N22 - Macroom to Ballyvourney (Macroom Bypass) [open to traffic]

Roadrunner99

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Widely accepted to be the biggest bottle neck of a town in the country without a bypass, or so i believe.

I won't lie and say i'm not like a spoilt child in a sweet shop at the idea of driving from Cork to Kerry and avoiding the town for traffic reasons.

Has to be up there as one of the worst bottlenecks in the country for sure its not just friday evening anymore it's every evening now your stuck in traffic.

AugustusMinimus

Charleville, New Ross and Enniscorthy are probably worse.

At least the builds are currently in progress for the last two.

marno21

Markcheese wrote: »

Is the macroom bypass going to start near coolcower then? And then be built in one go to bypass ballyvourney? Thats gonna be some build...

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/522900/423439.pdf

Route in link above. 22km of dual carriageway. Whatever about how long it's taken to get to this stage what we're getting now is a total transformation of a long stretch of road.

AugustusMinimus

marno21 wrote: »

Markcheese wrote: »

Is the macroom bypass going to start near coolcower then? And then be built in one go to bypass ballyvourney? Thats gonna be some build...

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/522900/423439.pdf

Route in link above. 22km of dual carriageway. Whatever about how long it's taken to get to this stage what we're getting now is a total transformation of a long stretch of road.

I’m mystified at how the Ovens to Macroom scheme will eventually tie into this. Going north of the Lee is the obvious solution but the end of this road is going south.

Is the last mile of the scheme just temporary to allow tie in to the old N22. This will then be discarded when the Ovens - Macroom section is done. And that section is HQDC so cant be too twisty.

munchkin_utd

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I’m mystified at how the Ovens to Macroom scheme will eventually tie into this. Going north of the Lee is the obvious solution but the end of this road is going south.

Is the last mile of the scheme just temporary to allow tie in to the old N22. This will then be discarded when the Ovens - Macroom section is done. And that section is HQDC so cant be too twisty.

The Oven Macroom road is planned to go offline around Ovens and Farran, coming back to the existing road which then would be upgraded to Macroom.

I have looked for a map for that section recently but couldn't find anything unfortunately.

Water John

It really should have exited at the 4 mile bridge, west of Duniskey and not the 2 mile bridge near Coolcower. It is really a no brainer to stay north of the river and eliminate the last 2 miles of twisty road that will be left.
Can't understand it, TBH.

AugustusMinimus

Water John wrote: »

It really should have exited at the 4 mile bridge, west of Duniskey and not the 2 mile bridge near Coolcower. It is really a no brainer to stay north of the river and eliminate the last 2 miles of twisty road that will be left.
Can't understand it, TBH.

Complete madness in my eyes.

Water John

Are you agreeing or disagreeing, with me?

Kevwoody

Water John wrote:

It really should have exited at the 4 mile bridge, west of Duniskey and not the 2 mile bridge near Coolcower. It is really a no brainer to stay north of the river and eliminate the last 2 miles of twisty road that will be left. Can't understand it, TBH.

Yea and then you would have people saying its madness not to go another few km and bypass Lissarda and join up with another good stretch.
Reality is its a pretty good achievement to bypass Macroom and Ballyvourney in one go, a few km wont matter if it means never going through either town again.

Roadrunner99

Water John wrote: »

It really should have exited at the 4 mile bridge, west of Duniskey and not the 2 mile bridge near Coolcower. It is really a no brainer to stay north of the river and eliminate the last 2 miles of twisty road that will be left.
Can't understand it, TBH.

Very hard to understand why they have left that stretch of road from 2 mile bridge to 4 mile bridge but if they did macroom to ballyvourney it's a small price to pay.

Water John

Ah, that bit is very bad. The rest of the run to Cork is very manageable. Wonder who has the 'pull' for the eastern side of the town having good access to the new road? Which is the only explanation.
This road is especially used by cyclists, esp at weekends and its treacherous for them.

AugustusMinimus

Water John wrote: »

Are you agreeing or disagreeing, with me?

Very much agreeing with you. The terrain south of the Lee between 2 and 4 mile bridge also looks more difficult to build on.

Roadrunner99

Ovens to macroom section won't be seen for many years anyway.

Water John

More reason to do that short section now. I presume the contract could be still amended or a + 1.

Roadrunner99

Water John wrote: »

More reason to do that short section now. I presume the contract could be still amended or a + 1.

It'd make sense to take it out on the straight stretch of road from 4 mile bridge but maybe the route for ovens to macroom is south of coolcower bridge so it has to finish there for the western section of this route.

Benildus

Does anyone know if the bridge at Coolcower, where the new road will end, is going to be upgraded as part of this contract?

marno21

Benildus wrote: »

Does anyone know if the bridge at Coolcower, where the new road will end, is going to be upgraded as part of this contract?

The bridges at Coolcower will remain as is including the stretch of boreen between them

munchkin_utd

munchkin_utd wrote: »

The Oven Macroom road is planned to go offline around Ovens and Farran, coming back to the existing road which then would be upgraded to Macroom.

I have looked for a map for that section recently but couldn't find anything unfortunately.

ok, I now have the maps off the old site, not great quality, but at least you can see the planned path for the entire length
https://web.archive.org/web/20071118193519/http://www.corkrdo.ie/n22_ovens_to_ballyvourney_photos.php

cillo2000

Benildus wrote: »

Does anyone know if the bridge at Coolcower, where the new road will end, is going to be upgraded as part of this contract?

I don't believe it is... I think there'll be a roundabout on the Macroom side of the bridge for the bypass/local traffic. By the way, does anyone know why there's a poor security man stuck in a portacabin for the last 5-6 years beside the Coolcower bridge? Someone once told me that there's an asbestos dump there - is that true?

Benildus

https://twitter.com/aaroadwatch/status/951817645585772544

only another few years of this

(bus is still there as of now, according to AA)

Roadrunner99

Benildus wrote: »

https://twitter.com/aaroadwatch/status/951817645585772544

only another few years of this

(bus is still there as of now, according to AA)

A few years too many to be stuck going through this town. Minister Ross should be brought down to have a look at the way the town is this evening with traffic it might get him to push the project forward.

Quackster

Roadrunner99 wrote: »

It'd make sense to take it out on the straight stretch of road from 4 mile bridge but maybe the route for ovens to macroom is south of coolcower bridge so it has to finish there for the western section of this route.

This is exactly the reason. The logical point to split Ovens to Ballyvourney into two schemes is where the planned new road crosses the existing road.

tinner777

cillo2000 wrote: »

I don't believe it is... I think there'll be a roundabout on the Macroom side of the bridge for the bypass/local traffic. By the way, does anyone know why there's a poor security man stuck in a portacabin for the last 5-6 years beside the Coolcower bridge? Someone once told me that there's an asbestos dump there - is that true?

Stopping local man dumping cars into the river so I'm told

Roadrunner99

Does anyone know has all the land along the route for the macroom/ballyvourney bypass been acquired yet? Have all the farmers been compensated or is there still more funding needed to finish this off?

Water John

Land is already fenced for new road. Ovens road is due to run on the north TMK. The bridge at Coolcower is the property of the ESB.

The roundabout will probably be on top of where the asbestos was dumped. I presume the ESB are paying the ongoing security to prevent anything further untoward on their land, incl the dumped cars.

boardsuser1

Water John wrote: »

incl the dumped cars.

Do the ESB own that land?

Benildus

I seem to remember a few pages back someone saying there were 2 security lads there now as one was (allegedly) assaulted by the neighbouring car dumper

Water John

Where the boundaries are, I'm not quite sure. There is a small road/ right of way, into a house.

marno21

Update

http://johnpauloshea.ie/n22-macroomballyvourney-bypass-project-progress-update-january-2018/

boardsuser1

marno21 wrote: »

Update

http://johnpauloshea.ie/n22-macroomballyvourney-bypass-project-progress-update-january-2018/

A bridge over the existing road?

I have probably read it already, but, how many bridges in total?