M1 to Newry - completion date?

DubDani · 15-06-2007 09:50AM #1

Hi,

I will soon have to drive more often from Dublin to Newry. Does anyone know when the last stretch of the M1 between Dundalk and Newry is supposed to be open? As that will knock off at least another 10 minutes of the time I need I am very keen on it being finished.

Thanks,
DubDani

Mr Magnolia · 15-06-2007 09:59AM

The section from Dundalk to Dromad was opened this week that will save you considerable time though Dromad will no doubt be a little bottle-necked now. I think completion for the m1 to newry is sometime in '08.

Skyhater · 15-06-2007 10:56AM

Just to be a little bit picky..... There is no M1 from Dundalk to Newry!
It's going to be the N1 from Dundalk to the Border, then the A1 from The Border to Newry....

Winters · 15-06-2007 12:42PM

http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/SchemeActivity-2007/#N1BordertoDundalk

Mayo Exile · 15-06-2007 12:42PM

Originally posted by Mr Magnolia: The section from Dundalk to Dromad was opened this week that will save you considerable time though Dromad will no doubt be a little bottle-necked now. I think completion for the m1 to newry is sometime in '08.

Not the full dual carriageway itself I believe. Parts of the new road are being used as temporary single carriageway as construction work continues. Completion date for the entire project is now believed to be anytime from late August 2007 onwards due to works being ahead of schedule.

Winters · 15-06-2007 12:43PM

Are there any plans to remove Cloghoge Roundabout?

DubDani · 15-06-2007 01:59PM

Thanks for the responses. Glad to hear that another piece of the Street has been opened. Every minute helps.

Mayo Exile · 15-06-2007 02:12PM

Originally posted by Winters: Are there any plans to remove Cloghoge Roundabout?

Hard to know yet. Will probably be altered as the N1/A1 scheme is tied into it. Don't forget though that the A1 Newry Bypass is also to be dualled starting this year i think, which will probably lead to further changes.

murphaph · 15-06-2007 06:00PM

Mayo Exile wrote:

Hard to know yet. Will probably be altered as the N1/A1 scheme is tied into it. Don't forget though that the A1 Newry Bypass is also to be dualled starting this year i think, which will probably lead to further changes.

No it's not. The bypass is to be bypassed completely by a new HQDC (possible motorway) much to the west of the existing road. They will (I believe) leave the Cloghogue Roundabout in situ pretty much unaltered until the new bypass is built in 3 or so years!

Alun · 15-06-2007 06:08PM

murphaph wrote:

No it's not. The bypass is to be bypassed completely by a new HQDC (possible motorway) much to the west of the existing road. They will (I believe) leave the Cloghogue Roundabout in situ pretty much unaltered until the new bypass is built in 3 or so years!

Have they taken that into account in the design of the existing M1/N1/A1 design, by already designing in the junction that will connect with this new outer ring road?

murphaph · 15-06-2007 06:19PM

Alun wrote:

Have they taken that into account in the design of the existing M1/N1/A1 design, by already designing in the junction that will connect with this new outer ring road?

Don't have a clue Alun. One would hope so but who knows. Roads Service are a fairly professional outfit but are cash strapped so they may not be able to do what they know is best. Cloghogue mountain is a fair lump of rock to get a road through.

spacetweek · 16-06-2007 06:11PM

murphaph wrote:

No it's not. The bypass is to be bypassed completely by a new HQDC (possible motorway) much to the west of the existing road. They will (I believe) leave the Cloghogue Roundabout in situ pretty much unaltered until the new bypass is built in 3 or so years!

Don't know which roundbout the Cloghogue one is, but the one they're bypassing is the one to the north of Newry. The one to the south will be grade-separated as part of the scheme last I heard, though I dunno if it'll get downgraded.

Mayo Exile · 18-06-2007 11:12AM

Originally posted by Murphaph: No it's not. The bypass is to be bypassed completely by a new HQDC (possible motorway) much to the west of the existing road. They will (I believe) leave the Cloghogue Roundabout in situ pretty much unaltered until the new bypass is built in 3 or so years!

Sorry, yes, you are correct. Some further info on it here:

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/a1beechhillcloghogue.html

This is actually a far better solution long term. Hopefully will make the existing bypass a bit safer!

Mayo Exile · 20-06-2007 08:50AM

Also found this piece from a debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly earlier this month regarding access rights for local people regarding the new dual carriageway from the Cloghogue roundabout down to the border.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2007-06-04.5.1&s=speaker%3A13893

MDTyKe · 21-06-2007 12:33PM

The N1/A1 is one of the Republic's new "HQDC" High Quality Dual Carraigeway.

It's built to motorway standard, and the only thing different between it and a motorway are the fact that learners/tractors are allowed on it, it has green signs, dashed hard shoulder lines, and no emergency phones (Could be more, but I think that's it)

IMO they should just label it M1, to the border at least, as that means it would just be M1/A1/M1, as opposed to the four.. which makes more sense.

The Newry end will be 3 lanes each side as you approach, to allow for local traffic, and there will be a flyover at the Cloughogue roundabout taking the new road on to the.. new road that's joining on to the new part of the A1. Due to be done in 2012.

To save the confusion, like other countries do, they should just name the road, eg: Northern Expressway (as it's equivalent to the international 'expressway' tag), North-South Expressway or something like that... maybe even name it after someone.

Matt

MDTyKe · 21-06-2007 12:45PM

By the way, forgot to say. You can see some pictures of it (as of last week) here:

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=268

Mayo Exile · 22-06-2007 08:55AM

Small piece in the June 20th (page 4) edition of the Dundalk Argus that the N1/A1 Dundalk to Newry road may be fully open in early August. Also a friend in work whose son is working on the project says it could be August 2.

Skyhater · 22-06-2007 02:32PM

MDTyKe wrote:

IMO they should just label it M1, to the border at least, as that means it would just be M1/A1/M1, as opposed to the four.. which makes more sense.

They can't give this road "M" status as there is no "reasonable" alternative rout for "L" drivers.

One case of a HQDC that should have "M" status is the N2 Ashbourne bypass!!
For some insane reason they kept it as and "N" road with a 120km/h speed limit. They should have kept the section from the M50 to the first Exit (St Margarets, I think) "N" status with a 100km/h limit, then the remainder "M" status.
(This is because there is no alternative way of getting to the first exit, but the Entire Old N2 is available from the first exit to Ashbourne)

Mayo Exile · 22-06-2007 03:58PM

Another possible reason why they can't call it the M1/A1 scheme is that as it's a joint RoI/NI project, you already have the M1 motorway going from Belfast to Dungannon in NI. So therefore you couldn't have duplication in names for a cross border project.

Of course there is an M3 motorway in Belfast and also the M3 scheme from Dublin to Kells in RoI. As they are in separate durisdictions it doesn't matter in this case.

Stark · 22-06-2007 04:16PM

Skyhater wrote:

They can't give this road "M" status as there is no "reasonable" alternative rout for "L" drivers.

What's wrong with the current route for getting from Dundalk to Newry?

Mayo Exile wrote:

Another possible reason why they can't call it the M1/A1 scheme is that as it's a joint RoI/NI project, you already have the M1 motorway going from Belfast to Dungannon in NI. So therefore you couldn't have duplication in names for a cross border project.

A silly reason for not making a road a motorway.

Stark · 22-06-2007 04:25PM

Mayo Exile wrote:

Small piece in the June 20th (page 4) edition of the Dundalk Argus that the N1/A1 Dundalk to Newry road may be fully open in early August. Also a friend in work whose son is working on the project says it could be August 2.

Yay faster beer trips

Mayo Exile · 22-06-2007 04:30PM

Originally posted by Stark: A silly reason for not making a road a motorway.

Also known as bureaucracy....................

spacetweek · 22-06-2007 05:29PM

Mayo Exile wrote:

Small piece in the June 20th (page 4) edition of the Dundalk Argus that the N1/A1 Dundalk to Newry road may be fully open in early August. Also a friend in work whose son is working on the project says it could be August 2.

I think this refers to the Republic part. Wesley Johnson checked it out in January of this year and reckoned that, although the ROI part was going well, the NI section had another year of work to go.

spacetweek · 22-06-2007 05:38PM

Stark wrote:

What's wrong with the current route for getting from Dundalk to Newry?

Part of it is being obliterated by the new road, you won't be able to use the old road when the project is complete.

Stark · 22-06-2007 08:54PM

Ah ok, that makes sense.

ardmacha · 22-06-2007 10:04PM

Ah ok, that makes sense.

These sections of road are short and make up only a small part of the Dundalk - Newry route. How hard would it be to build a short section of basic single carriageway alongside the new road (should be motorway) for these stretches?

Victor · 23-06-2007 08:57AM

Skyhater wrote:

They can't give this road "M" status as there is no "reasonable" alternative rout for "L" drivers.

But L drivers aren't allowed cross borders. Actually I wonder hwo many people have two L licences.

One case of a HQDC that should have "M" status is the N2 Ashbourne bypass!!

It handles some local traffic at the southern end.

icdg · 24-06-2007 07:59PM

Yep, for various reasons to do with safety and design it was decided to close off the old N2 (R135 now) and place a minor exit between J1 and J2 on the new road to access the old one. Unfortunately this means the road can't be motorway, for this section at least. It has a 120 km/h limit anyway so it doesn't make much difference.

Mayo Exile · 25-06-2007 08:56AM

Originally posted by spacetweek: I think this refers to the Republic part. Wesley Johnson checked it out in January of this year and reckoned that, although the ROI part was going well, the NI section had another year of work to go.

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/a1newrydundalk.html

This is Wesley Johnston's updated page on the scheme. Indicates about 8 weeks time as the opening date for the whole project according to his update of 25 June.

Skyhater · 26-06-2007 04:18PM

icdg wrote:

Yep, for various reasons to do with safety and design it was decided to close off the old N2 (R135 now) and place a minor exit between J1 and J2 on the new road to access the old one. Unfortunately this means the road can't be motorway, for this section at least. It has a 120 km/h limit anyway so it doesn't make much difference.

Yep, My argument is that it should be Motorway north of J2!!! No reason why it can't be.

And there is a Difference...... For safety reasons 120km/h should only be reserved for motorways (no L drivers, no tractors, no scooters, no pedestrians, etc., etc.).
It's also a good idea to have Emergency Telephones on such a long stretch of segregated road!!...Motorway regulations demand this.

Mayo Exile · 01-07-2007 05:32PM

With Minister Dempsey about to pass legislation to allow the NRA to reclassify DC's as motorways perhaps it will be the M1/A1 scheme after all...............

Does this mean also that they will have to replace some of the brand new green signage on the route with the all blue stuff when that happens?

M1 to Newry - completion date?

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