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

irishshadowfax

good news - thanks folks... it'll be interesting to see what the lobby group of macroom businesses try next to halt these plans...

Axel Lamp

irishshadowfax wrote: »

lobby group of macroom businesses

If this 'Lobby group' had a brain between they would realise that a gridlock free town would actually help their businesses. See Abbeyleix

imangry29

Apogee wrote: »

From Saturday's Irish Times - see attached.

On a related question, why are the 60 km/h speed limits still in force eventhough the roadworks between Macroom and Ballyvourney were apparently completed months ago?

Great result and only about 12 years overdue! After the announced PPPs this must be closest to 'shovel ready'. How much did this ridiculous case cost the State I wonder? Re 60km speed limits I am getting increasingly wary we are headed for redo of the resurfacing job done west of Macroom. I think this was alluded to in previous posts? It was in newspaper article a few months back anyway http://www.independent.ie/regionals/corkman/news/weeks-of-n22-roadworks-may-have-to-be-redone-29028964.html. On Friday last and again this morning, traffic was reduced to one lane and there were a lot of guys who appeared to be surveying or sizing things up..... Not a stitch of work was started but they are up to something!

Quickelles

Axel Lamp wrote: »

If this 'Lobby group' had a brain between they would realise that a gridlock free town would actually help their businesses. See Abbeyleix

Back in the day, Naas traders worried about the effects of them not having a permanent queue of congested traffic clogging the main street!

The bypass improved things immensely; but even if it didn't, there is NO justification for forcing folk trying to get from Cork to Kerry to have to waste time in Macroom to benefit a handful of rip-off merchants. :mad:

holdfast

Great to see it get closer to happening. Hope it will get put on the next list of road projects.

munchkin_utd

Quickelles wrote: »

<snip>
The bypass improved things immensely; but even if it didn't, there is NO justification for forcing folk trying to get from Cork to Kerry to have to waste time in Macroom to benefit a handful of rip-off merchants. :mad:

True, but on the other hand a situation like in Gort where coming from Limerick you are forced to bypass the town and come back in the Galway side is no good either.

Apogee

Irish Examiner wrote:

Plans for a multimillion euro 40km bypass of one of the worst bottlenecks on the main Cork to Kerry road have taken a major step forward.
A High Court challenge against the Macroom bypass on the N22, approved by An Bord Pleanála in Apr 2011, has concluded.
...

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/macroom-bypass-a-step-closer-as-legal-way-cleared-237734.html

imangry29

Apogee wrote: »

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/macroom-bypass-a-step-closer-as-legal-way-cleared-237734.html

Good to hear Council active on CPO. But the mention of 40km is a bit off, the later 22km reference (limited to Ballyvourney to Macroom) is more accurate. The last section needing upgrade (east of macroom to ballincollig) is a good 15 years away I'd say. In Celtic Tiger times it was the plan to do the full 40km stretch but they halved it to ensure some progress. Everything east of Macroom is much further behind in basic design and there has been no work on planning/EIS. Don't think it will go anywhere until dunkettle, N28 ringaskiddy, NRR and M20 are all well on their way. Some more spend on the N25 would probably beat it. Having said all that, once ballyv-Macroom is done, a big bright light will shine on the really bad bit left Macroom-lissarda.

CB19Kevo

In reality when can we expect this to be started.
Is it possible to be started in the next 2 years or is it 5 years+.

The current state of the road is a joke and i myself have had a few near misses with trucks on the bad bends.

irishshadowfax

It might not be that far off - If it was a PPP we could expect it to start in 2 years but the negative being it'll prob be tolled...

AugustusMinimus

Anyone know the details of where the bypass will start and where it will end ?

Is the bad section between Lissarda and Macroom not going to be done as part of this scheme.

HQDC/Motorway to Macroom and 2+2 for the rest was the original scheme IIRC ?

spacetweek

irishshadowfax wrote: »

It might not be that far off - If it was a PPP we could expect it to start in 2 years but the negative being it'll prob be tolled...

I doubt it would be viable as a toll road, as it'll only be a 2+2 dual carriageway, and not connected to other high-quality roads at either end.

spacetweek

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Anyone know the details of where the bypass will start and where it will end ?

Is the bad section between Lissarda and Macroom not going to be done as part of this scheme.

HQDC/Motorway to Macroom and 2+2 for the rest was the original scheme IIRC ?

I have it drawn on this page. Zoom in to Macroom and it's the green line heading west.
Yes, the bad section is included in the scheme.
Yes, HQDC from Ballincollig to Macroom then 2+2 after that.

AugustusMinimus

spacetweek wrote: »

I have it drawn on this page. Zoom in to Macroom and it's the green line heading west.
Yes, the bad section is included in the scheme.
Yes, HQDC from Ballincollig to Macroom then 2+2 after that.

Ah, excellent stuff. Can I ask, what were the originals plans for the N25 between Midleton and Youghal ?

spacetweek

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Ah, excellent stuff. Can I ask, what were the originals plans for the N25 between Midleton and Youghal ?

It was never fully decided whether that'd be HQDC or 2+2, but 2+2 seems to be likely, so I drew it as 2+2 on the same map.

Chris_5339762

AFAIK they never got as far as route corridor selection even.

imangry29

spacetweek wrote: »

I have it drawn on this page. Zoom in to Macroom and it's the green line heading west.
Yes, the bad section is included in the scheme.
Yes, HQDC from Ballincollig to Macroom then 2+2 after that.

The 22km route that was approved through planning is shown in attached. Only a short stretch east of Macroom (as far as the first bridge) is included. The rest of the road to and through Lissarda is part of the Macroom-Ovens scheme (initial plan for this was HQDC) which is suspended and not yet at planning application stage.

spacetweek

imangry29 wrote: »

The 22km route that was approved through planning is shown in attached. Only a short stretch east of Macroom (as far as the first bridge) is included. The rest of the road to and through Lissarda is part of the Macroom-Ovens scheme (initial plan for this was HQDC) which is suspended and not yet at planning application stage.

Thanks for that, didn't know. I see it goes further west than my map but not as far east. Will update map.

imangry29

The final piece of the legal jigsaw, High Court refuses the objectors leave to appeal to Supreme Court.

http://www.courts.ie/Judgments.nsf/09859e7a3f34669680256ef3004a27de/3cdc28c2a322f06380257bba0036ad29?OpenDocument

imangry29

From minutes of Cork County Council (22 July 2013) http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/web/Cork%20County%20Council/About%20Us/Council%20Meetings

"N22 Macroom Bypass

Cllr. A. Moynihan said that following the decision of An Bord Pleanála, there is now a limited time to serve Notice to Treat for the Macroom bypass and the Council cannot afford to lose the contract at this time. He queried if the Council is in a position to advance the land purchase at this stage.

Cllr. M. Creed said that he would have no doubt that the Council is well prepared and capable of progressing the N22 bypass.

The Manager said that this is an important road and the Council is very committed to delivering it within the timeframe and intends to issue Notices to Treat. He said the relevant documentation would have been prepared in advance to secure the land and then go to contract and tender stage, when funding becomes available. He said it is a good news day for Macroom and the bypass will enhance the tourist route between Cork and Kerry."

CB19Kevo

Any more developments on this, I see the council as having blood on there hands if someone dies on the stretch of road between ballyvourney and macroom or the bad section towards Cork out of macroom.

The drainage of the current road and the bends are shocking bad.

Axel Lamp

CB19Kevo wrote: »

Any more developments on this, I see the council as having blood on there hands if someone dies on the stretch of road between ballyvourney and macroom or the bad section towards Cork out of macroom.

The drainage of the current road and the bends are shocking bad.

Sweet phuck all. It ain't on the 2013-2016 NRA plan, so nothing will happen before then. Cork County Council have no money to spend on it either. Minimum 3 more years of misery ahead of us.

All we will see is random lengthy pointless roadworks before the end of year as the Council uses up the 2013 budget to ensure it gets a decent 2014 budget - cue more misery for us.

Council don't give a sh1t about deaths/accidents on that road. They have the speed limit to hide behind if anyone tries to hold them accountable.

irishshadowfax

Axel Lamp wrote: »

Sweet phuck all. It ain't on the 2013-2016 NRA plan, so nothing will happen before then. Cork County Council have no money to spend on it either. Minimum 3 more years of misery ahead of us.

All we will see is random lengthy pointless roadworks before the end of year as the Council uses up the 2013 budget to ensure it gets a decent 2014 budget - cue more misery for us.

Council don't give a sh1t about deaths/accidents on that road. They have the speed limit to hide behind if anyone tries to hold them accountable.

well put

imangry29

http://michaelcreedfg.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/creed-continues-campaign-for-n22-bypass-scheme-in-dail-debate/

I think this is the first statement from Varadkar / DTTAS that shows the project is on some form of radar but there seems to be a fixation on the current PPP programme and no interest beyond that. Perhaps because the current PPP scheme will comprise the bulk of road construction activity during current Govt lifetime. Unless they are cooking up the next stimulus plan to be announced before local elections / general election 2016, doubtful there will be much else said about it. The need to upgrade Dunkettle will probably be the necessary catalyst as there is absolutely no political / Departmental / NRA drive to see the Macroom Bypass to fruition as a stand-alone scheme (apart from Michael Creed who ain't exactly pen pals with Enda these days). The more I've contemplated it driving the current N22, the more I realise the extent of the dire situation east of Macroom. The Macroom to Lissarda section will remain a horrendous choke point, compounded by high speed vehicles coming off a dual carriageway on to a severely sub-standard stretch of road that is a laughing stock of a "national primary" route.

Kingdomkerry

Any updates?

cillo2000

Kingdomkerry wrote: »

Any updates?

Nothing positive unfortunately:

Brendan Malone
13 December 2014 12:00 AM

There will be no 'fast track' route for the long-awaited Macroom-Ballyvourney bypass and it's a case of progressing the project with whatever money is available for next year.

That's what has arisen after FF Councillor Aindrias Moynihan lobbied Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe and reported back to the council last week. While the minister said the Muskerry bypass was 'at or near top priority' there is also heavy lobbying for other schemes throughout the country.

The Minister also said the fast-track route, which was recently used for the N22 Tralee bypass, was unlikely for Macroom and that the slower public private partnership (PPP) or European investment options were the more likely way.

"He said he was bringing forward a plan but he could not say how soon he would do so," said FF Cllr Aindrias Moynihan (pictured). "This is very concerning and needs to be resolved without delay."

"Over €18.5 million will be needed to buy the land, according to the county manager so if we are, as the Minister says, a top priority we should be able to expect to get the necessary funding now," added Cllr Moynihan.

€4 million was provided last year and next year's allocation should be announced shortly. However, there has been no move yet on tendering for construction.

The town has suffered for years from severe traffic congestion and the lack of a bypass has been blamed for holding up development of the region.

"The bypass is not just a Macroom problem, it s a wider regional issue affecting much of the South West and our deputation impressed this on the Minister," added Cllr Moynihan.

The deputation to the minister was backed up with support from Killarney Municipal Council as well as Kerry Oireachtas representatives.

imangry29

Little updates on this scheme unfortunately - looks like we have to wait for an election. For 2015, Cork County Council have been allocated €5million to continue progress on land acquisition on foot of CPO. N28 Ringaskiddy allocated €1.2m in funding.
[from NRA website > publications > NRA allocations 2015]
[See also Irish Examiner > "land-acquisition-for-top-priority-scheme-in-cork-could-take-four-years"]

If Examiner article is true, it is still positive that "deals" have been reached with 40 ex 120 landowners. With election looming I doubt (or at least hope!!) this scheme will be left to run without a larger injection of cash until 2018. Although if it is decided to bundle N28 Ringaskiddy with Dunkettle (instead of N22 Ballyvourney Macroom+Dunkettle), the scheme could yet again be tossed on the forgotten heap altogether.

The PER website had it before Christmas that the Govt's next multi-year Capital Plan would be published on foot of Budget 2015 around year end 2014. That statement has since been modified to say "The report of the capital review is being finalised....".
[PER website > Expenditure menu > Capital Investment]
I'm guessing the Spring Statement at the end of April will announce some high level figures promising lots of "new" road and rail projects. Then between May and the election, a drip feed of the goodies which have all probably been decided already.

Other articles from recent months:
[Evening Echo> public-private-partnership-considered-for-dunkettle-interchange]
[Examiner > tourism-hampered-by-on-hold-road-plans]

One interesting comparison (in progress terms) is the N4 Collooney-Castlebaldwin scheme in Sligo (smaller, later to planning-approved stage than N22 and approx. half the price - I think). N4 tenders since published for site investigations, archaeology and even fencing, no such similar preparatory works for N22. Is it a case of Sligo Co Co boxing clever and having their scheme as shovel ready as absolutely possible? Looking at the planning conditions attached to Ballyvourney-Macroom, there is plenty of pre-commencement work / surveys the Council could be moving on...

A malacologist must be found to agree with NPWS a plan for a receiving environment for the long term trans-location of the Kerry Slug. A special landscaping scheme has to be designed for the section north of Ballymakeera/Ballyvourney. A detailed historic photograph survey has to be commissioned at three locations on the route. Wouldn't it be prudent to set all of this in motion now? Five to six figures sums surely worth spending out of current allocation, to avoid future delays?

AugustusMinimus

At this stage is settle just for the Macroom-Ballyvourney section to be done with the Balincollig Macroom section to follow.

Interesting to see if it will be the M22 when finished. Can see no reason why not give alternative routes etc.

Leonard Hofstadter

I notice that according to this Irish Examiner article, the Government is due to announce another roads package within the next six weeks.

Among the projects being lobbied for is the Macroom bypass, which is certainly well overdue. Fingers crossed it might be one of the ones to be included whenever they announce it!

aisling86

captainspeed wrote: »

I notice that according to this Irish Examiner article, the Government is due to announce another roads package within the next six weeks.

Among the projects being lobbied for is the Macroom bypass, which is certainly well overdue. Fingers crossed it might be one of the ones to be included whenever they announce it!

Taoiseach in Ballyvourney tonight....fingers x for good news.
Anyone know exact route around Macroom?