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

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743449#Comment_120743449

Right on time the first pile of Counciller approved sludge has appeared in the Independent.

The removal of a roundabout which was installed at Carrigaphooka to enable the early opening of the Macroom bypass could result in the return of heavy goods truck traffic jams to Macroom, a Fine Gael councillor has warned.

Cllr Ted Lucey was speaking to The Corkman this week following confirmation that the N22 bypass will be closed from August 8 until 11 am on August 11 when the bypass, extended to just Túnlán, just east of Baile Mhúirne in the Múscraí Gaeltacht, will re-open.

“My concern is that trucks coming from Cork bound for west Cork will drive through the town rather than come on the bypass to the exit near Millstreet Cross.

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/cork/news/fear-macroom-truck-traffic-may-return-once-roundabout-is-removed-outside-cork-town/a565161188.html

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120781436#Comment_120781436

Tell me Ted what route will these imaginary trucks be taking? To Glengarrif? They'll at worst come off the Coolcower roundabout, turn left at Hartnett's Cross and not go through the town at all.

Any other trucks going from Cork to West Cork will have exited the N22 way before Macroom.

Torrey

And so it starts. There is a post up on Macroom notice board on Facebook stating the same thing, and if the comments are anything to go by there will be alot of pissed off people when this roundabout does get removed 😂

niloc1951

I wonder does Cllr. Ted have some property in the vicinity of Carrigaphooka which would have its value enhanced by local access to and from the by-pass.

His argument about trucks needing access/egress to the by-pass at this point is real spurious.

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120791017#Comment_120791017

No I just think his ear is full of people from that general area looking to keep it open

Keeping it open with the section west of there open would render the new road a greater safety hazard than the old road I think.

Jayuu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120791068#Comment_120791068

It was always the risk with this. There was a good reason to put it there on a tempoarary basis and reap some benefit from the first phase of the project. However once you've give people something it's very hard to take away even if it's for the correct reasons.

This is a mountain/molehill situation. Once it's gone most people will forget it was ever there. Hopefully TII (or whoever is in charge) will hold firm here and not compromise the overall design.

cantalach

I very much doubt TII will give a fiddler's what local councillors think in this case. They can recognise vote-winning populism just like the rest of us can. And even if this gligín is correct that some truck drivers will choose to go east through town instead of turning left at the Millstreet Cross, doesn't he as a county councillor have the ability to propose a by-law banning HGV through traffic? The road through Macroom is now a non-national road so Cork County Council has a lot more control over it than they did before.

arsebiscuits82

Drove out there over the weekend. The wearing course has started from the temporary roundabout, further west it looks like they are getting ready for the black stuff through the big cut, with surfacing laid as far as the big bridge before the big cut. It won't be long closing in.

Apogee

Report from TG4 about issues relating to services signage for Múscraí - confirms next section of bypass to open next month.

https://twitter.com/NuachtTG4/status/1677018559312977941

Water John

Travelled west to Kerry today. The 24/7 security is still at the 2 mile bridge. This must be in place about 12 years now. Is this specially for the old codger in the caravan or what? Any enlightenment?

AugustusMinimus

What’s the plan for the roundabout when the new section opens? Block access to the old road and remove the roundabout via online work over the following week?

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120819419#Comment_120819419

The bypass is closing for 4 days in August, August 8th to 11th. Roundabout will be removed from the new mainline over those 4 days and the new road will open the whole way from Coolcower to Ballyvourney on the 11th.

AugustusMinimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120819441#Comment_120819441

Great. The chance of that roundabout staying or being reinstated is virtually nil so.

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120819452#Comment_120819452

If access to the N22 is to be provided at that location it would have to be some sort of retrofitted slip roads and I can't see it happening tbh.

The current mess has to go or it would be a complete death trap when the new section opens.

yerwanthere123

Will be mad having the bypass close for a few days in August, will serve as a nice reminder of why it was so badly needed!

peter.teahan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120821578#Comment_120821578

It'll still be open from the Millstreet junction

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120840596#Comment_120840596

We’ll get to see what it would have been like if the temp roundabout had never been put in in that case.

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120840596#Comment_120840596

Is that definitely the case? I thought the whole thing was closing - probably to pacify the residents up that direction.

KrisW1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120842065#Comment_120842065

...at the expense of everyone else in Macroom? To quote St Benedict: "F__k them".

dmeehan

Here is the latest newsletter from the contractor: http://www.n22bbm.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/N22BBM-Newsletter-July-2023-EN.pdf

ADKELMAC

Re: Slievereagh junction.

1. Looking at the layout of the junction it appears like there is only access to the N22 from Ballyvourney west (Mills Inn side) to head west, no exit off at Slievereagh if you re on the new road heading west and need to come off to head to the Mills / Coolea etc.
2. There is access from Slievereagh junction to get onto the bypass / N22 to head east. If you’re coming from the west there is the no exit from the N22 to come into Ballyvourney on the western (Mills Inn side).

Basically you can’t exit off the Slievereagh junction to access the Mills / Coolea area

Exit from the N22 is only from the Toonlane junction to allow access Ballyvourney west/Mills/Coolea area

Is this correct?

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120854263#Comment_120854263

Yes as I understand it.

There’s west facing slips only. So you can get onto the N22 westbound at Slievereagh and you can exit for Baile Bhuirne coming from Killarney. You can’t exit coming from Macroom or you can’t get onto the new road towards Macroom

2 options:

a) Exit at Toonlane

b) Continue and do a U turn either on the road or at one of the side roads west of Slievereagh

I’m not for a second advocating option b but I can see it happening.

ADKELMAC

Yes, I can see a lot of U turns on the county boards.

Slievereagh & Carrigaphooca…….two incomplete junctions on the one project.

Torrey

So just to be clear on this, can you exit for Ballyvourney at the Slievereagh junction coming from Killarney?

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120854410#Comment_120854410

Yes. And re-enter heading west.

No eastbound entry/westbound exit.

KrisW1001

That makes perfect sense. Pretty much all Eastbound traffic will free-flow into the new road; any eastbound join here would be from Baile Bhuirne anyway, so it's no big deal to join at Tonn Lain at the east end of Baile Mhic Íre instead. A westbound exit would really serve nowhere much as you've just passed the only significant settlement for 10 km: most westbound exiters would immediatey U-turn back into Baile Bhuirne, so it's better that they use Tonn Lain instead.

That western "junction" is really a tie-in with the existing route, and it seems to have been limited in order to make a 2+2 upgrade to the west simpler to achieve.

peter.teahan

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/51.95841/-9.19314 suggests you can exit the new road at the Slievereagh end coming from Macroom direction but the latest dronehawk video shows different.

marno21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNbyQtfcKvk

Really starting to look complete now.

I have to say; what a fine job by the contractors here. It does look excellent altogether, there are no words to describe how much of an improvement it is over the old route. It is quite the leap forward.

The tie in at the western end is fantastic too.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120861143#Comment_120861143

Does anyone know that since 3 big road projects are finishing up (Macroom, Dunkettle, Mayo) this will free up construction workers and will help a bit in alleviating the housing crisis?

peter.teahan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120861176#Comment_120861176

Adare bypass has to be next :)