[Victor]

Brennan to speed up building of Dublin-Cork road
From:ireland.com
Friday, 12th September, 2003

Plans to accelerate the building of motorways between Dublin and Cork were announced today by the Minster for Transport.

Mr Brennan said priority would be given to the completion of two motorways to the south and west now that the M1 motorway from Dublin to Belfast is nearly done.

The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) and the National Roads Authority (NRA) are in talks to examine ways of wrapping the building of the Dublin-Cork road into one co-ordinated infrastructure project linked to a specific finance package.

"By taking an overall approach and bringing the various planned road schemes under one umbrella it may be possible to make a dramatic leap forward on delivering this vital inter-city motorway," said Mr Brennan.

The Department of Transport is also drafting a Critical Infrastructure (Motorways) Bill in an effort to shorten the planning stage for major infrastructure.

"The major problem is that from the time the route is selected to the time the first sod is turned can be up to seven years because of planning conditions, compulsory purchase orders, land acquisition, property prices and a myriad of other legal requirements. The Bill will address all these issues and seek to shorten the planning cycle," said Mr Brennan.

To date 55 kilometres of new road has been completed between Dublin and Cork, with 37 kilometres under construction at a cost of €37 million; a further 175 kilometres, requiring total planned investment of €1.5 billion, is at various stages of planning.

The Minister was speaking today after opening the N8 Watergrasshill by-pass in Co Cork - which was completed four months ahead of schedule at a cost of €108 million. The by-pass is 10 kilometres long.

[mike65]

Yipee! That'll save me 5 mins on my Monday run! I'd sooner they spent the same money on by-passing Fermoy...

Mike.

[loyatemu]

this bypass doesn't appear to be designated as a motorway
I wonder why that is as it is built to motorway standard.

the same thing happened with the Arklow by-pass. The road is built to a very high standard but has an impossible-to-stick-to 60mph limit on it.

anyone know why this happens?

[mike65]

I'm not sure it is built to Motorway standard as I'm sure I spotted a junction near its north end (I'll have to look again next week) also its got No ARMCO barriers down the central reservation. Which is an immediate fail for me.

As for the speed, well as its a short piece of an uncompleted section (to Fermoy) the limit was not likely to be raised. 60 is okay...its the slow behind tractor/ slow through village, type driving that wastes time not the maximum speed limit.

Mike.

[loyatemu]

none of the Motorways here have continuous barriers down the middle (though they are going to be fitted to the M50 and M1 soon)

as for it being an isolated section - it is a lot longer than the Bray bypass and about the same length as the Naas bypass which was an isolated section for years.

maybe the limits on these grade-seperated dual carriageways will be raised as part of the upcoming speed limit review (they are apparently raising the Mway limit to 120kph)

[dmeehan]

(they are apparently raising the Mway limit to 120kph)

big deal! its 130 in france, and probs most other countries in europe?

what is it in the UK? (obviously it'll be in mph there)

[loyatemu]

120 kph is about 75 mph

limit is 70 mph in the UK (same as here) but it applies on some dual-carriageways as well as motorways.