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

godskitchen · 22-02-2018 11:25am

whitey1 wrote: »

Has anyone from Mayo (say Castlebar) used this route to go to Dublin.....if yes, how has it worked out compared to going through either Longford or Roscommon?

Yes, I have. It's longer by distance but I did the route quicker than the n5 option. Far less chance of getting stuck behind Mikey outside Frenchpark delivering bales on his tractor.

marno21 · 22-02-2018 1:54pm

Traffic volumes on the N5 near Frenchpark have dropped 14% year on year from 2017. This is likely due to the effect you say above.

The proportion of this traffic that is HGV has risen from 9.8% to 11% so its still popular with the trucks.

Sam Russell · 22-02-2018 1:57pm

marno21 wrote: »

Traffic volumes on the N5 near Frenchpark have dropped 14% year on year from 2017. This is likely due to the effect you say above.

The proportion of this traffic that is HGV has risen from 9.8% to 11% so its still popular with the trucks.

That rise for HGVs percentage is due to the reduction of private cars, with HGV traffic remaining the same.

marno21 · 22-02-2018 1:59pm

Sam Russell wrote: »

That rise for HGVs percentage is due to the reduction of private cars, with HGV traffic remaining the same.

That's what I was saying, a higher proportion of cars and non HGV vehicles are switching to the M17-M6 route than HGVs are.

Less benefits for the HGVs given their speed limiting anyway and the extra distance involved.

m17 · 22-02-2018 7:35pm

The m18 at parknacappul 23/04/17

22/02/18

m17 · 24-02-2018 6:34pm

RATHMORRISSY 23/02/18

24-02-2018 6:58pm

m17 wrote: »

RATHMORRISSY 23/02/18

Is it a trick of the light, or has that Tuam sign been overlaid.

m17 · 25-02-2018 12:01pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Is it a trick of the light, or has that Tuam sign been overlaid.

You're spot on that tuam has been changed this was the original sign
IMAG10968_zpsh4uudcs3_edit_1519556105656_zpskel9kxfc.jpg

m17 · 25-02-2018 3:39pm

RATHMORRISSY 25/02/18

serfboard · 25-02-2018 10:11pm

m17 wrote: »

You're spot on that tuam has been changed this was the original sign

Thanks to the little-known North Galway Tectonic Plate, Tuam has shifted 4 kilometres closer to Galway!

m17 · 27-02-2018 5:45pm

The m17 at bauilpuil 16/03/16

26/02/18

Kevwoody · 28-02-2018 11:57am

Its funny the little things you notice each time you drive a new road.
I only noticed yesterday that 2017 is carved into the top of the bat bridge. It made me wonder why all flyovers dont have it? I'd be interested to know things like that anyway.

Kevwoody · 28-02-2018 11:57am

Its funny the little things you notice each time you drive a new road.
I only noticed yesterday that 2017 is carved into the top of the bat bridge. It made me wonder why all flyovers dont have it? I'd be interested to know things like that anyway.

Fieldsman · 28-02-2018 12:11pm

I agree, did you ever notice how it was done with schools that were built over a hundred years ago

28-02-2018 5:39pm

Fieldsman wrote: »

I agree, did you ever notice how it was done with schools that were built over a hundred years ago

It's common practice to carve the year of construction into "landmark" buildings, deciding what constitutes a landmark is another discussion altogether.

Sam Russell · 28-02-2018 5:45pm

Deleted User wrote: »

It's common practice to carve the year of construction into "landmark" buildings, deciding what constitutes a landmark is another discussion altogether.

I'd think the bat bridge would qualify.

m17 · 28-02-2018 9:00pm

The m17 near annagh hill 28/02/18

Middle Man · 28-02-2018 10:01pm

Ice Road Truckers
...coming to a motorway near you!

m17 · 01-03-2018 10:02am

RATHMORRISSY 01/03/18

for all you roadies say safe out there it's going to be rough

Middle Man · 01-03-2018 1:47pm

Rathmorrissy is now...

Bánmorrissy

:D:D

mrsoundie · 02-03-2018 11:28pm

m17 wrote: »

The m18 at coldwood 01/03/18

Fixed it.

m17 · 03-03-2018 3:30pm

The m17 at bauilpuil 23/11/15

27/02/18

thanks Mr soundie for fixing the above pic as I had no coverage

m17 · 04-03-2018 3:07pm

RATHMORRISSY 04/03/18

Doltanian · 05-03-2018 12:32pm

I drove from Limerick to Galway yesterday for the first time on the new section and it really is a massive improvement. I noticed what was like a fake motorway sign going up along in some farmers field directing to somewhere not listed on the official signs. Whats the story with that??

marno21 · 05-03-2018 1:29pm

Doltanian wrote: »

I drove from Limerick to Galway yesterday for the first time on the new section and it really is a massive improvement. I noticed what was like a fake motorway sign going up along in some farmers field directing to somewhere not listed on the official signs. Whats the story with that??

The standard one village is on a sign so mine should be too. Only TII refused to add further villages to the signs, so the locals took matters into their own hands.

The 54km motorway has 2 exits (3 if you include the M6 which definitely won't be signing villages). It simply wasn't feasible to sign every village accessible from the Kiltiernan and Annagh Hill exits so TII signed a limited amount of designations at either exit.

The only one omitted which may have justification is Abbeyknockmoy at J19 given that it warranted a 4km upgrade of the N63 but no mention on the signs

Sam Russell · 05-03-2018 1:31pm

marno21 wrote: »

The standard one village is on a sign so mine should be too. Only TII refused to add further villages to the signs, so the locals took matters into their own hands.

The 54km motorway has 2 exits (3 if you include the M6 which definitely won't be signing villages). It simply wasn't feasible to sign every village accessible from the Kiltiernan and Annagh Hill exits so TII signed a limited amount of designations at either exit.

The only one omitted which may have justification is Abbeyknockmoy at J19 given that it warranted a 4km upgrade of the N63 but no mention on the signs

Abbeyknockmoy would require an extra long sign.

m17 · 05-03-2018 3:34pm

marno21 wrote: »

The standard one village is on a sign so mine should be too. Only TII refused to add further villages to the signs, so the locals took matters into their own hands.

The 54km motorway has 2 exits (3 if you include the M6 which definitely won't be signing villages). It simply wasn't feasible to sign every village accessible from the Kiltiernan and Annagh Hill exits so TII signed a limited amount of designations at either exit.

The only one omitted which may have justification is Abbeyknockmoy at J19 given that it warranted a 4km upgrade of the N63 but no mention on the signs

The m17 will soon be like this

m17 · 05-03-2018 8:17pm

The m17 at annagh hill 05/03/18

m17 · 06-03-2018 7:40pm

Gort 31/10/16

Gort 06/03/18

m17 · 06-03-2018 8:41pm

The m17 at kilkseagh 03/03/18

m17 · 07-03-2018 7:32pm

RATHMORRISSY 07/03/18

m17 · 07-03-2018 7:43pm

The m18 at kiltiernan looking towards gort 07/03/18

kiltiernan looking towards rathmorrissy

m17 · 08-03-2018 3:52pm

RATHMORRISSY 08/03/18

m17 · 08-03-2018 7:40pm

RATHMORRISSY 09/08/17

22/11/17

m17 · 09-03-2018 12:36pm

Gort 03/03/18

m17 · 10-03-2018 10:43pm

The m18 at gortroa 10/03/18

m17 · 11-03-2018 3:10pm

The m17 at kileelaun 02/10/16

11/03/18

m17 · 12-03-2018 8:08pm

The m17 getting the last of the blacktop 25/07/17

m17 · 13-03-2018 8:00pm

M6 junction 17 13/03/18

marno21 · 15-03-2018 7:30pm

12km tailback from Eyre Square through to Claregalway this evening on the Tuam Road. Absolutely no delays whatosever along the M6/M17 bar the delay at the lights at Briarhill if that counts. The N84 closure north of Ballindooley seems to be a major cause of this

RTE/AA Roadwatch advise the following:

To avoid these delays, road users could take the M6 and new M17 motorway; while this is a lengthy diversion, it is still currently moving well along this route.

If the signposted/official route from Galway to Tuam is regarded as a "lengthy diversion", serious questions need to be asked about how beneficial this motorway is vs how beneficial it could have been.

m17 · 15-03-2018 9:26pm

Headford road junction Galway city 14/03/18

JCX BXC · 15-03-2018 10:19pm

marno21 wrote: »

If the signposted/official route from Galway to Tuam is regarded as a "lengthy diversion", serious questions need to be asked about how beneficial this motorway is vs how beneficial it could have been.

Fully agreed, scary to think how much money was used in such a way that could have easily been used in a far more beneficial way.

The whole linking the route to the M6 was a brutal idea in my opinion. I don't understand why there's been a move to get all routes to arrive into the one area of the city, the fact that all traffic from the South, East and North all arrive at the one roundabout is bizzare.

Personally I still use the old route N18 from Kiltiernan unless I'm to run into the school run in Clarinbridge. Slightly longer stretch of motorway granted however the rest of it is a waste between Kiltiernan and Athenry. While some merit may be allocated to the Athenry-Tuam section, it could still have been massively more beneficial had it terminated closer to Oranmore.

Benbecul97 · 15-03-2018 11:36pm

marno21 wrote: »

12km tailback from Eyre Square through to Claregalway this evening on the Tuam Road. Absolutely no delays whatosever along the M6/M17 bar the delay at the lights at Briarhill if that counts. The N84 closure north of Ballindooley seems to be a major cause of this

RTE/AA Roadwatch advise the following:

If the signposted/official route from Galway to Tuam is regarded as a "lengthy diversion", serious questions need to be asked about how beneficial this motorway is vs how beneficial it could have been.

With regard to today's incident you've got the wrong end of the stick. The N84 closure north of Ballindooley was the major cause of today's traffic chaos.

The advice from AA Roadwatch was given with regard to N84 traffic. Their preferred routes are 1) N84 2) N83 3) M6/M!7, so with that in mind, option 3 is a "length diversion".

This motorway is very beneficial but more so for Atlantic corridor traffic than regular commuter traffic. We all know this. And we also know that the M6/M17/M18 will not function properly until the Galway Bypass is built.

What was highlighted yet again today is the need for the N84 to be doubled in size with hard shoulders (like the stretch from Corrandulla Barracks to Headford) to allow for emergency services to access accidents, without the need to close the entire road. That's the key point from today - not "length diversions".

marno21 · 16-03-2018 12:37am

Benbecul97 wrote: »

With regard to today's incident you've got the wrong end of the stick. The N84 closure north of Ballindooley was the major cause of today's traffic chaos.

The advice from AA Roadwatch was given with regard to N84 traffic. Their preferred routes are 1) N84 2) N83 3) M6/M!7, so with that in mind, option 3 is a "length diversion".

This motorway is very beneficial but more so for Atlantic corridor traffic than regular commuter traffic. We all know this. And we also know that the M6/M17/M18 will not function properly until the Galway Bypass is built.

What was highlighted yet again today is the need for the N84 to be doubled in size with hard shoulders (like the stretch from Corrandulla Barracks to Headford) to allow for emergency services to access accidents, without the need to close the entire road. That's the key point from today - not "length diversions".

Today's event on the N84 north of Ballindooley highlights the issues I've described.

The closure of the N84 north of Ballindooley should NOT lead to a 12km tailback from Eyre Square all the way to Claregalway. The Tuam Road should be more than capable of handling the diverting traffic now that it has been bypassed by a motorway.

If the M17 wasn't such a lengthy diversion for Tuam Road traffic then the Tuam Road would've been quiet and the delays on the Tuam Road would've been less today.

Spending €550m on a motorway for the benefits we've received is poor value for money. The volume of traffic using the "Atlantic corridor" doesn't and never has necessitated a direct motorway which completely bypasses Galway to the east. The €550m could've been much better spent to get a best of both worlds result. The M17/M18 has made massive reductions in travel time on the journey between Gort and Tuam but slightly lesser reductions with better results for Galway city traffic would've been a better spend of the money.

flazio · 16-03-2018 1:39am

We've had this discussion before. The M17 was never designed to be part of the answer to Galway city's traffic problems. It was designed to be part of the solution to getting haulage and people from the North West of the country (Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo and Mayo) to the South and South West (Clare, Cork, Limerick and Kerry) and the other way quicker.

marno21 · 16-03-2018 1:43am

flazio wrote: »

We've had this discussion before. The M17 was never designed to be part of the answer to Galway city's traffic problems. It was designed to be part of the solution to getting haulage and people from the North West of the country (Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo and Mayo) to the South and South West (Clare, Cork, Limerick and Kerry) and the other way quicker.

Well in that case there was no need to build a motorway, a 2+2 or less would've sufficed. The M17 is carrying around 9000 vehicles, which means its operating at 15-20% capacity. There will never be substantial volumes of traffic between the north west and the south west.

I never said it would be a solution to Galway city's traffic problems, but it was meant to be a solution to the traffic problems along the existing N17 and N18. These problems remain mostly unsolved.

kippy · 16-03-2018 8:15am

marno21 wrote: »

Well in that case there was no need to build a motorway, a 2+2 or less would've sufficed. The M17 is carrying around 9000 vehicles, which means its operating at 15-20% capacity. There will never be substantial volumes of traffic between the north west and the south west.

I never said it would be a solution to Galway city's traffic problems, but it was meant to be a solution to the traffic problems along the existing N17 and N18. These problems remain mostly unsolved.

Your logic is flawed and incorrect. The 550 million was well spent and has lead to varying amounts of improvements in the traffic situations in various villages along it while reducing greatly journey times for those travelling along the north south corridor who no longer have to go within an assessment roar of one of these villages or Galway city itself.
The biggest issue with yesterday is about getting to the new motorway from the city, IE traffic coming out of the city faces numerous pinch points especially when one of the main roads out is closed which is why the city ringroad is needed.

veryangryman · 16-03-2018 8:36am

marno21 wrote: »

12km tailback from Eyre Square through to Claregalway this evening on the Tuam Road. Absolutely no delays whatosever along the M6/M17 bar the delay at the lights at Briarhill if that counts. The N84 closure north of Ballindooley seems to be a major cause of this

RTE/AA Roadwatch advise the following:

To avoid these delays, road users could take the M6 and new M17 motorway; while this is a lengthy diversion, it is still currently moving well along this route.

If the signposted/official route from Galway to Tuam is regarded as a "lengthy diversion", serious questions need to be asked about how beneficial this motorway is vs how beneficial it could have been.

RTE being morons and not moving with the times is not the same as the road not beintlg the recommended route.

If people still want to drive stressful routes then good luck to them. Time will sort this out.

Benbecul97 · 16-03-2018 12:12pm

kippy wrote: »

Your logic is flawed and incorrect. The 550 million was well spent and has lead to varying amounts of improvements in the traffic situations in various villages along it while reducing greatly journey times for those travelling along the north south corridor who no longer have to go within an assessment roar of one of these villages or Galway city itself.
The biggest issue with yesterday is about getting to the new motorway from the city, IE traffic coming out of the city faces numerous pinch points especially when one of the main roads out is closed which is why the city ringroad is needed.

Exactly! The city ring road and the upgrade of the N84 are both essential.

And some drivers also should be made retake their driving tests. Some muppets heading from Eyre Sq out the Tuam Rd completely blocked the Cemetery cross roundabout, thus preventing traffic coming up the Sean Mulvoy Rd going straight through this roundabout towards the Old Dublin Rd. Madness!

Sam Russell · 16-03-2018 12:21pm

Benbecul97 wrote: »

Exactly! The city ring road and the upgrade of the N84 are both essential.

And some drivers also should be made retake their driving tests. Some muppets heading from Eyre Sq out the Tuam Rd completely blocked the Cemetery cross roundabout, thus preventing traffic coming up the Sean Mulvoy Rd going straight through this roundabout towards the Old Dublin Rd. Madness!

The love affair Galway City has with roundabouts needs to be quashed.

Moneenageisha cross was a traffic lights junction that they converted to a roundabout and back again. Some of the roundabouts on the Tuam Road and Bothar Na d'Treadbh need to be converted to grade separated junctions where possible or as much as possible. Alternatively be controlled with intelligent traffic lights.

Roundabouts are too new an invention to the people of the Wesht.

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

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