Newcastle Road Traffic Lights

soloeffort

does anyone know if them lights at Newcastle just before the Spa hotel will ever be removed or bypassed.thats one of the biggest bottlenecks getting out of Dublin.

Ice_Box

Work starts in the next few weeks and will take 18 months and cost 46,000,000. They are widening the whole thing from leixlip junction to M50.

Ice_Box

file attached

ciarsd

Another traffic 'mare on the horizon, although I thought it was to take longer than 18 months to complete?

Was there any property bought to make room for this? It's going to be tight in and around the B&B's on the Superquinn side.

Davidth88

Question ( I have only lived here 6 years )

When was that junction originally built ?

Why didn't they have the brains to do this at the time..... sigh

mackerski

Davidth88 wrote:

When was that junction originally built ?

Why didn't they have the brains to do this at the time..... sigh

Mid-late 80s as I recall. I used to cycle down there to watch the progress. From what I could see at either end, it looked like they were building a motorway (it was one of the earlier not-quite-full-shilling schemes), so I was very puzzled at the time that there was no work being done on any structures at the Newcastle road. When I saw the lights go in I realised why.

I was puzzled at the time, but remember that the Newcastle Road was little more than a country lane at the time. Hardly any of the housing along it (on the non-Lucan side of the bypass) was there.

jmkennedyie

BTW, the first footbridge between those lights and Woodies is actually at the height of original ground level (used to be road from Lucan village to Clondalkin) so a GSJ at original construction time would have turned a big dig into a very big dig (as of course we are about to see)

Victor

soloeffort wrote:

does anyone know if them lights at Newcastle just before the Spa hotel will ever be removed or bypassed.thats one of the biggest bottlenecks getting out of Dublin.

Note it is Newcastle Road - Newcastle is quite some distance away.

Davidth88 wrote:

When was that junction originally built ? Why didn't they have the brains to do this at the time..... sigh

I imagine it finished in or around 1990, when Liam Lawlor was at his peak.

Davidth88

when Liam Lawlor was at his peak.

Yep that part of Dublin will live with that legacy for a long time to come I think

spacetweek

I heard that the work will take 24 months, though it was supposed to start in 2003 originally. It's been a contentious scheme, with landowners and business owners alike demanding revisions. The new plans are actually a scaled back version of the original plans - there is less demolition now.

Although Newcastle traffic lights were justifyable at the time, it was still pretty short-sighted. Though I know that they probably realised this, and aimed to upgrade in the future. They probably didn't think it would take this long, though.

FTR there also used to be a 2 other traffic light controlled jcts on this stretch of road - at the Deadman's and at Fonthill road. Both of these were redirected to the new GSJ that was built as part of the development of Liffey Valley, around 2000 I believe.

jmkennedyie

I've a feeling there was actually a third set on this stretch at one stage...lights at St Loman's for a pedestrian crossing! Will be glad when this the last one goes.

Sorry to hear it got scaled back - are there updated maps anywhere? I hope the service/slip roads are still in it - much needed at Foxhunter and Spa Hotel.

I notice McCoy's signs have been taken down - perhaps it is being used as offices during construction???

ciarsd

I thought McCoys were just having an overhaul - still plenty of stock in there when passing during the week.

godtabh

jmkennedyie wrote:

I hope the service/slip roads are still in it - much needed at Foxhunter and Spa Hotel.

The Foxhunter has been sold and is closing down shortly. Even still the foxhunter doesnt need a slip road off the N4. You just drive into it like Texaco.

I remeber before the N4. I used to live in Esker Park and you could walk accross the green to beech park (used to do it every day for play school!).

A lot of road schemes built in the late 70's, 80's and early 90's were based on data that didnt see the Celtic Tiger coming. No one predicted that people would be traveling for miles out side Dublin to go to work so there was no need to have anything other than a simple junction layout.

spacetweek

jmkennedyie wrote:

I've a feeling there was actually a third set on this stretch at one stage...lights at St Loman's for a pedestrian crossing! Will be glad when this the last one goes.

Sorry to hear it got scaled back - are there updated maps anywhere? I hope the service/slip roads are still in it - much needed at Foxhunter and Spa Hotel.

Hmmm.... I veeeery vaguely remember that pedestrian crossing too, now that I think of it!

Not sure about plans. All the service lanes are still in place. The two biggest changes are that the LILO into Esker is not being closed off, and the new 2-lane road between the Old Lucan Road at McDonald's and the M4 Leixlip junction has been dropped. Heading from Lucan village to Leixlip, you'll still have to merge onto the N4, then come off again straight away.

kearnsr wrote:

I remeber before the N4. I used to live in Esker Park and you could walk accross the green to beech park (used to do it every day for play school!).

I actually grew up in Beech Park in the 80s but have no recollection of what the area where the bypass is now used to be like. Was it just an extension of the green or was it vacant land?

AJ2012

kearnsr wrote:

The Foxhunter has been sold and is closing down shortly.

Wow. I hadn't heard that. I used to go there all the time when I was younger.

jmkennedyie

spacetweek wrote:

I actually grew up in Beech Park in the 80s but have no recollection of what the area where the bypass is now used to be like. Was it just an extension of the green or was it vacant land?

In early 80's it was kind of a wilderness ... meadows, hedges and trees. There was a wire fence (with gaps) separating it from Beech Park/Beech Grove/Cherbury green. It was fairly undulating, especially near Cherbury, and some kids used to drive BMX's up and down the ditches. They started building those houses on the far side of N4 from Cherbury (the start of Lucan South?) before they started to build the N4, so you could sneak through the fence and onto the building site if you were interested...

icdg

ciarsd wrote:

I thought McCoys were just having an overhaul - still plenty of stock in there when passing during the week.

They were just getting updated Toyota dealer branding. New signage is now up. Not sure what the point was...

Presumably, even though the Foxhunter pub is closing, the Texaco garage is remaining - it is probably the busiest petrol station in the country????

ciarsd

icdg wrote:

They were just getting updated Toyota dealer branding. New signage is now up. Not sure what the point was...

Presumably, even though the Foxhunter pub is closing, the Texaco garage is remaining - it is probably the busiest petrol station in the country????

Not probably - it is!

Re: McCoys, thought as much.

soloeffort

Have they started work on this or are they just trimming the trees? When will work be completed?

Ice_Box

Got this email about it in August...

The contract for the N4 upgrade has been signed by the Council with Jons Civil Engineering. The scheme extends from the M50 works at the eastern end and finishes at the Leixlip Interchange. It is a design and build contract and work is expected to commence on site in September with a contract period of 24 months. The contractor is at present preparing the detailed design and a programme of works.

Regards

John Mc Loughlin
BE MBA CEng FIEI
Senior Engineer
Roads Department

godtabh

jmkennedyie wrote:

In early 80's it was kind of a wilderness ... meadows, hedges and trees. There was a wire fence (with gaps) separating it from Beech Park/Beech Grove/Cherbury green. It was fairly undulating, especially near Cherbury, and some kids used to drive BMX's up and down the ditches. They started building those houses on the far side of N4 from Cherbury (the start of Lucan South?) before they started to build the N4, so you could sneak through the fence and onto the building site if you were interested...

There used to be a big green where the N$ is now. You could walk from Esker Park to Beech Grove in 2 minutes. I did it many times as a kid going to play school in Beech Grove.

When they started to build the road the put up a fence.

soloeffort

haven't gone home in a while, is there much progress being made on this new junction? Is it still the last bottleneck getting out of dublin?

Trampas

Friday must be the worse junction in ireland.

Usually backed up to Liffey Valley on Friday

murphaph

soloeffort wrote: »

haven't gone home in a while, is there much progress being made on this new junction? Is it still the last bottleneck getting out of dublin?

Site clearance just started really.