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M8 motorway (general thread)

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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    Danno wrote: »
    I heard today that December 5th will be the opening date for Cullohill to Cashel.

    Where did you hear that? I had been hoping for a late October/early November opening. They're lining most of the southbound carriageway now, while they're applying the final asphalt coating to the northbound carriageway. Still a good bit of tidying to do, as well as signing. At least two overbridges still aren't open yet.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    The Cashel Bypass now has a 120 km/h speed limit.

    Construction of the Mitchelstown to Fermoy Scheme continues to proceed rapidly. Asphalt has now been applied to some sections.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,147 ✭✭✭E92


    Furet wrote: »
    The Cashel Bypass now has a 120 km/h speed limit.
    I thought it was only supposed to be getting a limit of 100 km/h?

    Though if it has a limit of 120 then I, for one won't be complaining:D!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    E92 wrote: »
    I thought it was only supposed to be getting a limit of 100 km/h?

    Though if it has a limit of 120 then I, for one won't be complaining:D!


    Definitely 120. I drove it yesterday. I don't think anyone's complaining!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,468 ✭✭✭BluntGuy


    When will that Mitchelstown section be done would ya say?

    I don't see it taking until Q1 2010. Maybe sometime around May or June next year?


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    BluntGuy wrote: »
    When will that Mitchelstown section be done would ya say?

    I don't see it taking until Q1 2010. Maybe sometime around May or June next year?

    Would you believe me if I said April?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭marmurr1916


    Furet wrote: »
    Would you believe me if I said April?

    Sounds great! :D

    What's your latest ETA for the Cashel-Cullahill section?


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,853 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    That December 5th date sounds like a sure thing at this stage given that it's so precise. I mean they could easily have the road finished a month or so before then, but delay opening it until all the relevant politicians have their diaries free. Like they did with the N(M)6 Kilbeggan-Athlone. I do remember hearing lots of mentions of December before mentions of September/October.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,468 ✭✭✭BluntGuy


    Well, we'll know it's opening soon when they start erecting the signage...


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭xabi


    Furet wrote: »
    Definitely 120. I drove it yesterday. I don't think anyone's complaining!

    does it have 120 signs? Maybe they just havent put up the 100 signs yet.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    xabi wrote: »
    does it have 120 signs? Maybe they just havent put up the 100 signs yet.


    Plenty of 120 signs up.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,468 ✭✭✭BluntGuy


    So it's December 5th for the Cullahill-Cashel stretch? Hm... I expected it to open a bit earliar. Suppose I'll have to do my Christmas shopping a bit later this year.

    Anyway, I can't wait. When that scheme opens, about 2/3 of the M8 will be complete. I am eagerly awaiting the official opening date (even if it means that a bunch of politicians who contributed nothing to the project will be turning up to take the credit and giving long-winded speeches about how this fits in to the 'governments plan' etc.)

    As for the Mitchelstown-Fermoy section. Is it really gonna be open as early as April?! That's great news!

    That will be the one that really links the whole thing together. The gap in M between Fermoy and Mitchelstown is kinda annoying.

    Anyway, I just hope they put up signs before Exit 14 warning people that they're entering a toll motorway.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    BluntGuy wrote: »
    So it's December 5th for the Cullahill-Cashel stretch? Hm... I expected it to open a bit earliar. Suppose I'll have to do my Christmas shopping a bit later this year.

    Anyway, I can't wait. When that scheme opens, about 2/3 of the M8 will be complete. I am eagerly awaiting the official opening date (even if it means that a bunch of politicians who contributed nothing to the project will be turning up to take the credit and giving long-winded speeches about how this fits in to the 'governments plan' etc.)

    As for the Mitchelstown-Fermoy section. Is it really gonna be open as early as April?! That's great news!

    That will be the one that really links the whole thing together. The gap in M between Fermoy and Mitchelstown is kinda annoying.

    Anyway, I just hope they put up signs before Exit 14 warning people that they're entering a toll motorway.


    Well, one of the builders told me last July that Roadbridge wanted Mitchelstown to Fermoy finished by March. I'm after adding another month to that arbitrarily; these things never go according to the builders' plans. But the pace of construction is shockingly fast from what I've seen.

    That stretch is super dangerous too. Too bendy, no hard shoulder at one side, and too many farm entrances, tractors, pub entrances in dangerous locations.


  • Registered Users Posts: 419 ✭✭bawn79


    "That will be the one that really links the whole thing together. The gap in M between Fermoy and Mitchelstown is kinda annoying."

    The gap that really annoys me is from Cullahill to the existing M7, Abbeyleix is such a bottle neck and there is no way around it.
    Im sure once Cashel Cullahill is finished it will only get worse as traffic gets to the bottle neck from the south quicker.
    What is the news on this piece of the road being completed, it must be well into 2009?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 430 ✭✭Steviemak


    Abbeyleix will be hell for another year and a half by the looks of it. That stretch should have been one of the first completed as it is so vital to the M8 and M7.

    And as bad as that stretch is now it will be worse when the Cashel Cullahill section is finished in Dec as I expect Durrow may become an extra bottle neck. Currently Urlingford Johnstown etc stretch the traffic out before it hits Durrow. Soon it'll motorway traffic all converging on Cullahill and Durrow.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    The NRA has applied to have Watergrasshill to 400m north of Dunkettle redesignated as motorway in Tranche Two of their redesignation agenda.

    Thumbs up, except what's the point in having motorway restrictions in operation to only 400m north of Dunkettle?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,663 ✭✭✭serfboard


    Furet wrote: »
    The NRA has applied to have Watergrasshill to 400m north of Dunkettle redesignated as motorway in Tranche Two of their redesignation agenda.

    Thumbs up, except what's the point in having motorway restrictions in operation to only 400m north of Dunkettle?

    Would it be something to do with not wanting traffic going from 120km/h to a dead stop at the interchange?


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,853 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    Nah, it's the norm to have motorway restrictions right up to the terminal interchange. I imagine it's to do with traffic coming from Glounthane being able to enter onto the road going southbound at this point.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭xabi


    Stark wrote: »
    Nah, it's the norm to have motorway restrictions right up to the terminal interchange. I imagine it's to do with traffic coming from Glounthane being able to enter onto the road going southbound at this point.

    Probably right, but going north it should start at the roundabout, or should both lanes start and stop at the same point.

    X.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,735 ✭✭✭Irish and Proud


    Furet wrote: »
    The NRA has applied to have Watergrasshill to 400m north of Dunkettle redesignated as motorway in Tranche Two of their redesignation agenda.

    Thumbs up, except what's the point in having motorway restrictions in operation to only 400m north of Dunkettle?

    I think there's an on-ramp to the N8 SB just before the roundabout - maybe it's essential access for non-motorway traffic.

    Regards!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,282 ✭✭✭D.L.R.


    It probably has something to do with the future upgrade of the N8/N25 interchange. Little bit of headroom.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    I'm just thinking that traffic coming out of the Jack Lynch tunnel heading north for Dublin will find that they can enter the N8 - for 400m - before motorway restrictions come into force. This means (technically) that a tractor or JCB can come out of the tunnel, take the Dublin road and then will find itself on a motorway with no way off until the Glanmire sliproad some 5km later.

    Surely this is a ridiculous proposition? Signing at the Dunkettle roundabout will be...interesting, to say the least.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,853 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    I'm sure the N8 northbound from Dunkettle will implicitly inherit motorway restrictions if it leads inescapably to motorway.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭marmurr1916


    Furet wrote: »
    I'm just thinking that traffic coming out of the Jack Lynch tunnel heading north for Dublin will find that they can enter the N8 - for 400m - before motorway restrictions come into force. This means (technically) that a tractor or JCB can come out of the tunnel, take the Dublin road and then will find itself on a motorway with no way off until the Glanmire sliproad some 5km later.

    Surely this is a ridiculous proposition? Signing at the Dunkettle roundabout will be...interesting, to say the least.

    I'm pretty sure that motorway regulations will apply from the roundabout on the northbound carriageway.

    It'll just mean that the southbound M8 will be 400 metres shorter than the northbound M8!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,468 ✭✭✭BluntGuy


    Wanna know what's gonna be happening at Cullahill temporary terminus of the M8? Well here's an extract from the Portlaoise-Cullahill EIS (bare in mind that when this was written, it was expected that the Portaloise-Cullahill M8 would have been completed before the Cashel-Cullahill M8 - but the idea is still clear):

    The motorway [The M8 Cullahill-Portlaoise] commences on the Cullahill to the M7/M8 Motorway-Motorway Interchange section of the M7/M8 Scheme at the Oldtown Roundabout [Cullahill roundabout]. The Oldtown Roundabout is designed so as to temporarily link the proposed M8 to the existing N8 in both the direction of Cullahill and Cashel. It is intended that the Oldtown Roundabout will be removed on completion of the N8 Cullahill to Cashel Scheme as a link to the existing N8 will no longer be required at this point.

    You can read it yourself on page 31 of this EIS:

    http://www.m7m8scheme.ie/eis/pdfs/EIS_M7M8_Volume2_Introduction_and_Scheme_Description.pdf


    Basically, what they're saying is that once both schemes are complete, the roundabout will be removed.

    It explains why 11 km of the Cullahill-Cashel scheme (up to junction 4) had a motorway order attached to it from the beginning.

    However, I have a big problem with this. If the roundabout being constructed is ultimately removed, it will mean that the toll section of motorway is (in effect) being extended 11 km to Urlingford. I think it's very devious the way they're trapping people into using a toll road.

    Hopefully the roundabout at Cullahill will be maintained so that people who wish not to use the toll route do not have to exit 11 km before its commencement at Urlingford. It's very unfair.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,082 ✭✭✭Chris_533976


    Yup, that was the plan from the start. Didnt know they were going to do it with a roundabout though. Its a bit devious indeed.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭marmurr1916


    Hopefully local pressure will mean it's kept. It would be much better to allow people the option of exiting the M8 at Cullahill and following the soon-to-be old N8 to Portlaoise.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,853 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    Can it actually be kept though? I remember the Cashel bypass being terminated by roundabouts with the old N8 at both ends but they had to be removed to make way for sliproads and dumbbell roundabouts and to allow it to continue seamlessly into the new M8 sections.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,093 ✭✭✭Amtmann


    The Cork Roads Office tell me they'll have the webpage for the Mitchelstown to Fermoy scheme updated comprehensively within three weeks.

    The crowd up at the other end in Laois were characteristically unhelpful and clueless (the "national roads office" at Laois Co Co).


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,663 ✭✭✭serfboard


    Yup, that was the plan from the start. Didnt know they were going to do it with a roundabout though. Its a bit devious indeed.

    And it also represents a public subsidy to a private company, giving "them" (the toll operator) 11km of "our" road.:mad:


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