way?

101sean · 30-06-2010 6:04pm

That's about 14,500t of Krupp bucket wheel excavator for digging lignite. Was moved 14km in 2001 from one opencast site to another in Germany.

-Corkie- · 01-07-2010 7:05pm

Thanks sponge bob I was 99.9% sure it was you that posted it!!. If they parked it on the spongey section and wiggled it about it would flatten down the road.

Deedsie · 07-07-2010 8:59am

Any update? Is there much work going on on site? I am driving to Dublin Thursday was hoping to see some frenzied workers try to get this job done.

slinky2000 · 07-07-2010 3:46pm

Deedsie wrote: »

Any update? Is there much work going on on site? I am driving to Dublin Thursday was hoping to see some frenzied workers try to get this job done.

lol no chance. I didn't see anything last weekend or the few before that!

ClareVisitor · 07-07-2010 7:16pm

What are the chances fo this being done by Christmas? It would be great to have a clear run from Dublin by then!

runway16 · 07-07-2010 10:55pm

ClareVisitor wrote: »

What are the chances fo this being done by Christmas? It would be great to have a clear run from Dublin by then!

That, my friend, is literally in the lap of the gods.. or rather the bog gods, who hopefully dont decide to sink a bit more!

The remainder of the route is all ready to go.. lined and signed....! Provided there is no more subsidence, I think a pre Xmas open is very likely.

topper75 · 08-07-2010 9:23am

Deedsie wrote: »

was hoping to see some frenzied workers try to get this job done.

There is nothing frenzied about watching for further subsidence. You don't need many workers to help you do this.

ClareVisitor · 08-07-2010 7:45pm

runway16 wrote: »

That, my friend, is literally in the lap of the gods.. or rather the bog gods, who hopefully dont decide to sink a bit more!

The remainder of the route is all ready to go.. lined and signed....! Provided there is no more subsidence, I think a pre Xmas open is very likely.

I certainly hope so. As we get the boat into Dublin overnight we get off it about 6am. It will be great the first day we're down home before 9!

Berty · 08-07-2010 7:48pm

ClareVisitor wrote: »

I certainly hope so. As we get the boat into Dublin overnight we get off it about 6am. It will be great the first day we're down home before 9!

I got off the boat in Rosslare at 6:45am this morning and was home at 9:20am just a little away from the bog of doom.

Not bad for crappy roads either.

luohaoran · 08-07-2010 8:54pm

Just took a walk down to the problem section this evening, in the rain, 18:45.
And there was a considerable effort taking place. The whole 100 meter section had been excavated, and more piles are being driven.
Signs of a reinforced cap being laid down over the entire section,(starting the steel mesh at one end) as opposed to individually capped piles.

I didn't venture too far in as there was a lot of work going on, so sorry for my scant details.

Looks to me like they are intent on getting it done quickly, since they are working away, into the evening.
I'm sure they can get the work done quick enough (end of August perhaps), its such a small section. But I guess they'll have to sit and watch it for a bit once complete.

dergside · 09-07-2010 10:09pm

ClareVisitor wrote: »

What are the chances fo this being done by Christmas?

You may need to be more specific about which Christmas?

pinkfloyd34 · 10-07-2010 5:46pm

luohaoran wrote: »

Just took a walk down to the problem section this evening, in the rain, 18:45.
And there was a considerable effort taking place. The whole 100 meter section had been excavated, and more piles are being driven.
Signs of a reinforced cap being laid down over the entire section,(starting the steel mesh at one end) as opposed to individually capped piles.

I didn't venture too far in as there was a lot of work going on, so sorry for my scant details.

Looks to me like they are intent on getting it done quickly, since they are working away, into the evening.
I'm sure they can get the work done quick enough (end of August perhaps), its such a small section. But I guess they'll have to sit and watch it for a bit once complete.

that sounds very encouraging, lets hope it works this time

Mc Love · 11-07-2010 8:35pm

I wonder how its like down at the bog with the latest batch of rain over that last 4 days?

mossym · 11-07-2010 8:37pm

Mc Love wrote: »

I wonder how its like down at the bog with the latest batch of rain over that last 4 days?

given we had a month of dry weather before it probably no worse than it was back in winter

limklad · 12-07-2010 1:41pm

Mc Love wrote: »

I wonder how its like down at the bog with the latest batch of rain over that last 4 days?

We did not get any major continuous heavy Showers to upset the bog, the normally wet fields nearby are drier than normal and the vegetation is beginning to turning brown in places along the hills and they need the rain for the first time in my life.:eek: The Weather has been one brutal strange year. I am sure it will test the bog when the annual rainy season finally get here. There just been normal light showers in the last week nothing special like the August Bank Holiday flood in Newcastle West, West Limerick a few years back.

Deedsie · 12-07-2010 6:26pm

Hi could anyone give directions on how to get to the troublesome section. I'll be driving past on the N7 this evening. Would like to take a look at the progress. how far after birdhill do you take the turn off?

phog · 12-07-2010 7:07pm

Deedsie wrote: »

Hi could anyone give directions on how to get to the troublesome section. I'll be driving past on the N7 this evening. Would like to take a look at the progress. how far after birdhill do you take the turn off?

From memory, coming from Birdhill as you approch Castleconnell, you will come to traffic islands in the middle of the road, there is a road to your left, that's the bog road, this raod is marked with two green pillars about a meter high, drive down this road until you come to the crossing with the motorway. AFAIK, the fauly section is to your left (Birdhill side) on the incoming section.

kevin7 · 12-07-2010 7:19pm

phog wrote: »

From memory, coming from Birdhill as you approch Castleconnell, you will come to traffic islands in the middle of the road, there is a road to your left, that's the bog road, this raod is marked with two green pillars about a meter high, drive down this road until you come to the crossing with the motorway. AFAIK, the fauly section is to your left (Birdhill side) on the incoming section.

Coming from Birdhill, the bog road is the last left BEFORE the traffic islands and Maxol station. Its about 50-100m before the Maxol.

A little way down this road, the new motorway crosses over this road.
As phog says, the sinking section is on the Dublin side.

Berty · 12-07-2010 8:20pm

I took a wander down there earlier and I was surprised as to what they appear to be doing.

It appears they have dug down 2-3 feet on 300mtrs section. From the bottom up there appears to be a spongy substance(white) mixed in with soil. You can see it in two pictures. I dont know what it is but Im sure those liquid tankers that were on site weeks ago were delivering it.

They have moved the site around 10 foot wider on each side and laid more piles.

Back to the road. They have, on top of the spongy stuff, laid down another layer of rebars are 1.5 foot high shuttering. Deep surface by the looks of it.

No floating metal bridge unless somebody mistook rebars for a potential structure.

The Word Is Bor · 12-07-2010 10:10pm

Could it be a BES (Bentonite Enhanced Soil) in an attempt to stabilise the soil before casting the concrete?

Mc Love · 12-07-2010 11:08pm

is the spongy white stuff aerobord?

Poster King · 13-07-2010 9:43am

At this stage, might it be quicker, easier and less costly to build a suspension bridge over the entire boggy section? ;-) Seems to me that they may get this section sorted for the opening, but that the road will be closed once a year for a few weeks to correct the sinking sections.

limklad · 13-07-2010 10:49am

I been reading the Independent and it beginning to worry me about this stretch of road.

Irish Independent wrote:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/eu-threatens-daily-fines-over-failure-to-protect-boglands-505927.html
EU threatens daily fines over failure to protect boglands

THE European Commission threatened Ireland with a daily fine of €21,600 yesterday if it fails to introduce laws to protect distinctive bogs. The Government is facing an EU financial penalty for failing to introduce environmental legislation now four years overdue.
A series of other environmental cases have been taken against the Government in recent years, though none has previously progressed this far. Although the Commission successfully pursued the case before in the European Court of Justice and won a judgement against Ireland in September 1999, it gave the Government until now to introduce laws.
Since this has not happened, the Commission is demanding the Court impose the daily fine from the date of any Court decision.
However, spokesmen for both the Commission and Environment Minister Martin Cullen last night recognised the relevant legislation should be introduced before the case comes up again.
"We're confident the Irish Government will introduce the laws before this ever comes to court," said the Commission's official spokesman, Jonathan Faull, last night. Just this week, the Department of the Environment announced it would protect 100 raised bogs, though officials in Dublin denied the timing was in any way linked to the Commission's legal action.
The majority of bogs will be designated Natural Heritage Areas, while 26 will be added to the list of special areas of conservation under the Habitats Directive.
The bogs in question are mainly in Roscommon and east Galway, but altogether cover 15 counties, from Kerry to Kildare.
The Government has one of the worst records in Europe when it comes to environmental protection, claimed Dublin MEP Proinsias de Rossa last night. At the moment, Ireland faces more complaints from the Commission than Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands combined, he said.

There is not many deep bogs in this country nor the world, especially Dromin Bog. I wonder will the EU fine us heavily for building an expensive road through them rather than preserve them, especially since parts of the Annaholty and Dromin bog have filled in and piled and god knows what else been put into it at this state to support this unuseable road. I sure the PH of the bog has changed by now effecting the plants nearby, which will be an environmental concern to the EU Commission by not preserving them.

This road will probably end up be the most expensive road per KM in the country to the tax payer.

Read more on the EU Commission Website
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/02/1950&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Dáil debates on bog issues which may end up talking about this bog at some stage, since it is still be held up as part of the NRA Motorway program.
http://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2010-07-08.865.0

Sponge Bob · 13-07-2010 11:57am

limklad wrote: »

I been reading the Independent

That piece is from 2002, scads of bogs were designated under the wildlife act as NHAs in around 2005.

limklad · 13-07-2010 12:03pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

That piece is from 2002, scads of bogs were designated under the wildlife act as NHAs in around 2005.

Yes I know. That what worries me. With recent developments with failure to still implement EU law fully.

http://www.puresalmon.org/ireland_drinking.pdf
Subject: Failure of Irish Government to implement Environmental Impact Assessment Directive The Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (85/337/EEC, as amended by 97/11/EC and 2003/35/EC) commits Member States to carrying out environmental impact assessments before certain types of public and private projects which are likely to have a significant impact on the environment are authorised. The Irish Government's failure to transpose and implement this directive correctly has given rise to numerous legal actions in the ECJ and extensive correspondence between the Government and the Commission over recent years.

N7NeaghtoLimerick wrote:

http://n7nenaghtolimerick.com/introduction.htm

In November 2006 Limerick County Council awarded a contract to design and build the N7 Nenagh to Limerick High Quality Dual Carriageway to Bothar Hibernian N7 JV. Bothar Hibernian is a consortium comprising Mota-Engil (Portugal), Michael McNamara Company and Coffey Construction Ltd.

The contract was signed on the 3rd November 2006 and the completion date is May 2009.

We already knew the EU has issue with us not implementation of EU Directives regarding the bogs into Irish Law. They hauled us up in Court over it. Yet the Department of Environment nor Transport never flagged the Councils on it.

Sponge Bob · 13-07-2010 12:08pm

We have plenty of the shaggin things and this list does not include SACs or SPAs

Limerick

NHA 002186 - Grageen Fen & Bog

NHA 002361 - Moyreen Bog

NHA 002399 - Carrigkerry Bogs

NHA 002454 - Lough Gay Bog

Tipperary

NHA 000564 - River Little Brosna Callows

NHA 000640 - Arragh More Bog

NHA 000642 - Ballymacegan Bog

NHA 000648 - Killeen Bog

NHA 000652 - Monaincha Bog / Ballaghmore Bog

NHA 000890 - Cangort Bog

NHA 000937 - Scohaboy Bog

NHA 001684 - Lorrha Bog

NHA 001853 - Nore Valley Bogs

NHA 002385 - Mauherslieve Bog

NHA 002388 - Slievenamon Bog

NHA 002450 - Bleanbeg Bog

roosterman71 · 13-07-2010 12:12pm

The government are banning turf cutting on raised bogs this year. Nearly all bogs in Laois/Offaly/Tipp are closing this year

limklad · 13-07-2010 12:23pm

roosterman71 wrote: »

The government are banning turf cutting on raised bogs this year. Nearly all bogs in Laois/Offaly/Tipp are closing this year

That a different matter, What I talking about is the Environmental impact of the road to these bogs that the road is going through.

Failure of Irish Government to implement Environmental Impact Assessment Directive The Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (85/337/EEC, as amended by 97/11/EC and 2003/35/EC)

The road designers only implemented Irish Law and old EU Directives not the latest EU Directives as we are required to do under existing and previous EU Treaties. That a failure of the Irish Government, not road designers (Their failure is of a different matter already ongoing discussion in this thread)

roosterman71 · 13-07-2010 12:27pm

I know its technically a different matter, but its the same impact.

I'm sure when the preferred route was chosen that the NRA had all this checked out and that by building over the bog was not going to rile up the EU. This bog is not a raised bog as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong here) , and its the raised bogs that the EU are whinging about

M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

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