Cashel to Cahir N/M8 Opening date?

MLM · 15-06-2007 6:45pm #1

I know this stretch of road is not officially due to be completed till 2009, but this section seems almost complete. What are the chances that it will open before the end of 2007? And the stretch down to the interchange near the Kilcoran Lodge Hotel to open by mid 2008?

Stark · 12-10-2007 4:05pm

*Bump*

I was driving from Dublin to Cork this weekend and I noticed that the signs along the old N8 road between Cashel and Cahir have been changed from N8 to R639. Also they've put up new signs on the Cashel bypass (with the straight ahead N8 Cork blacked out at the moment), and the turn off you normally take for Cork marked "R639 New Inn".

Also I saw a sign advertising something about a 10K road race this Sunday along the "new N8". Interesting. You could be right about the section opening before the end of the year.

jank · 12-10-2007 4:45pm

Would be interesting if they does this in stages

Chris_533976 · 12-10-2007 4:57pm

Where is the crossover from M to N gonna be? Or will they have they got the whole new stretch (to the start of the Cashel bypass) as M?

I know it was originally planned to be halfway along, but with the NRAs reclassification to motorways thing are they gonna open the whole thing as M?

Carawaystick · 12-10-2007 6:31pm

motorway's to stop north of Cashel, somewhere on the cullahill to cashel section maybe 10km south of culahill iirc

Victor · 12-10-2007 8:02pm

IIRC, the M8 becomes the N8 about 1-2km inside the Tipperary / Kilkenny border. One of only 2 sections of motorway outside Leinster.

corktina · 13-10-2007 8:49am

I too wondered about this opening.Just the other day I came up from Kilkenny (Up towards the Capital of course......:-) ) and noticed that the signs for Cork actually are directing you onto the new section east of Cahir even though you cant physically follow then as the road is coned off....

however my bet is they finish the whole section towards Mitcelstown before opening.

Aquavid · 13-10-2007 6:14pm

I've seen it mentioned elsewhere that the section Cashel to Cahir is to open this Monday (15 Oct 2007).

Will try to dig up the link - but is was not an "official" source.

Aquavid

E92 · 13-10-2007 7:29pm

I hope it will have a speed limit of 120 km/h when its done whether its opened as N or M. Its great that they are opening a bit of it a lot sooner than expected of course.

Dougals Daddy · 13-10-2007 7:43pm

E92 wrote: »

I hope it will have a speed limit of 120 km/h when its done whether its opened as N or M. Its great that they are opening a bit of it a lot sooner than expected of course.

Only Motorways can have a 120kph speed limit, the max on any N road is 100kph.

ucdperson · 13-10-2007 7:53pm

the max on any N road is 100kph.

I think you mean that the default on a N road is 100Kph. The road can have a special limit of 120kph, as the likes of the N1 or N2 already have. A new N8 should have 120kph if it is essentially designed to motorway standards.

E92 · 13-10-2007 9:37pm

ucdperson wrote: »

A new N8 should have 120 km/h if it is essentially designed to motorway standards.

It should be called the M8 since it is built to Motorway standard.(HQDC)

All the N8 which is DC is Motorway standard bar the Cashel bypass, and the bit from the Dunkettle roundabout to Silver Springs in Cork.

There is no reason why any of this(I mean the Motorway standard bits, sorry for the confusion) can't be reclassified to Motorway and have a limit of 120 km/h.

Chris_533976 · 13-10-2007 10:07pm

Dunkettle to Silver Springs has a rake of private access, dreadful curves, no hard shoulder and a ton of big potholes - I doubt that will be M anytime soon

Cashel bypass will prob be Motorway though if they reclassify, Standard DC is really up to the task in my opinion.

icdg · 14-10-2007 11:44am

Depends what you mean by standard DC though. At one extreme you have the likes of the R136 with its roundabouts, traffic lights, and right turns galore. Or the old standard DC style like the N11 Stillorgan Road which has plenty of the above also. At the other extreme you have the Ennis bypass which apart from one or two LILO junctions is nearly HQDC standard. I personally wouldn't give the 120kph speed limit to anything other than a HQDC (which should really be a motorway anyway) or one of the very high standard DCs, like parts of the N18 and N11.

The Roads Act 2007 should really allow the classification of the entire N8 between Dunkettle and Watergrasshill and Fermoy to Urlingford to motorway once its completed (remebering that Portlaoise-Urlingford will be motorway anyway as it is being built under a Motorway Order, as is the already opened Fermoy bypass). From what I saw of the Cashel Bypass last time I drove it I don't see much in the way of problems with making it motorway, there were no LILOs, right turns, or private accesses to cause problems (if there are, then we have a problem). If there is a design speed issue slap a 100kph speed limit on it like the M50 will have, but otherwise designate it motorway.

14-10-2007 4:31pm

Stark wrote: »

Also I saw a sign advertising something about a 10K road race this Sunday along the "new N8". Interesting. You could be right about the section opening before the end of the year.

I saw that.There was one of them on the Gorey by pass about a month before it opened.It could be opening sooner that you think.

I noticed on the north bound end of the cashel bypass a huge tailback heading a mile or so into the bypass and a mile or so north of the by pass due to the roadworks.It was hardly moving at all.
That was on friday.

spacetweek · 14-10-2007 11:47pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

motorway's to stop north of Cashel, somewhere on the cullahill to cashel section maybe 10km south of culahill iirc

Correct - Motorway will go as far as Urlingford with DC south of that, though presumably the whole N8 (except Glanmire) will become M soon enough, as it's a no-brainer.

xabi · 15-10-2007 8:54am

What was the point in calling the Fermoy bypass a motoroway? doesnt make much sense to have a few KM of motorway in the middle of a DC.

X.

Stark · 15-10-2007 10:08am

xabi wrote: »

What was the point in calling the Fermoy bypass a motoroway? doesnt make much sense to have a few KM of motorway in the middle of a DC.

X.

120km/hr speed limit without the need for the council to get off their ass and put in a special speed limit.

No risk of private accesses appearing as corrupt/incompetent county councils grant planning permission.

No unqualified drivers or tractors/cyclists/pedestrians (legally speaking anyway).

More perceived value for your toll

(My theory as to why the Fermoy bypass and the Portlaoise-Cullahill sections will be M when everything else is going to be N).

Chris_533976 · 15-10-2007 12:26pm

So is this open today or whats the deal?

xabi · 15-10-2007 1:01pm

So am i right in saying that the M8 will be the shortest motorway in Ireland at 17KM? and there will be 2 M8s, one around Fermoy and the other from Portlaoise to Urlingford?

Chris_533976 · 15-10-2007 1:27pm

Yes basically

But with HQDC connecting them (eventually), expect the HQDC to be reclassified to M (eventually).

loyatemu · 15-10-2007 4:28pm

xabi wrote: »

So am i right in saying that the M8 will be the shortest motorway in Ireland at 17KM? and there will be 2 M8s, one around Fermoy and the other from Portlaoise to Urlingford?

M11 is only about 5km (though the junction numbering suggests that part of the M50 will eventually become M11, maybe if/when the eastern bypass is built).

icdg · 15-10-2007 7:44pm

The M9 is about the same lenght as the M11, but winning the prize for shortest motorway with an signposted number is the M6 at less than 2km long. The N32 section under motorway regulations is even shorter at 500m, but the number M32 appears on no road signs so there's some debate about this.

Of course, if reclassification goes ahead, the M11 can reclaim its prize as the shortest signposted motorway as both the M6 and M9 will be extended in this case.

cargo · 15-10-2007 8:18pm

Sorry to return to the topic of the thread but did the road open today or has anyone got anymore info on the opening date?

Chris_533976 · 15-10-2007 8:38pm

Nothing on Breakingnews.ie anyway.

Stark · 15-10-2007 9:02pm

Looks like it's open!

http://www.politics.ie/viewtopic.php?t=27533&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 (few posts down)

E92 · 15-10-2007 11:36pm

Anyone know if it has a speed limit appropriate to the type of road it is?(ie 120 km/h)

I have this very bad feeling that it has a limit of a mere 100 km/h.

Still though, every extra mile of Motorway standard road has to be welcomed, even if it is almost a year later than when the Government said it would all be done way back in 2000.

Chris_533976 · 16-10-2007 12:46pm

Good news

Half of the scheme is opened here according to that, Cashel to Cahir. The other half, Cahir to Mitchelstown is to open in a few months. Impressive assuming the original contract said it wouldnt be open till 2009.

mike65 · 16-10-2007 5:07pm

Speed limit is 100 kp/h so don't get too excited.

Mike.

jank · 16-10-2007 6:43pm

Half of the scheme is opened here according to that, Cashel to Cahir. The other half, Cahir to Mitchelstown is to open in a few months. Impressive assuming the original contract said it wouldnt be open till 2009.

I take it the Cahir bypass is included in that piece that is open today/yesterday?

Chris_533976 · 16-10-2007 7:14pm

Common sense would tell me yes, they'd include the bypass, but thats just a guess

Cashel to Cahir N/M8 Opening date?

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