N9 (M9) Carlow Bypass

nordydan

Does anyone have any updates on this project???

I think that ths would be one of the new motorway schemes, so it would be interesting to see if there were any blue signs up on the yet-to-be-finshed route?

icdg

nordydan wrote: »

Does anyone have any updates on this project???

I think that ths would be one of the new motorway schemes, so it would be interesting to see if there were any blue signs up on the yet-to-be-finshed route?

I took a trip down just before Christmas. Looked fairly near complete. Partially covered signage was up, was definitely green.

However yes, this is included in the motorway reclassifications, if approved following the public consultation.

E92

Public consultation ends tomorrow. How long will it take before we know if these roads will be reclassified?

spacetweek

E92 wrote: »

Public consultation ends tomorrow. How long will it take before we know if these roads will be reclassified?

Even with the round of reclassifications, it'll be a while before they actually implement any of them and you see blue signs. For a scheme like Carlow, they have to go with green for the moment. I guess it'll be 2009+ before any schemes can avail of this.

fricatus

Discussed in this thread:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055137410

There's a mention of 23 March being the target date for opening, but while the northern end looks finished, the existing road goes under the new one and you can't see the surface, white lines, etc. As for the southern end, maybe all they need to do is complete the on-ramps, but it didn't look anywhere near completion to my untrained eye last Friday...

Chris_533976

It'll be a while (no idea how long) until the reclassification goes through. Until then it'll open with green.

But I'm sure everyone would rather it open with green than wait a while with no road until they can open it as blue

fitzyshea

Thread for this is here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055137410

I heard it wont open till summer and it will be green until the rest of the road is complete from kilcullen to waterford then it will be a motorway.

cargo

Just saw mfitzy posting this over in the Carlow & Kilkenny forums but think it should go here also..

http://www.nra.ie/News/NewsAnnouncem...,14694,en.html

The Carlow Bypass will officially open on the afternoon of the 29th May 2008 by the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey T.D.

The Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D., will officially open the Carlow Bypass on Thursday afternoon the 29th May 2008.

Full Carlow thread here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055137410

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0529/bypass.html

Carlow bypass to open today
Thursday, 29 May 2008 11:57

The long-awaited Carlow bypass will be opened this afternoon by the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.

The new 18km bypass will remove over 9,000 vehicles a day from the centre of Carlow town and save motorists up to 30 minutes during peak time journeys.


The €216m bypass is the first section of the Dublin to Waterford Corridor to open.


The entire route is scheduled for completion in 2010.

http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/htmltext,14700,en.html

The Carlow Bypass will be Officially opened on the afternoon of the 29th May 2008 by the Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D.

The Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D., will officially open the Carlow Bypass on the afternoon of the 29th May 2008.

http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/KildareCountyCouncil/N9N10CarlowBypass/SchemeName,14485,en.html

Mayo Exile

Opened today! (May 29th)

NRA release: http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/htmltext,14724,en.html


When the Kilcullen to Carlow section is open, it will make this bypass even better!

testicle

It had blue signs and a 120 limit until a few days ago. It now appears to have a 100 limit. Didn't notice whether the signs were blue or green...

icdg

Blue signs still on RTÉ News' report, but apparently a 100km/h limit. Motorway status is still not sorted out, what is taking so long I don't know...

patrickc

its definitely 100kph drove on it tonight... stupid people

Victor

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=10659&lang=ENG&loc=2261

Speech by Mr Noel Dempsey, T.D., Minister for Transport, At the Official Opening of the N9 Carlow Bypass
29 May 2008
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

I am delighted to be here today to officiate at the opening of the Carlow Bypass on the N9.

This is indeed an important occasion for all the people living in this area as well as anyone living or doing business along the whole length of the N9 from its Junction with the N7 all the way to Waterford and Kilkenny.

While the culmination of the work today represents only one section of a brand new route between Dublin and Waterford, it is important for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it's the first section of the Dublin/Waterford Major Interurban Route to be opened. I am particularly happy to note that it was completed on time and within budget. The remainder of the route, which will provide a high quality dual carriageway/motorway from Kilcullen to the Waterford Bypass, is currently under construction.

When the route is completed in 2010 which is really only a short time away now road users will be able to travel and do business all along the route safely, more predictably (taking 56 minutes off the Waterford / Dublin journey) and more efficiently than has ever been the case in the past.

Secondly, the opening of this particular section will, at one stroke, remove through traffic of over 9,000 vehicles from Carlow streets and give the town back to its citizens. It will also provide a route around the town for all those whose business is elsewhere along the N9 with timesavings of up to 30 minutes in peak time journeys.

Thirdly, the Bypass provides a far safer road. The dual carriageway / motorway type of road has been proven to be far safer than the traditional road. However, bigger and better roads are only one aspect of improving the safety of Irish roads.

A real difference will only be made if each and every road user takes personal responsibility and drives carefully and at a speed appropriate to the conditions.

With a bank holiday weekend coming up - a time when roads around the country are busier than normal - I want to urge all of those taking to the roads this weekend to slow down and arrive alive. 14 people have already died on our roads this month and that is 14 people too many.

Fewer people are dying on Irish roads in recent time thanks to better roads and more responsible driving behaviours. In fact this month we are on track to have one of the lowest number of road deaths in years but we can never become complacent. I want to remind drivers getting behind the wheel this weekend en route to visit family members and loved ones Slow down. Belt up. Take a break if you are tired. And never mix alcohol and a road journey. These tips may just save your life.

I believe that, in many ways, this bypass encapsulates much of what the Government is about.

By providing it, we are achieving three of the most important targets possible removing through traffic, improving access to and from towns and villages in the area and, most importantly improving road safety.

From the point of view of the people of Carlow, it has been the experience of many of the other towns and villages bypassed by the new Inter-urban routes so far, that their quality of life, and the commercial viability of their community, improves substantially.

Many of the towns were avoided by potential shoppers and visitors simply because they were so difficult to get in and out of quickly. I have no doubt that all this will all change for the people of Carlow from today onwards and I wish them every success for their future prosperity.

I think the proof of the pudding in this case will be the upcoming June Bank Holiday weekend I am sure this road opening today will make it one of the best Bank Holidays in Carlow for many a long year.

In the bigger picture, for 2008 alone, €1.65 billion of funding is being provided for the National Roads Programme over €137 million a month in Government funding.

This level of investment is evidence of this Government's commitment, under the ambitious framework of the National Development Plan and Transport 21, to the continuing transformation of Ireland's transport infrastructure.

Already, over 85% of our new major inter urban routes criss crossing the country are either complete or under construction. This high quality network being put in place will continue to contribute to our national competitiveness, job creation and to the achievement of more balanced regional development well into to the future.

Our commitment to this ambitious road building programme is absolute.

...

Finally I would like to express my gratitude to the National Roads Authority and the construction company on this project, Ascon, the Engineers, Roughan & O'Donovan and Faber Maunsell Alliance, and last, but by no means least, the staff of Kildare County Council. Well done, one and all. This is a job of work each and every one of you can take great pride in.

ENDS

Last paragraph - no thanks to Carlow County Council (admittedly it was Kildare NRDO did the design).

spacetweek

Interestingly, this new bypass already appears on Google Maps, though not in the aerial shot. N6 Kilbeggan-Athlone is there too, even though it isn't open yet.

Just to add to the confusion, they don't have N8 Cashel-Cahir, even though it's been open for around 6 months, and the rest of the road is opening very soon.

Teleatlas must have done a big update, although the Outer Ring Road from Nangor Road to Lucan is still missing.

fricatus

spacetweek wrote: »

Interestingly, this new bypass already appears on Google Maps, though not in the aerial shot.

Surely it should appear in blue, given that it's a motorway, right?

murphaph

fricatus wrote: »

Surely it should appear in blue, given that it's a motorway, right?

Is it though?

Chris_533976

Good question

Motorway on the ground, albeit with a (hopefully temporary) 100kmh limit.

In law? Who knows at the moment. Its non-motorway officially until laws say otherwise.

patrickc

there were 120kph limits at the start of it on both ends until the day it opened

murphaph

patrickc wrote: »

there were 120kph limits at the start of it on both ends until the day it opened

....and it's very telling that these were hastilly removed before the road opened. It's clearly not legally a motorway as mackerski has attested on SABRE, the motorway symbol and 'M9' have been temporarily painted out on most signage and there are no 'start of motorway regulations' signs to be seen. They are awaiting the reclassification order by the looks of it and to save the hassle of drafting a bye law for the 120 limit on a non-motorway, easier to wait a few weeks and apply the default 120 limit then.

fitzyshea

Drove the road last night excellent quality got to see parts of Carlow I haven’t seen in years! Road is 100Kmph until the reclassification of motorways comes into force, then it will be 120Kmph. Will be awhile yet. This was discussed in other forums also.

Victor

http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/htmltext,14724,en.html

The Carlow Bypass was officially opened today (Thursday 29th May 2008) by the Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey T.D.

The €216.5m bypass is the first section of the N9 Dublin to Waterford major inter-urban route to open to traffic. Work on the entire route is on schedule to open in 2010.

The new 18.5km bypass stretches from Prumplestown, south of Castledermot in County Kildare, passes to the east and south of Carlow Town as far as Powerstown.

The scheme, which commenced construction in July 2006, took 22 months to complete.

Performing the official opening Minister Dempsey said,
"The opening of the Carlow bypass today is very welcome news for the people of Carlow town and county. This new bypass will remove through traffic of over 9,000 vehicles a day from Carlow streets and will give the town back to locals. This new route around the town for all those whose business is elsewhere along the N9 will deliver journey time-savings of up to 30 minutes in peak time traffic. By delivering this bypass in time and on budget Government is achieving three important targets – removing through traffic, improving access to and from towns and villages in the area and, most importantly, improving road safety."

Connectivity within the region will be greatly enhanced by the Carlow Bypass because the scheme provides three new junctions; at Powerstown in Carlow to cater for N9 Waterford/Kilkenny traffic, at the Rathcrogue junction on the N80 to provide a crucial link between the N9 and the strategic N80 cross country national secondary route which runs from Wexford to Moate in County Westmeath and at Prumplestown in Kildare on the N9 to allow south bound traffic bypass Carlow Town.

Mr.Peter Malone, Chairman of the National Roads Authority commented at the official opening cermony,

“The opening of the Carlow Bypass marks the first stage of the N9 Dublin to Waterford major inter- urban to be completed and is indicative of the standard of national road that will serve the southeast into the future. The benefits of the Carlow Bypass locally will be immediate reducing travel times and congestion. On a national scale the new bypass will substantially improve access to the southeast region and will facilitate the safe and efficient movement of people and goods between the gateway city of Waterford and the hub towns of Kilkenny and Wexford identified in the National Spatial Strategy.

The Dublin to Waterford corridor is on target for completion to motorway standard by 2010 and this super- highway will enrich the business and social texture of the south and east region bringing communities closer and enhancing tourist potential while contributing to our economic competitiveness. High quality infrastructure also plays an important role in ensuring the diffusion of growth throughout the regions of Ireland and underpins the realisation of successful economic and social cohesion. The national road dimension of the Government’s Transport 21 Plan is on target and will deliver a key element in underpinning Ireland’s competitiveness.”


Kildare County Council managed the project on behalf of the National Roads Authority working in conjunction with Carlow County Council and the contractor Ascon Ltd.

The Carlow Bypass was funded by the Irish Government 2007 -2013 and part financed by the European Union.

Please see map attached.

CtrlSource

Lovely road. Drove it on the way to & from Kilkenny at the weekend. Was puzzled by the 100 speed limit, but reading this thread has explained it.

Hopefully it will be sorted out soon

Nuttzz

Was driving back to dublin on it last night, good to see the coppers out with their speed gun south bound, dreadful death trap that new road, unlike the winding section just after the M9 kilcullen by pass ends...

Victor

Nuttzz wrote: »

Was driving back to dublin on it last night, good to see the coppers out with their speed gun south bound, dreadful death trap that new road, unlike the winding section just after the M9 kilcullen by pass ends...

There to let people know its not OK to do 150kh/m. Too many people have the idea that dual carraigeway = autobahn with no speed limit.

cargo

why does it not?

Pity there's not a link to the Tullow road from the Wexford Road. I know there are some small roads but I mean something a bit bigger for trucks etc. Not fair to the locals to be rat-running around their local roads.

If you're coming North along the N9 it's still better to stay on the old road and go right at Milford Cross across to Tullow if you're traveling with a big vehicle. Would have been nice to head along the new M9 and drop down to the Wexford Road at the interchange and cross over to the Tullow Road. Don't want to be adding an interchange to the Motorway but a link across would be nice.

CtrlSource

Victor wrote: »

There to let people know its not OK to do 150kh/m. Too many people have the idea that dual carraigeway = autobahn with no speed limit.

i see no reason why a properly qualified driver could not drive safely at 150 km/h on a Motorway tbh

serfboard

http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/htmltext,14724,en.html

Mr.Peter Malone, Chairman of the National Roads Authority commented at the official opening cermony,

“The opening of the Carlow Bypass marks the first stage of the N9 Dublin to Waterford major inter- urban to be completed and is indicative of the standard of national road that will serve the southeast into the future. The benefits of the Carlow Bypass locally will be immediate reducing travel times and congestion. On a national scale the new bypass will substantially improve access to the southeast region and will facilitate the safe and efficient movement of people and goods between the gateway city of Waterford and the hub towns of Kilkenny and Wexford identified in the National Spatial Strategy."

How will the Carlow Bypass facilitate movement between Waterford and Wexford?

cargo

I think you're picking it up slightly wrong although it does sound a bit like that alright.

My reading of it would be, however, that he means it will help with the transportation of goods to and from any one of the towns mentioned i.e. to Waterford from Dublin similarly Kilkenny or from some of the routes which go through Carlow heading to the Port in Wexford.

The by-pass should alleviate some of the congestion in Carlow town allowing the traffic that has to pass through to get through a bit quicker. (Portlaoise to Wexford)

fricatus

serfboard wrote: »

http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/htmltext,14724,en.html



How will the Carlow Bypass facilitate movement between Waterford and Wexford?

I noticed that too, and I think it's a mistake, despite the slight collateral effect that the bypass will have on Portlaoise-Wexford traffic.

Nuttzz

Victor wrote: »

There to let people know its not OK to do 150kh/m. Too many people have the idea that dual carraigeway = autobahn with no speed limit.

shame they were not on the 80km/h stretch of the n9 catching they loopers crossing the double white lines, no our heroes in blue are found on the newest and arguably safest part of the n9 5km down the road

Nuttzz

Nuttzz wrote: »

shame they were not on the 80km/h stretch of the n9 catching they loopers crossing the double white lines, no our heroes in blue are found on the newest and arguably safest part of the n9 5km down the road

They're just testing their equipment to see if anyone can make it register over 120 on that road! :rolleyes: (it's back)

Anyway it's well known that any stretch of DC after a long length of single carriageway becomes a bit of a racetrack as everyone overtakes the one slow car!

patrickc

is it 120kph since yesterday, the m signs that were blocked out are now visible

road_high

patrickc wrote: »

is it 120kph since yesterday, the m signs that were blocked out are now visible

Great news. Why they had to delay that for a week is just beyond me though :rolleyes:

Bards

Can someone confirm that the 100 Km/H signs have been replaced with 120 Km/h

fitzyshea

Drove the road again last night, remains 100Kmph. It wont change to 120 until the reclassification has gone through. Will be another while yet.

E92

Victor wrote: »

There to let people know its not OK to do 150kh/m. Too many people have the idea that dual carraigeway = autobahn with no speed limit.

These roads are designed for 160 km/h, so apart from it being against the law to travel at such a speed there is nothing unsafe about travelling at anything up 160.

In saying that the road should of course be Motorway.