M11 - Arklow to Rathnew

TechnoFreek · 30-06-2015 8:47am

I hit the roundabout around 7.20. It was moving, but slowly. In fact the entire stretch to the bee hive seemed slower than usual this morning.

josip · 30-06-2015 9:10am

The darkest hour is before the dawn...

fred funk }{ · 30-06-2015 3:39pm

Big delays heading south past the Rudby club.

fred funk }{ · 30-06-2015 3:51pm

Broken down truck. Hope it's cleared shortly or rush hour will be chaos.

TechnoFreek · 02-07-2015 10:54am

Hard to see from the new road, but work at the arklow tie in seems limited enough. Big work at northern end though.

Very hard to see it all being completed in under two weeks.

vickers209 · 02-07-2015 2:50pm

Doesn't seem much to be done at arklow end last layer of tarmac and line painting to be done and central barrier.

Northern end i read somewhere that traffic will be shifted left to allow the southbound lane to be joined in onto new motorway this weekend.

All along they seem to be putting final touches in place.

They where replacing signs along rathnew bypass before exit 17 today.

Anyone know why exit 17 was closed the on-ramp heading south and off ramp heading north?

RAFA B · 02-07-2015 3:02pm

vickers209 wrote: »

Doesn't seem much to be done at arklow end last layer of tarmac and line painting to be done and central barrier.

Northern end i read somewhere that traffic will be shifted left to allow the southbound lane to be joined in onto new motorway this weekend.

All along they seem to be putting final touches in place.

They where replacing signs along rathnew bypass before exit 17 today.

Anyone know why exit 17 was closed the on-ramp heading south and off ramp heading north?

Yes agree there really doesn’t seem a big job at the Arklow end and it can be underestimated how much can be done in a day or two. I was wondering if the Beehive section isn’t finished by the 13th would they not open it anyway and just divert the traffic off at the junction for the Beehive and then back down onto the single lane that are doing now.

Reuben1210 · 02-07-2015 3:14pm

vickers209 wrote: »

Doesn't seem much to be done at arklow end last layer of tarmac and line painting to be done and central barrier.

Northern end i read somewhere that traffic will be shifted left to allow the southbound lane to be joined in onto new motorway this weekend.

All along they seem to be putting final touches in place.

They where replacing signs along rathnew bypass before exit 17 today.

Anyone know why exit 17 was closed the on-ramp heading south and off ramp heading north?

Possibly new signs too?

vickers209 · 02-07-2015 3:26pm

RAFA B wrote: »

Yes agree there really doesn’t seem a big job at the Arklow end and it can be underestimated how much can be done in a day or two. I was wondering if the Beehive section isn’t finished by the 13th would they not open it anyway and just divert the traffic off at the junction for the Beehive and then back down onto the single lane that are doing now.

In theory they could but the on ramp is just past the beehive and traffic turning on to it would have to stop for any traffic heading northbound.

Id say there will be a big push to have all done by the week of the 13th.

Also anyone notice the services/Emergency entrances/exits one at the bends one at Kilmurray Over-bridge and one either side of Scratenagh Over-bridge is there really a need for so many emergency exits/entrances

TechnoFreek · 02-07-2015 3:38pm

I noticed those entrances and exits too. Wondered what they were for.

TechnoFreek · 02-07-2015 8:38pm

Wicklow TD Billy Timmins replied on Facebook to a question asking when the road would be open.

... looks like it maybe 13th July.

BoatMad · 03-07-2015 10:59am

I still see no motorway junction approach lighting , like the big overheads elsewhere. Funny ?

jd · 03-07-2015 11:52am

BoatMad wrote: »

I still see no motorway junction approach lighting , like the big overheads elsewhere. Funny ?

This may explain it
http://www.thejournal.ie/motorway-lights-off-1999393-Mar2015/

The lights are being turned off to improve energy efficiency and to cut down on costs, O’Neill said.
“There’s just unnecessary lighting on road networks throughout Europe and in particular here in Ireland.”
So…
Yeah, that’s exactly what’s going on, it’s a cost saving mechanism.
Speaking to us afterwards, O’Neill explained that the lights in question were around junctions.

BoatMad · 03-07-2015 12:31pm

jd wrote: »

This may explain it
http://www.thejournal.ie/motorway-lights-off-1999393-Mar2015/

So much for safety then

loyatemu · 03-07-2015 1:14pm

BoatMad wrote: »

So much for safety then

most cars have lights already attached to them.

serfboard · 03-07-2015 1:31pm

loyatemu wrote: »

most cars have lights already attached to them.

Yeah, in fairness what would be the volume of traffic on these junctions between midnight and 5AM?

There might be (some) traffic on the road, but I'd guess that'd mainly be trucks heading to Rosslare.

Busted Flat. · 03-07-2015 4:13pm

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Wicklow TD Billy Timmins replied on Facebook to a question asking when the road would be open.

He wouldn't be the brightest bollard on the road. :rolleyes:

vickers209 · 03-07-2015 6:48pm

N11 single carriageway between Lil Doyle’s and the Beehive from 7pm tonight

Posted by: WicklowNews.net in Latest News July 3, 2015

Wicklow County Council wish to advise motorists that Traffic Management will be in place on the N11 single carriageway between Lil Doyle’s and the Beehive from 7pm on Friday 3rd July 2015 until 6am Saturday morning, 4th July, to facilitate grass cutting other essential maintenance works.

Northbound N11 traffic will be diverted off the N11 at the Tap and will rejoin at the new western roundabout at the Beehive for the duration of the works.

N11 Southbound traffic will be unaffected but should take extra caution for works vehicles and operatives especially as the works will be taking place during the hours of darkness.

A Traffic Management system will be in operation for the duration of the works.

Wicklow County Council wish to apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused.

murpho999 · 03-07-2015 6:51pm

BoatMad wrote: »

So much for safety then

Nothing unsafe about not having lights at junctions as all the vehicles have headlights and combined with reflective signs and cat's eyes, it will be perfectly safe.

spacetweek · 03-07-2015 7:44pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Nothing unsafe about not having lights at junctions as all the vehicles have headlights and combined with reflective signs and cat's eyes, it will be perfectly safe.

Agreed - turning off lights on the mainline is fine but I don't agree about junctions.

ITDept · 03-07-2015 10:24pm

In my opinion the road workers have put in a huge effort this week. At the start of the week I was really doubtful that the opening date of the 13th that everyone's predicting was possible. Tonight when I came through, both the northern and southern tie-ins looked very close to completion, almost all the signage was installed and only minor works seemed to be remaining. Fair play lads.

03-07-2015 11:17pm

spacetweek wrote: »

Agreed - turning off lights on the mainline is fine but I don't agree about junctions.

I suspect that eliminating the lighting at junctions was a cost saving brought about after the 2008 "economic issues". There are probably other savings made elsewhere in the design that are not obvious to the average person.

vickers209 · 03-07-2015 11:23pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I suspect that eliminating the lighting at junctions was a cost saving brought about after the 2008 "economic issues". There are probably other savings made elsewhere in the design that are not obvious to the average person.

A concrete wall for a median!!:mad: no maintenance or upkeep like with a grass one

03-07-2015 11:35pm

vickers209 wrote: »

A concrete wall for a median!!:mad: no maintenance or upkeep like with a grass one

I wasn't thinking about that one, as some of the (so called) HQDCs that later became motorways that were designed and started during the boom times used that standard as well. Those cost savings were more down to the stupidly high land prices at the time, I suspect!

The sort of savings I was thinking about are those that are less obvious, for example, would be sharper curves and steeper gradients where a larger budget would have made the road "easier" to drive.

Poochie05 · 03-07-2015 11:52pm

Driving past today it would appear there is a southbound off ramp before the Beehive, not at the over pass, but further back towards Armstrong Motors. The blue motorway signage says exit 18 Redcross. This then appears to run along the existing southbound road towards the Beehive, with a roundabout at the junction where the potato seller would normally be (sorry not too up on the road names in this area) and on to the Beehive roundabout. Unless they fit the slip road between the 2

Cookiemunster · 04-07-2015 11:29am

vickers209 wrote: »

A concrete wall for a median!!:mad: no maintenance or upkeep like with a grass one

What's wrong with the concrete median? Very few if any modern motorways anywhere have a grass median. It's either a concrete or metal barrier and no central reservation.

Schadenfreudia · 04-07-2015 2:31pm

So far as I know all M-ways/HQDC in Ireland are now built with the concrete barriers; it is standard practice - not a post 2008 cost cutting exercise - and not just in Ireland!

Nearly all the DC sections built after about 2002 are of that design - or occasionally have a metal barrier like Ballinalsoe-Athlone.

The M7 to Portlaoise kept the median probably to allow for possible widening some day, ditto the M4 as far as the M-way split at Enfield.

They may also have hoped to keep the median on the M11 as far as Wicklow Town, but the bizarre "environmentalists" forced them to narrow the road through the Glen of the Downs.

vickers209 · 04-07-2015 6:30pm

Rathnew Ashford was open in 04
m50 last section was 05 but will need to be 3 lane soon enough

I just prefer the grass median just my preference but can understand the benifits of the concrete median too

Schadenfreudia · 04-07-2015 9:26pm

vickers209 wrote: »

Rathnew Ashford was open in 04
m50 last section was 05 but will need to be 3 lane soon enough

The Monasterevan bypass was also built with a median post 2002; but as I said the M7 and the roads you mentioned were/are intended to be eventually widened.

fred funk }{ · 04-07-2015 11:01pm

ITDept wrote: »

In my opinion the road workers have put in a huge effort this week. At the start of the week I was really doubtful that the opening date of the 13th that everyone's predicting was possible. Tonight when I came through, both the northern and southern tie-ins looked very close to completion, almost all the signage was installed and only minor works seemed to be remaining. Fair play lads.

I agree, particularly the northern tie-in. They've done a serious amount of work there the past few days.

TechnoFreek · 05-07-2015 8:44am

Great news

lottpaul · 05-07-2015 12:05pm

Was driving along the Arklow to Barndarrig section of the old N11 this morning and one thing occurred to me:
the M11 and the old road are very close in places and also at more or less the same elevation. Will there be an issue at night with lights from traffic on one road being mistaken for traffic on the other? In time the trees will solve the problem I suppose.
Otherwise there has been great progress since I saw it last a few weeks ago but it's difficult to see all of the work at the southern tie-in being completed and all of the final bits signed off by BAM etc for July 13th.

vickers209 · 05-07-2015 6:27pm

Was amazed to see the northern tie in almost complete today Grabbed a few shots (I should be shot for quality of them:p)

Exit sign southbound

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New Slip Road exit 18 South

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(R772) will now be a local road L1100

Its looking confirmed that ballinabarney hill will be re-designated L1100

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Forgotten sign

A forgotten sign and time when this road was one of busiest in the country.
In a little over 10 years its gone from a national road to a regional and now a local road

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ItHurtsWhenIP · 05-07-2015 6:57pm

vickers209 wrote: »

...(I should be shot for quality of them:p)
...

Clean yer windscreen!

M4Girl · 06-07-2015 9:13am

If you'd ever had to maintain a landscaped median you'd be begging for concrete! Putting in concrete is way more expensive than landscape, but the residual maintenance costs are tiny compared with landscape. And as for emergency entrances/exits/turn-arounds...the more the merrier. Getting to incidents when you have a 60-minute first response time and have to drive past on the other carriageway going 20km to the next junction in order to come back...meh.

I'd ban motorway lay-bys mind. Regardless of their intended purpose they are used to dump rubbish, walk dogs, have picnics, camp in; causing the maintence crews a lot more work and increasing risk to the travelling public.

spacetweek · 06-07-2015 12:47pm

The patched white signs look shoddy. And there's another forgotten green sign in the background, I presume that'll be changed too.

And would yeh feck off with your dog show!

dmeehan · 06-07-2015 12:53pm

spacetweek wrote: »

And would yeh feck off with your dog show!

vickers209 · 06-07-2015 2:14pm

And as for emergency entrances/exits/turn-arounds...the more the merrier. Getting to incidents when you have a 60-minute first response time and have to drive past on the other carriageway going 20km to the next junction in order to come back...meh.

I would agree with you where there is a big distance between junctions like on m4 and m6 but the emergancy exits are only around 2km from exit 19

TechnoFreek · 06-07-2015 5:57pm

Arklow tie in looking in good shape. Seems the main work left is tarmac. Hopefully the rain predicted for most of this week doesn't impact that type of work.

murphaph · 06-07-2015 6:07pm

Can't be tooo many examples of roads experiencing such a fall from grace as to go from Nx to R to L.

OldMrBrennan83 · 06-07-2015 8:43pm

This post has been deleted.

D Trent · 06-07-2015 8:54pm

Patww79 wrote: »

I'm just glad they're not still the N's! Shows some real progress, used to be a whole day out going to Dublin.

Best thing too is that there'll be so little traffic on the old roads that you can go on a nice ramble down them for the sights the odd time.

Biker as well ?

secman · 06-07-2015 8:54pm

They will be grand roads to cycle on, like the old n11 from Gorey to Arklow, has very little traffic on it.

TechnoFreek · 06-07-2015 11:09pm

Facebook alive with July 13th as official opening. No source quoted though.

Gerryww · 07-07-2015 3:42am

Wicklow Cllr Daire Nolan has confirmed the July 13th opening date on his social media account, search Dairenolancouncil

dmeehan · 07-07-2015 10:07am

Gerryww wrote: »

Wicklow Cllr Daire Nolan has confirmed the July 13th opening date on his social media account, search Dairenolancouncil

Here's the post https://www.facebook.com/dairenolancouncil/posts/783957971722629

facebook.com/dairenolancouncil wrote:

Great news for County Wicklow motorists!
The new sections of the N11/M11 currently under construction are very close to completion and the road will be officially opened next Monday, July 13th.
The improvements to commute times, the improvements to road user safety and general overall improvements to this area of the county will be immense. Absolutely brilliant to see it finishing up, and ahead of schedule!

nordydan · 07-07-2015 1:56pm

murphaph wrote: »

Can't be tooo many examples of roads experiencing such a fall from grace as to go from Nx to R to L.

It used to think it was "all that", now its only fit for tractors and lost German tourists....

marno21 · 07-07-2015 6:22pm

murphaph wrote: »

Can't be tooo many examples of roads experiencing such a fall from grace as to go from Nx to R to L.

The ex-N21, new N21 being the Castleisland bypass was detrunked directly from N to L, and the N22 into Tralee was detrunked only 2 years ago directly to L. Shows you the state these roads were in before upgrading them

07-07-2015 6:37pm

could it just be the case that now the now motorway has been built that those roads actually go nowhere now as all the traffic has been taken away.

fred funk }{ · 07-07-2015 11:35pm

Only seven more sleeps!

M11 - Arklow to Rathnew

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