[Article] NRA expects port tunnel to be ready for use by summer

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/7090899?view=Eircomnet

NRA expects port tunnel to be ready for use by summer
From:ireland.com
Saturday, 31st December, 2005

Contractors working on the Dublin Port Tunnel have warned that it may not be open to the public until the end of the coming year, writes Liam Reid, Political Reporter

The possible delay is linked to a dispute over work on the tunnel and arises from financial claims which threaten to push the cost of the tunnel above €1 billion.

However, the National Roads Authority has said it is confident that the final cost will be in the region of €750 million and that it will be open by the summer.

Dublin City Council, which is responsible for overseeing the project, has said it will be "vigorously disputing" any additional claims by the contractors, a consortium of Nishimatsu, Mowlem and Irishenco.

The consortium has put in a claim of additional costs in the region of €400 million. The claim has already been the subject of conciliation talks, which failed to result in agreement. It is now expected to go to arbitration.

As part of the negotiations, the contractors warned that, under existing arrangements, the opening of the tunnel could be delayed until the end of 2006.

However, a spokesman for the NRA said the work was now at a very advanced stage and the target opening was in early summer.

The NRA spokesman declined to discuss details of the claims by the contractors, but described them as "clearly excessive". He added: "There are ongoing discussions between officials and the contractors to have this resolved, but only on the basis that it results in an appropriate payment which maintains value for the taxpayer and achieves the earliest opening possible of the tunnel."

The tunnel is one of the last major road projects to be covered by a traditional contract entitling the contractors to submit additional bills for work not stipulated in the contract. The contractors face no penalties for delays or for traffic disruption.

Such contracts have been discontinued after a series of major road projects came in significantly above their budgets and with significant delays.

An 8km stretch of dual carriageway in the Glen of the Downs in Co Wicklow, which opened in late 2003, was delayed by more than 12 months and cost double the estimated €40 million.

These contracts have now been replaced by "fixed-price agreements", whereby contractors receive bonuses for early completion and are penalised for late completion or for causing traffic disruption.

westtip

Great stuff so all the trucks intent on heading south or west on the N11, N7, N4 directions will soon give the city centre a wide berth and add to the f****ing chaos on the M50 caused by the Toll bridge. It is going to up the queing time at peak times at the toll booths by at least another ten minutes. Of course NTR will say "it's not my fault guvnor"

Thomond Pk

westtip wrote:

Great stuff so all the trucks intent on heading south or west on the N11, N7, N4 directions will soon give the city centre a wide berth and add to the f****ing chaos on the M50 caused by the Toll bridge. It is going to up the queing time at peak times at the toll booths by at least another ten minutes. Of course NTR will say "it's not my fault guvnor"

Thats not quite strictly true; there will be no restrictions on HGVs accessing the port via the Eastlink and Strand Road and onto the N11 from there. The exclusion zone is defined by the two City Canals from the Liffey to Inchicore on the Southside and somewhere west of Phibsboro on the Northside.

There is nothing to prevent a HGV driver coming from the N7 taking the M50 Southbound as far as Sandyford going onto the N11 and then accessing the port via the Eastlink. I'm sure that if a large number of HGVs decide to do this that residents in Sandymount will look for restrictions but I'm sure a number of canny HGV drivers will do this and avoid the Westlink altogether.

I'm sure the tunnel will be a great success once opened and DCC deserve credit for taking all not essential HGV traffic out of the City.

Maskhadov

Its farcical. Very disapointing, it should have been opened years ago.

Winters

I apologise if this has been talked about before but has anyone noticed that the stretch of the N1 from Collins avenue to the DPT portals has been built as a single carriageway and not a dual carriageway with median?

Considering all the space that they had to play with I havent even seen any cycle lanes on it.

Bluetonic

Winters wrote:

I apologise if this has been talked about before but has anyone noticed that the stretch of the N1 from Collins avenue to the DPT portals has been built as a single carriageway and not a dual carriageway with median?

My opinions on it.

Southbound it should be dual carrigeway; it makes sense becasue it would allow traffic going left down Collins Avenue to get in lane much quicker and easy the queuing at the Swords Road/Collins Av traffic lights, although there is the case that it would only mean cars would get to the traffic jams quicker. As far as I can see with the one lane southbound there is going to be serious tailbacks blocking the free flow of HGVs coming from the M50 to the DPT. This in turn will block the Turnapin roundaabout, which in turn will block the traffic coming up the R32 onto the M50 and the traffic trying to get from the M1 to the M50. Disaster.

Northbound it should be single carriageway; it makes sense becasue the traffic lights at Swords Road/Collins Avenue allow for cars to filter from one lane into two very efficently at Whitehall Church. At the traffic lights around 1/4 of traffic is taking a turn onto Collins Avenue so this is the only spot along the road where traffic is reduced. If it continued as dual carriageway up until the DPO portals you'd have the same amount of traffic flow on both lanes trying to merge into one lane, with that lane in turn trying to merge on the realinged M1 (which comes up from the tunnel). Disaster.

As for the bike lanes, in my opinion I'd say it's a saftey issue. The bike lanes would lead to a motorway flyover, it's a diffcult roundabout to navigate in a car, I wounder how bikes would do it. Surely a bike should take Santry/Beaumount route.

Winters

I see your point about the lanes. Defo a left slip southbound to Collins Avenue is lacking and will create havoc.

As regards the bike lanes, I was thinking of the embankments either side from the Santry bridge up to Coolock lane but given the Santry QBC runs parallel to it that might be the reason.

Still worried about the lack of a median on the stretch from the portals to Collins Avenue - straight from 120KM motorway to single carriageway? Dangerous me thinks

loyatemu

the tunnel won't be 120 km/h. 100 at most i'd say, maybe even 80.

Bluetonic

Winters wrote:

Still worried about the lack of a median on the stretch from the portals to Collins Avenue - straight from 120KM motorway to single carriageway? Dangerous me thinks

The thing is it's not 120KM motorway.

At the moment it's 100KM motorway southbound from the airport flyover to the Turnapin flyover - this has always been the case. Under the road works it's 80KM from the Turnapin flyover to the roadworks at the front of the Portals and then 50KM the rest of the way to Collins Avenue.

I suspect we'll see this remain.

John R

Winters wrote:

I apologise if this has been talked about before but has anyone noticed that the stretch of the N1 from Collins avenue to the DPT portals has been built as a single carriageway and not a dual carriageway with median?

Considering all the space that they had to play with I havent even seen any cycle lanes on it.

There shouldn't be a cycle lane as cycles aren't supposed to be on the motorway.

It should have a bus lane on the southbound direction as I am sure there will be big tailbacks from the Collins Ave junction once the roadworks are done and the motorway can feed huge volumes into the area quickly. With all the express buses/coaches from the Airport a bus lane here would be very useful.

Bluetonic

John R wrote:

There shouldn't be a cycle lane as cycles aren't supposed to be on the motorway.

It's not going to be motorway.

The M1 will start south of Newry and end at the south DPT portal at dublin docks.

The DPT northern portal to collins avenue will become an 'R' road.

spacetweek

Bluetonic wrote:

It's not going to be motorway.

The M1 will start south of Newry and end at the south DPT portal at dublin docks.

The DPT northern portal to collins avenue will become an 'R' road.

Not true, I queried the DOT and they gave me the following info:

- The Port Tunnel will be designated M50
- The section of M1 from the M1/M50 junction as far as the portals will be designated both M1 and M50 (dual labelling such as this occurs occasionally in other countries)
- The section of M1 south of the portals will apparently still be part of the M1 (hence no bicycles).

I'm open to corrections though as the guy wasn't totally clear.

John R

Bluetonic wrote:

It's not going to be motorway.

The M1 will start south of Newry and end at the south DPT portal at dublin docks.

The DPT northern portal to collins avenue will become an 'R' road.

Technically motorway or not it doesn't matter as it will only be accessable to/from a motorway. The last point where non-motorway traffic will be allowed northbound is at the junction with the old Swords Road.

Bluetonic

spacetweek wrote:

Not true, I queried the DOT and they gave me the following info:

- The Port Tunnel will be designated M50
- The section of M1 from the M1/M50 junction as far as the portals will be designated both M1 and M50 (dual labelling such as this occurs occasionally in other countries)
- The section of M1 south of the portals will apparently still be part of the M1 (hence no bicycles).

I'm open to corrections though as the guy wasn't totally clear.

I queried and got the total oppostite, well not opposite but what I've said.

Bluetonic

John R wrote:

Technically motorway or not it doesn't matter as it will only be accessable to/from a motorway. The last point where non-motorway traffic will be allowed northbound is at the junction with the old Swords Road.

But if it was to be an 'R' road it it would be accessable southbound off the Santry flyover as the motorway would stop at the potal and northbound until the Santry flyover as the motorway wouldn't start until the portal.

All hypothetical at the moment anyhow.

spacetweek

Bluetonic wrote:

I queried and got the total oppostite, well not opposite but what I've said.

Really? They told you the old M1 section from the portals to Collins Ave will be an R-road. I take it the whole of the N1 inside the city is being detrunked then? This would be a good thing as I believe it still officially runs down the middle of O'Connell St.

Bluetonic

spacetweek wrote:

Really? They told you the old M1 section from the portals to Collins Ave will be an R-road. I take it the whole of the N1 inside the city is being detrunked then? This would be a good thing as I believe it still officially runs down the middle of O'Connell St.

They just said it would be a road of equal standing to an R road.

Are you sure about the N1 down O'Connell Street?

Victor

Bluetonic wrote:

Are you sure about the N1 down O'Connell Street?

Yes, anything inside the inner orbital route is an anomoly.

spacetweek

Victor wrote:

Yes, anything inside the inner orbital route is an anomoly.

Not sure what you mean? I take it you mean the N1 still does go down O'Connell st. Any map I've ever seen (inc. Gmaps) depicts it as such anyway. Bout time we got rid of that.

D'Peoples Voice

John R wrote:

There shouldn't be a cycle lane as cycles aren't supposed to be on the motorway.

It should have a bus lane on the southbound direction as I am sure there will be big tailbacks from the Collins Ave junction once the roadworks are done and the motorway can feed huge volumes into the area quickly. With all the express buses/coaches from the Airport a bus lane here would be very useful.

The issue of bus lanes on this stretch of road was raised before on this post
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=242667
If memory services me correctly, buses have been told they can use the Port Tunnel.
The expectation is that they will do so
although they will exit the tunnel down beside the Point Depot,
they can travel up along the quays or head across East Link southbound.
The road up from the Point Depot to the Matt Talbot Bridge will be much quieter now that the artics can't use that road, so it won't take long to get to O'Connell bridge. Either way it's expected they will be better off.
The only ones who may suffer will be those buses that stop several times between Port tunnel portals and O'Connell Street.

markpb

What buses do you mean? I presume 747, 748 & Aircoach will use the tunnel but the 16A, 41s, 33s etc will still have to use the old swords road to serve all the other areas. A bus lane would have been a big help. Oh well...

D'Peoples Voice

markpb wrote:

What buses do you mean? I presume 747, 748 & Aircoach will use the tunnel but the 16A, 41s, 33s etc will still have to use the old swords road to serve all the other areas. A bus lane would have been a big help. Oh well...

Bus Eireann, Ulsterbus, Citylink, Bus Nestor, Rapid Express and Pro Bus all provide bus services from Dublin airport according to Litcagral
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=50614244&postcount=31
I assume most of these go into Dublin city also, even Ulsterbus on the Dublin - Belfast route.

markpb

True. I'm aware there's a wide variety of bus companies serving the airport. My point was more that the remaining local buses will still be stuck in traffic. With such a huge amont of work going on, it wouldn't have been hard to set aside space for a cycle lane and bus lane.

With the space they have to work with, they could have relaid the road completely and have segregated bus lanes part of the way. I might be losing the plot now though, sure we'll have a metro in a few years ;-)

Bluetonic

markpb wrote:

What buses do you mean? I presume 747, 748 & Aircoach will use the tunnel but the 16A, 41s, 33s etc will still have to use the old swords road to serve all the other areas. A bus lane would have been a big help. Oh well...

There will be a buss lane from the offramp of the Shantalla bridge for buses to use, southbound.

Why would the 16A, 41s, 33s etc be using the new stretch of single lane carriage way anyhow?

Bluetonic

Winters wrote:

I apologise if this has been talked about before but has anyone noticed that the stretch of the N1 from Collins avenue to the DPT portals has been built as a single carriageway and not a dual carriageway with median?

Considering all the space that they had to play with I havent even seen any cycle lanes on it.

Well nice to see that over the last few days common sense has somewhat prevailed and they've decided to have two lanes for traffic from the port tunnel portal southbound to the Shantalla bridge. North bound it is still one lane.

MorningStar

Who ever represents the HGV drivers/transport comapanies is saying they will fight it and the DUblin Port people are saying it won't make a diffenrence. Two days running traffic has been negatively effected by HGVs one yesterday at the customs house and today on East Wall road. I think that proves it will make a difference.

MT

Bluetonic wrote:

Well nice to see that over the last few days common sense has somewhat prevailed and they've decided to have two lanes for traffic from the port tunnel portal southbound to the Shantalla bridge. North bound it is still one

That's this stretch isn't it? It looks as if this was built to be wide enough to accomodate three lanes.

paulm17781

MT wrote:

That's this stretch isn't it? It looks as if this was built to be wide enough to accomodate three lanes.

Job creation. Narrow it down so it has to be widened later.

Victor

Here: http://www.dublincity.ie/shaping_the_city/infrastructure/port_tunnel/tunnel_info/

You will find this layout: http://www.dublincity.ie/Images/NEW%20MAP2%2003%202006%20Nth%20Portal(2)_tcm35-34074.pdf

I'm working on an extended version.

jd

MorningStar wrote:

Two days running traffic has been negatively effected by HGVs one yesterday at the customs house and today on East Wall road. .

What exactly happened today? I wonder what the economic cost of these two incidents are? There is no excuse for overturning a HGV. THe driver should lose his licence.

MT

Anyone know what date has been penciled in for work to commence on the flyovers at the M50/M1 junc. or what will now be the M50/M50 junction?

paulm17781 wrote:

Job creation. Narrow it down so it has to be widened later.

In fairness, without the truck traffic - which will now use the tunnel - there's probably not the need for two lanes in the northbound direction. But even more important than that is the weight factor. They weren't going to maintain a fully dualled road on top of a tunnel.