M7 - Castletown to Nenagh

Amtmann

Deedsie wrote: »

Furet, you mentioned above that rennicks got the signage contract? Are these a completely separate company to Somague Bowen? That's good news, bowen workers can focus on completing the junctions, lining the roads, and laying the cats eyes etc

Yes, they're a separate company dedicated to signage. Bowen have the main contract, but they subcontract other companies to do landscaping, the concrete barrier, lighting, signage, etc. This is standard practice with all road schemes.

In the opinion of posters here, if the road and junctions had there final layer down, median complete etc by the start of November. Would it be possible to finish off laying the remaining cats eyes and line 36 km of motorway by the 21st of November?

Lining and studding would take less than a week probably. They could probably line the entire thing in a day or three. I only saw a tiny section of the scheme yesterday, but it did not fill me with optimism. It depends how the section from junction 22 to 24 is looking. It wouldn't surprise if that has wearing course and lines down.

But the section I saw yesterday is far from ready, based on the speed with which Bowen have been proceeding so far. Some people here might laugh at the idea of landscaping, but it's part of the contract, it takes time to do, and it had barely been started, if at all, on the small section I saw yesterday. It would be great if someone would survey the scheme along most of its length, take pictures, and post them here. I've done this twice before. Took me about an hour.
But the big question for me is about how the scheme looks around Knock (between J21 and J22). That was quite unadvanced last June; you see this in the second hotlink I've added to the word 'before'.

Roadbridge would likely have had this open for Christmas '09.

knipex

TheGodBen wrote: »

The problem with LILOs is that it can be impossible to reach the speed of traffic on the motorway before joining because of the sharp left-turn. Junction 13 on the M18 is an example of this (Street View image is from before it was reclassified as motorway), the merge lane after the turn is so short that you might only reach 70-80kph before being forced onto the main carriageway.

Another reason that underpowered cars should be declared a hazard....

Looking at that junction anythgin less than 200bhp / tonne is dangerous...
Now to expalin that to my insurance company...;)

Amtmann

The start of the C-N scheme at the tie-in with the M7/M8 PPP at Borris-in-Ossory. Looking towards Limerick:


The mainline, looking east, in the vicinity of Knock:


Taken from same vantage point as above, albeit looking west now:


Also close to Knock, looking west:


View of the mainline from the L-road that links Knock and Roscrea (looking to Limerick):


Mainline about 4km east of Dunkerrin, looking to Dublin:


Looking west from the same vantage point:


The mainline looking west at the Moneygall junction:


Mainline looking west a little east of Toomevara:


Looking east from same vantage point:


Mainline looking east close to Toomevara:


Looking east from the Limerick side of Toomevara:


Now looking west:


Mainline looking east very close to the tie-in with the Nenagh to Limerick scheme:


Finally, looking towards the Nenagh Bypass tie-in:


I noticed one overbridge still under construction, possibly a second one too. Lots of work still to do, but late November looks achievable.

-Corkie-

Good stuff. November looks promising allright especially when signage is at an advanced stage..

richardjjd

TheGodBen wrote: »

Junction 13 on the M18 is an example of this

The N20 north bound (and here)at Croom is the same - almost impossible to safely enter the N20 legally.

Dubluc

richardjjd wrote: »

The N20 north bound (and here)at Croom is the same - almost impossible to safely enter the N20 legally.

I beg to differ. I use that junction on an occasional basis. When I reach the 100kmph limit I drop to third gear if not already in it and accelerate. The car increases revs dramatically when you do this and gives the necessary power to get to 100k. I've always being driving fast enough to join traffic well before the end of the slip lane and often have to over take slower cars in front. Any decent driving instructor will have told you this when you learned to drive. Obviously when doing this you also adjust for the speed of traffic around you and make sure to signal correctly.
I suspect that the problem most people have with slip lanes in general and this type in particular come from not properly understanding how to accelerate properly and thus being in too high a gear to get the best acceleration in a short distance. BTW it does help significantly when the traffic on the motorway you are joining is obeying the speed limit.

TheGodBen

richardjjd wrote: »

The N20 north bound (and here)at Croom is the same - almost impossible to safely enter the N20 legally.

Those junctions have stop signs, though, so you're not supposed to accelerate when coming around the bend, you're supposed to stop and wait for a gap in the road. It's just like turning onto an N road from a regular junction; observe the road, wait for a gap, complete the turn and accelerate as fast as possible. On a motorway junction, stopping to observe would actually be illegal.

Dubluc wrote: »

I beg to differ. I use that junction on an occasional basis. When I reach the 100kmph limit I drop to third gear if not already in it and accelerate. The car increases revs dramatically when you do this and gives the necessary power to get to 100k. I've always being driving fast enough to join traffic well before the end of the slip lane and often have to over take slower cars in front. Any decent driving instructor will have told you this when you learned to drive.

Any decent driving instructor would have told you to stop at the Stop sign.

richardjjd

Dubluc wrote: »

... I've always being driving fast enough to join traffic well before the end of the slip lane and often have to over take slower cars in front.

There is no slip lane - this is the problem - the inner lane changes to a hard shoulder after 20m. You have to go from stand still to 100km in an impossibly short space before merging with traffic which is invariably moving at 100kph minimum.

Dubluc

My apologies it seems we were talking about different junctions. Having looked again at the photos I see what you mean.

The junction I thought we were talking about was the N20 to M20 coming from Charleville going towards Limerick. Like I say you can do it but be careful.

Don't like that one at all coming from a dead stop is very dangerous. I think ye are right here no legal way to do it legally and safely if there is a lot of traffic.

Dubluc

TheGodBen wrote: »

Those junctions have stop signs, though, so you're not supposed to accelerate when coming around the bend, you're supposed to stop and wait for a gap in the road. It's just like turning onto an N road from a regular junction; observe the road, wait for a gap, complete the turn and accelerate as fast as possible. On a motorway junction, stopping to observe would actually be illegal.


Any decent driving instructor would have told you to stop at the Stop sign.

See post above I was talking about wrong junction and i don't advocate breaking the law. My driving instructor told me that too!

Heartbreak Hank

Was told by an on-site engineer that this scheme is to open on November 15th.

db

richardjjd wrote: »

The N20 north bound (and here)at Croom is the same - almost impossible to safely enter the N20 legally.

This junction is on to a single-carriageway road so is more comparable to a standard T-junction than a slip road onto a motorway.

tippilot

Any progress to report this week?

messi1985

i take it it is next month this road will finally open?? thats what iv been hearing but not too sure.. anyone else know??

youcrazyjesus!

Disappointed after seeing the photos. The LILO junction a few pages back looks very, very tight. How long is the lane for a car entering onto the M7 where it can build up speed? How has the road been engineered to prevent cars driving straight onto the road? Seems crazy and dangerous to me. I can't see how it's not a safety hazard. Photo5 above indicates a near 90 degree left bend in the road over a short distance. Will this be 100KMph?

andykells

Bad news for bank holiday travellers. Motorway by Nenagh due to close for a week to allow works. Traffic will be diverted through nenagh as far as i know. On the upside we getting closer to the finish month so in that sence this is good news.

Amtmann

andykells wrote: »

Traffic will be diverted through nenagh as far as i know.

I don't think that makes sense. The Nenagh Bypass should not have to close to facilitate the tie-in.

Mc Love

Passed by today, they were doing work in Moneygall causing huge tailbacks! But a lot of work was taking place on LILO's and m-way itself

andykells

Furet wrote: »

I don't think that makes sense. The Nenagh Bypass should not have to close to facilitate the tie-in.

No it has to be done. Southbound first and then northbound so long delays can be expected

padma

sugar, thanks for the heads-up, just like the old days so getting stuck at that bend in nenagh town.

L1011

andykells wrote: »

No it has to be done. Southbound first and then northbound so long delays can be expected

Why, though? The existing road is already diverted entirely away from it.

At worst they should be able to do an overnight - one, single one - to resurface the offramps.

slinky2000

MYOB wrote: »

Why, though? The existing road is already diverted entirely away from it.

At worst they should be able to do an overnight - one, single one - to resurface the offramps.

I'm with MYOB, They shouldn;t need to close anything!

kiwipower

Surely they will be able to do the tie-in by diverting traffic to contraflow on the opposite side at worse? Though I would have thought with the way the slip roads are presently designed at this junction they will be able to use these?
At worst if they do need to close that junction they will hopefully keep the Thurles junction open. There are then a multitude of ways you can get back onto the N7 WITHOUT going through Nenagh town centre.

Amtmann

Im 99.9999999% sure that andykells is completely wrong in whatever he has heard. We've seen lots of more complicated tie-ins done over the past few years (e.g. the Fermoy Bypass) and also online upgrades such as the RedCow and, er, the Nenagh Bypass itself, and none necessitated a massive closure.

limklad

Furet wrote: »

Im 99.9999999% sure that andykells is completely wrong in whatever he has heard. We've seen lots of more complicated tie-ins done over the past few years (e.g. the Fermoy Bypass) and also online upgrades such as the RedCow and, er, the Nenagh Bypass itself, and none necessitated a massive closure.

I agree, the Nenagh junction has the same issues as the tie in as the Newport roundabout Junction for the bog road section. There is nothing complicated about that bit, they been working away on that road under the bridge, it is already down to a single lane on the hard shoulder as you approach that junction.

andykells

Furet wrote: »

Im 99.9999999% sure that andykells is completely wrong in whatever he has heard. We've seen lots of more complicated tie-ins done over the past few years (e.g. the Fermoy Bypass) and also online upgrades such as the RedCow and, er, the Nenagh Bypass itself, and none necessitated a massive closure.

I only post here when i have something reliable. It not something i heard. Its something that happening. One side at a time will be closed. Barrier should be removed this weekend or early next week at the latest allowing them to complete their works on this section.

Wait and see if you don't believe me but enjoy the traffic.

Cookiemunster

andykells wrote: »

. Barrier should be removed this weekend or early next week at the latest allowing them to complete their works on this section.

Wait and see if you don't believe me but enjoy the traffic.

That makes absolutley no sense. They were closing the gap in the central median as I drove past last Friday. Why on earth would close the gap in a reinforced concrete barrier only to reopen it 7 days later? I agree with the other posters that the current diversion over the bridge is all the diversion that is needed.

There are however road closures on the N7 at the Monegal junction next week.

andykells

Cookiemunster wrote: »

That makes absolutley no sense. They were closing the gap in the central median as I drove past last Friday. Why on earth would close the gap in a reinforced concrete barrier only to reopen it 7 days later? I agree with the other posters that the current diversion over the bridge is all the diversion that is needed.

There are however road closures on the N7 at the Monegal junction next week.

Barrier i am referring to is the temporary barrier not the permanent slipform barrier. I just checked again there and yes i am right. Divert through nenagh will be happening and that is that matter sorted.

Amtmann

andykells wrote: »

Barrier i am referring to is the temporary barrier not the permanent slipform barrier. I just checked again there and yes i am right. Divert through nenagh will be happening and that is that matter sorted.

Disclose your source. If it's an official source, this can be confirmed. If it's barstool assertion, it can be rejected.

andykells

Its official as i am the source so no bar stools involved