M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

mysterious · 04-06-2009 6:31pm

Berty wrote: »

I drove the Nenagh bypass today and happened to drive around the back roads around Borris in Ossory, near Rathdowney coming from Abbeyleix direction.

I was very very confused after leaving old town.

I crossed a dual carraigeway and a flyover and 2-300 mtrs down the road I passed another dual carraigeway both coming from and going in the same direction at an angle I must presume they are meeting up.

How very odd.

The nenagh section of the widening project is very much nearly finished. They are making good work on the widening section under the flyover at Five alley. The only things left to do on the Nenagh bypass is to lay down the layer of wearing course blacktop, do some infilling, complete signage and remove the damn pesky travellers from the onramp at the Thurles interchange.

The techs were even taking core samples of the final sublayer of blacktop. The findings of which should tell them whether or not they can complete the next section. They have to send them to Portlaoise for testing.

Berty, can you tell me how they are fitting the motorway under the bridges on the Nenagh bypass. From the Dublin end to the Dolla road bridge is a full width motorway which I'm aware of, What is the width for the remainder where the three over bridges including the Dolla bridge are located. The L overbridge just after the Dolla overbridge, can easily fit a motorway with HS, What is been done on the Limerick end road bridges do you know.

Glad things are speeding up on this route:D about time.;) The M7 is the mother road it aint the M8:p

Berty · 04-06-2009 6:59pm

I was always concerned about the height of the existing flyovers support structure. Would it impede a truck passing beneath or not?

Without measuring it personally I have to imagine it is of an apporpriate height although I can "SEE" this creating a problem for high sided vehicles.

There was always enough room under the bridges to accomodate an extra lane. There will be no hard shoulder under the bridges itself but nor is there on certain parts of the Fermoy bypass.

The only real expansion they had to do was at the culverts and underpass's because they didnt have a hard shoulder to start with so they had to be expanded to accomodate the extra lane.

All the new sections will be constructed from scratch so there should be no issues there.

Rovi · 04-06-2009 8:01pm

Berty wrote: »

I was very very confused after leaving old town.

I crossed a dual carraigeway and a flyover and 2-300 mtrs down the road I passed another dual carraigeway both coming from and going in the same direction at an angle I must presume they are meeting up.

How very odd.

It sounds like you were on the R434 (Borris-in-Ossory/Durrow road) near Aghaboe. The M7/M8 interconnect is just to the North of that road, and the two newly diverged motorways cross it quite close to each other.

Berty · 04-06-2009 8:07pm

Rovi wrote: »

It sounds like you were on the R434 (Borris-in-Ossory/Durrow road) near Aghaboe. The M7/M8 interconnect is just to the North of that road, and the two newly diverged motorways cross it quite close to each other.

AHA. You are very correct.

Tech3 · 05-06-2009 8:22pm

Rovi wrote: »

It sounds like you were on the R434 (Borris-in-Ossory/Durrow road) near Aghaboe. The M7/M8 interconnect is just to the North of that road, and the two newly diverged motorways cross it quite close to each other.

Excellent I might go down that way sometime in the summer to grab a few photos of that scheme.

Anyway back to the M7 now that Nenagh to Limerick is well on track to be finished for the end of this year I had a look at the Nenagh to Castletown scheme. I was very dissapointed to say the least. When did construction start on this? Still alot of earthworks to be done, I saw about 7 structures none of them complete. I cant see it being finished by Q3 next year IMO.

Amtmann · 05-06-2009 8:46pm

tech2 wrote: »

Excellent I might go down that way sometime in the summer to grab a few photos of that scheme.

Please do. You might take a look at M7 Castletown-Nenagh while you're at it. I'm off the road now...I might hire a car for a day towards the end of the summer and take a look at some of the M7 schemes and the M7/M8 PPP for which, incidentally, a newsletter is due this month.

Tech3 · 05-06-2009 9:49pm

KevR wrote: »

Thanks for the pictures!

In the very last photo - it looks like they left gaps in the continous white line beside the median for cat's eyes but the cat's eyes were then installed to the left of the line.

AFAIK the studding is always on the left beside the white line on our motorways. Im not sure why there is a gap in the white line though.

Berty · 05-06-2009 9:56pm

tech2 wrote: »

AFAIK the studding is always on the left beside the white line on our motorways. Im not sure why there is a gap in the white line though.

Believe it or not it has to do with drainage. You will notice that our new roads are built on an arc and the water must dissipate somewhere. They do not exist but later as the road progress's we will be forced to drive in the left hand lane and a boring machine will cut holes in the barrier like Fermoy, Galway and Arklow to allow water on the angled bends to pass through the barrier across the road and into the gullys.

See attached image from the Fermoy Bypass. Oi build dis me

Tech3 · 07-06-2009 9:03pm

Also another thing which I find annoying is that the interactive maps for the Nenagh-Limerick website doesnt work. The Nenagh-Castletown doesnt seem to have any site designated to the scheme.

At least the N18 and the N6 has interactive maps which shows all the structures and the names of them. It makes it a lot harder to find structures especially for the Nenagh-Castletown scheme which is much further off the current N7.

Chris_533976 · 07-06-2009 9:07pm

I will say that Galway co co have loads of info about the new schemes on their website. Interactive maps and piles of downloads for everything. Easily the best authority in the country for information on the big road schemes.

Tech3 · 07-06-2009 9:18pm

Just to add I attached a extra photo to the M7 wiki page today to show the progress of late on the Nenagh-Limerick scheme from the 3rd of June.

Furet, is the photo below it from the Nenagh-Castletown scheme as it looks like the pic was taken from an overbridge?

Carawaystick · 07-06-2009 11:51pm

tech2 wrote: »

AFAIK the studding is always on the left beside the white line on our motorways. Im not sure why there is a gap in the white line though.

On the M6 today, from Athlone to I'd say Kilbeggan, the studs are the median side of the white line. from Kilbeggan to the M4 the studs are on the white line.
I'm fairly sure there are other stretches of road where the studs are the hard shoulder side of the white line.

Tech3 · 08-06-2009 12:10am

Carawaystick wrote: »

On the M6 today, from Athlone to I'd say Kilbeggan, the studs are the median side of the white line. from Kilbeggan to the M4 the studs are on the white line.
I'm fairly sure there are other stretches of road where the studs are the hard shoulder side of the white line.

Many stretches of the M8 if not all have the studding on the hard shoulder side of the white line.

Amtmann · 08-06-2009 6:42pm

tech2 wrote: »

Just to add I attached a extra photo to the M7 wiki page today to show the progress of late on the Nenagh-Limerick scheme from the 3rd of June.

Furet, is the photo below it from the Nenagh-Castletown scheme as it looks like the pic was taken from an overbridge?

That photo is of the M7/M8 and was taken from an under-construction overbridge on the R434 a little west of Ballacolla.

I took many photos of Nenagh-Castletown last March and it seemed spectacularly unadvanced, especially from Roscrea to the Castletown. That was then, however. Maybe things have picked up, but I won't take anyone's word for it.
Pictures please!

Berty · 08-06-2009 7:20pm

I was not even aware of a Castleisland bypass. The traffic is only really bad if you are coming in from Tralee but you could always slip down the side of the Topaz and sneak to the front.

I was driving along the N7 after joining from Nenagh earlier and was thinking about the impact the new Motorway will have on my journey times. I was behind a jeep which for some unknown reason could not maintain a suitable speed. I know that I will be able to hold a speed of 120 on the new motorway with ease and not have to bother myself with nuisance drivers until I reach the rounadbouts in Limerick. :rolleyes:

I cannot understand why any town like Toomevara or similar along the route would be affected because they are all freeflow except Mountrath which will be an outright nightmare.

mysterious · 09-06-2009 12:37am

Berty wrote: »

I was not even aware of a Castleisland bypass. The traffic is only really bad if you are coming in from Tralee but you could always slip down the side of the Topaz and sneak to the front.

I was driving along the N7 after joining from Nenagh earlier and was thinking about the impact the new Motorway will have on my journey times. I was behind a jeep which for some unknown reason could not maintain a suitable speed. I know that I will be able to hold a speed of 120 on the new motorway with ease and not have to bother myself with nuisance drivers until I reach the rounadbouts in Limerick. :rolleyes:

I cannot understand why any town like Toomevara or similar along the route would be affected because they are all freeflow except Mountrath which will be an outright nightmare.

I love the Nenagh to Limerick road though despite been such a realy busy road, and yes you cant realy do speed on this road at all. The motorway will solve this though.

I hope it opens around novemeber, I'm actually really excited about this opening, it will be a grand opening since the N7 has been so behind incomparison to other interurbans:rolleyes:

The Word Is Bor · 09-06-2009 10:01am

mysterious wrote: »

From my understanding they were opened since april, from the contractors notice. I will contact my relatives that live on these back roads and will confirm this to you tommorrow.

If you are talking about Castletown to Nenagh then are no bridges open between Moneygall and Nenagh.

mysterious · 10-06-2009 3:54am

Berty wrote: »

With the amount of traffic using this road I would imagine this is not an option. I use this road frequently and other than getting stuck behind the odd slow driver the road is wide and has long straight and safe stretchs to overtake.

I would imagine a dual carraigeway or even 2+1/1+2 roadway would not be on the cards for many years.

It is from Adare to NCW, is an option and under the NRA new guidlines they are opting for 2by2 rather than 2by1... I dont see the issue here.

If N4 and N5 schemes are getting this treatment. From Adare to NCW, its varies between 17,000 to 12,000. Same traffic levels as the M7 if not higher in some places.
..
So I think your argument is flawed. After NCW, Is fine WS2

spacetweek · 10-06-2009 1:11pm

mysterious wrote: »

It is from Adare to NCW, is an option and under the NRA new guidlines they are opting for 2by2 rather than 2by1... I dont see the issue here.

Really? Well this is good news if true. Though it isn't mentioned on this page.

Scruff · 10-06-2009 3:56pm

quick question: what are the estimated dates that the new stages of the motorway are to be opened?

mysterious · 11-06-2009 2:41am

We could see a late november opening on the M7.. They've really sped up the works. the reminder is the bog section and the latter is the tidying/finishing layer on this road...

Berty · 11-06-2009 7:53am

The main run on the nenagh bypass still needs its final layer. As of yesterday all traffic was moved to the outer lanes(hard shoulder) whislt they constructed the median barrier and dug 3 holes(for some reason).

You could easily see the expanse of the road. Im pushed for time right now so cannot upload the pictures but will do later this morning/today along with a video of the drive along the Nenagh bypass(mounted on dash) which was shaking the entire way because of the uneven sub layer. I can only hope that they do a rolling test on the final wearing course if the sub layer is anything to go by.

Scruff · 11-06-2009 8:25am

Nenagh-Limerick Q4 2009
Nenagh-Castletown Q4 2010 or Q1 2011
Furet predicted the M7/M8 scheme will be finished by Q3 2010

Which of those covers the mountrath - nenagh section?

Berty · 11-06-2009 10:53am

This is a picture of the width of the Nenagh Bypass. Excuse the quality. I was doing around 80kph at the time

I moved the angle of the camera so you could see the elevation of the structures support columns. Im satisfied that a large truck could pass beneath this as I was in the hard shoulder at the time anyway.

Thats me trying to give the thumbs up. Sorry my thumb was so fat It blocked the screen. WTF is that noise???? Hmmmm?

Tech3 · 11-06-2009 12:13pm

Berty wrote: »

You could easily see the expanse of the road. Im pushed for time right now so cannot upload the pictures but will do later this morning/today along with a video of the drive along the Nenagh bypass(mounted on dash) which was shaking the entire way because of the uneven sub layer. I can only hope that they do a rolling test on the final wearing course if the sub layer is anything to go by.

Great updates Berty.

The Nenagh bypass looks to be progressing but that looked an extremely unconfortable drive though on the sub layer. Also I can still see some of the original crash barriers on some parts, they really need to get these off quicker so they can get a move on with laying down the asphalt and the concrete barrier.

I can see you were heading southbound as the breathtaking view is seen in 2:00. It will be amazing to see this stretch when the motorway will be finally completed later this year.

Rovi · 11-06-2009 12:16pm

I wonder why on earth the NRA insist on referring to these schemes as joining up at Castletown?
N8 Portlaoise to Cullahill/Castletown
N7 Castletown to Nenagh

They actually join up at Borris-in-Ossory.

Chris_533976 · 11-06-2009 4:20pm

Just like the N18 Oranmore to Gort scheme goes to Athenry instead

mysterious · 12-06-2009 12:47am

tech2 wrote: »

I got a link to the Nenagh-Castletown scheme by kildare co co:

Nenagh-Castletown

not sure if we can find which is an overbridge just as bad as the NRA's maps

Look at the bridge, for the Nenagh bypass tie in, the proposed layout is a shambles, I guess they are leaving this till last, cus they are not going with that arch bridge. it has to go. If this arch bridge is gone.

It means that the Nenagh bypass can contain width width to a full motorway all the the way to the Dolla overbridge. The R445 should go straight over the N7 and the interchange should be built at that alignment. I even worked it out with the existing landtake they have. Otherwise, you have the ****ty arch bridge no HS, and awkard RR5 alignement with three roundabouts................. That is just not even funny to look at never mind in real life.

Can anyone give me the blow up PDF map as a file where the Nenagh tie is located. I will draw a map to tell you exactly what i mean.

Berty · 13-06-2009 5:03pm

Here is a picture I took today of the N7 from the top of Keeper Hill. Follow the red line.

The things I do for this thread............................

L1011 · 14-06-2009 1:32pm

tech2 wrote: »

Great updates Berty.

The Nenagh bypass looks to be progressing but that looked an extremely unconfortable drive though on the sub layer. Also I can still see some of the original crash barriers on some parts, they really need to get these off quicker so they can get a move on with laying down the asphalt and the concrete barrier.

Whatever day I drove down to Limerick last (memory is shot) they were removing the old crash barrier northbound - it is underway anyway.

M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

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