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

marno21

Eamon Ryan hinting at a potential early partial opening in late 2022/early 2023 in the Dail yesterday:

The ongoing new bypass project consists of the construction of a dual carriageway from Macroom to Ballyvourney, finishing just before the county bounds of Kerry. The project comprises a 22 km dual carriageway with four junctions beginning west of Ballyvourney passing north of Macroom and rejoining the existing N22 south of Macroom.

Construction commenced in the first quarter of 2020 and is due for completion in the first quarter of 2024. Construction is progressing to plan, with significant earthworks operations under way. Construction of a significant number of structures is ongoing. The longest precast concrete beams in Ireland, at 49 m, were manufactured for a bridge on this scheme and were successfully lifted into place in December 2020. In addition, a large steel deck was successfully launched across a river and valley in March 2021. A number of structures with decks in place will facilitate the mass haul of earthworks on the scheme from west to east.

Overall, works are approximately 60% to 65% complete with full completion expected in 2024 and a possible early opening of a section of the scheme in late 2022 or early 2023.

TII has informed my Department that signage will be provided at both ends of the scheme to warn the oncoming road users of the new road layout ahead. Cyclists and pedestrians will be asked to use the old N22 which will be adapted, where possible, to accommodate active travel modes.

Cork County Council is reviewing the existing junctions to ensure road safety. The N22-R585 Castlemore junction is currently under assessment and will be subject to safety improvements in early next year. Other junctions on this section of the N22 will be reviewed in order of priority, taking account of accident data.

theguzman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118733239#Comment_118733239

Not a hope from the progress on the western sections I have seen.

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118734106#Comment_118734106

Agreed, some of the western sections are well behind.

Some parts are quite advanced though. The section around Macroom has earthworks & bridges pretty much complete now. They were beginning to lay the foundations for the road this week at Coolcower.

marno21

Very much looking forward to the next drone update. The contractors have been making massive use of the good weather since the turn of the year and a large amount of earthworks seem to be progressed. Very visible from the existing road around Coolcower and Coolnacaheragh.

I find it very difficult to believe this won’t open at least 6-9 months ahead of schedule. 1 main structure left to finish and much of the earthworks complete, with a long summer ahead.

AugustusMinimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118779390#Comment_118779390

What’s the official completion timeline?

KrisW1001

As per the quote above, the official date is still 1st Quarter of 2024. There’s a lot of work still to be done on the Western section of this project, so a full opening would be very unlikely before Q4 2023.

dmeehan

Latest newsletter from the scheme: http://www.n22bbm.ie/nuachtlitir-uimh-7-newsletter-no-7/

marno21

I hope our friend DroneHawk manages a trip down to Macroom quite soon. Really have to hand it to the contractors they have made some incredible progress since the turn of the year. The excellent weather has clearly been a major help.

I have a feeling the progress since the last video will come as a pleasant surprise to many on here.

Tarmac going down this week and last at the eastern tie in at Coolcower. Work on the new alignment for the N22 to Cork is also ongoing.

yerwanthere123

Long article on the bypass on the Examiner website

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-40855139.html

Says its "expected" the Coolcower-Carrigaphooca section will open either at the end of this year or early 2023. Here's to hoping.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118959066#Comment_118959066

The only thing that doesn’t add up there is that they don’t seem to have made any provision for a phased opening from Coolcower to Carrigaphooca. The spot where the new road crosses the existing N22 at Carrigaphooca is not going to be a junction. It is just an overbridge. It has been complete for some time now, and the embankment carrying the new road west from the overbridge seems now to have been built up to the height of the final surface. Also, the new alignment of the existing N22 seems to have been “finished”. I’ve had a good look every time I’ve passed through, looking for signs of a temporary merge being built, and I really don’t see anything to suggest that this is on the cards. That said, I haven’t been out that way for about 5-6 weeks so maybe something has changed in the interim.

KrisW1001

If they’d said “Coolcower to Millstreet Road” I’d believe them, but as you say, there’s no way to link the bridge at Carrigaphooca to the existing N22. The Millstreet Road (R582), on the other hand, is right on the western edge of Macroom, and has a junction onto the new road: just being able to get from there to Coolcower will free up the town centre enormously.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118959263#Comment_118959263

That would work well for Cork-bound traffic but not for Killarney-bound traffic. Vehicles coming down the R582 from the new junction would then have to turn right at the Millstreet Cross onto the current N22. That would be a cluster you-know-what. In theory, the Killarney-bound traffic could be diverted from the new junction via Clondrohid to Ballymakeera. But I think there would be a lot of pushback from the local community at the unplanned imposition of all that traffic on them for a year or more (bias: I have family there).

Ballincollig Blow In

As a regular user of that road, it’s great to see a new bit of progress every time I’m on it and I can’t wait to never have to see Macroom tailbacks or the bends after Ballyvourney ever again 😁

I think it will defo be more of an advantage and time saving when heading to Kerry? Once you will hit the start of the bypass at Coolcower, you’ll have two lanes all the way to the top of the county bounds? And then very decent wide road all the way to Killarney practically.

Any “Driving Miss Daisy” types as I call them tipping away at a steady 60km/hr will only hold you up to that point and you can make your progress and pass them, which will be relatively short (I’m talking about between end of Ballincollig bypass and start of the new bypass of Macroom)

Whereas going to Cork, you’ll make some gains up to Coolcower, but after that, you’re again at the mercy of “Driving Miss Daisy” on the crappy 80km/hr section that they’re not doing, and you could possibly be behind them all the way to the Ballincollig bypass 😕

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118960206#Comment_118960206

It would be a temporary measure, in place for at the very most 12 months, and I can’t believe it would be less convenient for westbound traffic than the current option of using Main Street in Macroom. Remember that the main reason it's so hard to turn right for Killarney from the Millstreet road right now is because you have to wait for a gap in the high volume of traffic from Cork that had to pass through Macroom. With that small section of the new N22 in place, the number of cars east of the Millstreet Road into Macroom will be much, much lower.

The disadvantage is that the Millstreet Road itself will temporarily get congested, but again, this would a short-term measure, and any congestion is still an order of magnitude better than what's there now.

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117432344#Comment_117432344

Just quoting my own post from last year about time savings. Worth a look given the discussion at the moment.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118962089#Comment_118962089

Yeah, I see your point that it should be easier to turn right at that T junction. Most of the cars coming from your right will be turning to their left, with few continuing on straight into Macroom. Very true. But this assumes that they have indicated correctly, thereby enabling you to pull out. And it requires a leap of faith that an approaching car with its left indicator on is actually going to turn left. I tend to trust an indicator in a situation like that but many don’t…perhaps once bitten twice shy. As herself likes to say, there is no point being in the right but dead.

marno21

Most of the roundabout at the eastern end is complete with tarmac down on most of the approaches along with paving for the roundabout elements.

Itll be interesting to see when they start moving road works to the current N22 which will have to be cannibalised to finish this junction (same as east of Ballyvourney where the roundabout that’s half finished requires breaking up the active lanes to finish it)

marno21

Picture of the eastern terminal roundabout from last weeks Corkman. Photo is taken facing east

marno21

Signage up at Coolcower now warning of severe delays for 4 weeks commencing Monday coming with a stop go in place. Presumably theyre going finishing the tie in of the new roundabout to the existing road network.

Road paver

It will take a while longer than 4 weeks I'd say

marno21

https://twitter.com/bbarrymurphy/status/1522964375199694849?s=21

https://twitter.com/cheesysbuckley/status/1523072714839592960?s=21

https://twitter.com/wonkyankle/status/1520416779163607045?s=21

Sections around Macroom looking very advanced now.

Work on the tie in to the existing N22 commenced at Coolcower as expected today

Chris_5339762

Its 2+2, there won't be hard shoulders.

marno21

Drone footage

https://youtu.be/mbDk0sTJMYM

KrisW1001

Coolcower to Millstreet Junction looks to be only 3-6 months away from completion. I'd say there's a decent chance of it opening before the end of the year, as rumoured. As I've said a few times, even if they put down traffic cones and ran one lane of traffic each way at 60km/h it would still be preferable than driving through Macroom town centre.

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039838#Comment_119039838

Agreed with all that. The area around Coolcower is so far ahead of the rest of the scheme now it can’t be a coincidence.

The fact that they’re working heavily on the tie in at the eastern end is a massive plus too. No reason for them to be putting a roundabout on the existing N22 if it’s not going to be needed for 18 months.

dmeehan

Latest public notice re Upcoming road works at Coolcour on the Cork approach to Macroom: http://www.n22bbm.ie/n22bbm-fogra-poibli-public-notice-2/

Coolcour-Public-Notice-9th-May-2022-09.05.2022.pdf

TLDR:

"Online roadworks to construct the new junction between the existing N22 and the new N22, at the Cork end of the scheme at Coolcour, Macroom, are being carried out from early May until Friday 3rd June, using Stop/Go traffic management."

marno21

Latest footage from DroneHawk

https://youtu.be/37L-YDzVNVo

Taken over this weekend. Remarkable progress since the turn of the year.

I reckon it’s time to start talking about the when and how regarding a sectional opening

yerwanthere123

Is there a definitive list of the number of entrances/exits on the bypass, or is that simply marked on the bypass map route and I'm reading it wrong?

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119066895#Comment_119066895

There’s an exit at the Millstreet Road (R582), on the Ballymakeera-Clondrohid Road and at the western terminus with the existing N22. Roundabout with the existing N22 at the eastern end. No at grade junctions along the route and no junctions at the 2 locations the new road crosses the existing route (which will become the R608).

FreedomOfSpeechAndChoice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119067325#Comment_119067325

Does that mean that at the western end, the existing N22 will flow seamlessly onto the new DC?