N7 - Newlands Cross upgrade

I think at this stage everyone's point has been well and truly made. Some feel that three lanes are sufficient, some favour more. Points have been made in support of both positions. Good! But the discussion is getting to the stage where it's becoming frustrating and annoying and where it's turning casual readers and newcomers off the forum.

This forum cannot afford to have any more threads go the way of the Athlone Bypass redesignation discussion or the previous NX thread. There is an anti-soapboxing rule in the charter, and believe me, I put it in there for a reason. If you are labouring under the delusion that you can say whatever you want here, then let me disabuse you of that error right now: YOU CAN'T.

In my judgement this discussion has become a soapboxing spree. It stops now, or I will issue a permaban.

/MOD

Wild Bill wrote: »

I am told by a man in the NRA the NX/N11 should start construction in Spring 2011.

ps - he also reckoned they could do the N11 in 18 months but that Newlands could take 30 months. Which is surprising.

That would be great - I'm staying in Arklow at the moment - just off the M11 Southern Section. Would be great if both the North (Ashford/Rathnew) and South (Arklow/Gorey) sections were joined up. IMO, the M11 in Bray is really an extension of the M50 that happens to be on the N11 route. Back to the main topic, the only problem is that in order for there to be a complete motorway from Rathnew to Gorey (assuming completion of the Arklow to Rathnew scheme), some extra work would be needed to sort out private access points along existing DC sections - particularly near the Beehive.

BTW, I just can't see Newlands X taking 30 months - aren't the services already relocated, as well as the CPOed land fenced off. IMO, the sequence of working should broadly follow this pattern:

1) Construct temporary SB carriageway parallel (with a large offset) to existing - both the temporary SB and the existing NB carriageway would eventually form the long on/off slips with the R113;

2) Divert SB traffic with reduced lane widths (2 x 3 lanes) for all N7 traffic and fence off the long island sites both East and West of the R113;

3) Construct the overpass for N7 traffic and build up the approach ramps with reinforced earth or use subsoil between parallel RC retaining walls;

4) After compaction and settlement time, construct the new N7 mainline along with all the furnishings;

5) Carry out the tie-in works (at night and off-peak periods) and divert the mainline traffic onto the new alignment. Reduce the width of the slips to the required specification and resurface as part of the tie-in phase;

6) Landscaping works.

Seriously, would that take 30 months? :eek:

I reckon the guy mixed up the time spans - I'd guess:

30 months for the N11 Arklow to Rathnew and
18 months for Newlands X

With the N11 A-R DC, a lot of realignment is required on the existing N11 first - traffic management will probably be fairly complex.

Regards!

Ok. I don't go through Newlands all that often in general, but over the past two months I have gone through it ten times at times ranging from 9am to 4pm and each time I pretty much sailed through it, bar waiting for maybe a maximum of 3 or 4 minutes. How bad can it get?

mysterious wrote: »

For common sense reasons (with the interurbans finishing, population increases along the N7, M7 widening to 3 lanes)
I would like to see the Rathcoole to Redcow future proofed, with NX been wide enough for provision of a fourth lane in the future. I think it would be logical to make it wider anyhow.

One word - why? Why is it common sense? Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong per se with upgrading Newlands Cross (it's a no brainer) but why would any sane person want to widen the NX to 4 lanes?!?!?

Somehow, I feel I'll get a bad reaction!