M7/M8 Portlaoise-Castletown-Cullahill Motorway (incl. Abbeyleix Bypass)

Amtmann

Hello All. I and a few others have been busily updating a few different threads on the progress of the M8.

I've posted pictures of the Cashel to Cullahill, Cashel to Mitchelstown, and Mitchelstown to Fermoy Schemes.

Information has been scant, however, regarding the last component of this route. Madman that I am, I'm considering making a joirney up to Rathdowney in September to see how the final scheme is coming along: the M7/M8 interchange.

I'd much prefer it if someone living in the vicinity would do it instead though! Surely someone on this forum has information about the scheme and how it's progressing...

NedNew

Furet, I totally agree, I would love to hear more about this section of road too... and you've been very good with your photos so far.

Hopefully somebody will have some feedback though.

Chris_533976

hehe yeah the trouble is this is MILES offline and noone from boards seems to be in the area Same with most of the N9! Would love to see what this ones up to tho.

corktina

came through the route from Borris to Abbeyleix yesterday...you come across the M7 and M8 in quick sucession so must be quite close to the junction....early days on bothe schems I would say....still earth moving byt he looks...

Amtmann

corktina wrote: »

came through the route from Borris to Abbeyleix yesterday...you come across the M7 and M8 in quick sucession so must be quite close to the junction....early days on bothe schems I would say....still earth moving byt he looks...

That's what everyone is saying. I know that where is fuses with the northern extent of Cashel to Cullahill, they're basically just moving earth.

It's strange, because they've been at it know for almost 14 months. The Fermoy to Mitchelstown scheme is only 7 months old, yet spectacularly far advanced.

Amtmann

Colour plate showing what the interchange will look like:

http://www.m7m8scheme.ie/eis/pdfs/EIS_M7M8_Volume6_Fig1-10.pdf

Plate 2 of same: http://www.m7m8scheme.ie/eis/pdfs/EIS_M7M8_Volume6_Fig1-11.pdf

And the infamous toll plaza: http://www.m7m8scheme.ie/eis/pdfs/EIS_M7M8_Volume6_Fig1-17.pdf

Rovi

Furet wrote: »

And the infamous toll plaza: http://www.m7m8scheme.ie/eis/pdfs/EIS_M7M8_Volume6_Fig1-17.pdf

I can see my house from here!

Well, actually, not quite; but I can see part of my farm.

I live close to where the scheme crosses the N-7, so I'll try to get some photos sometime soon.

Things have gone quite here lately; there was a flurry of activity building the embankments and foundations where the N-7 is going to be re-aligned over the M-7, but everyone seems to have fecked off now.

Stark

I wonder why they can't implement barrier free tolling like on the M50 instead of having that awkward toll plaza there. It'll be a busy enough section when it opens, what with having to carry traffic from both the M7 and the M8.

ipodrocker

Stark wrote: »

I wonder why they can't implement barrier free tolling like on the M50 instead of having that awkward toll plaza there. It'll be a busy enough section when it opens, what with having to carry traffic from both the M7 and the M8.

good point! especailly if u travel the whole cork road u will have to pay toll twice!

Rovi

Stark wrote: »

I wonder why they can't implement barrier free tolling like on the M50 instead of having that awkward toll plaza there. It'll be a busy enough section when it opens, what with having to carry traffic from both the M7 and the M8.

The plaza has been part of the plan since the scheme first got put on the drawing board, and that image hasn't changed since the first documentation I received back in late 2003.
Tolling technology/policy has moved along quite a bit since then and I don't know what the final plan is going to be, but the contractors are doing the groundwork over a very big area in that location, and it certainly looks like the layout of a full sized toll plaza along the lines of what's currently on the M-50.

ipodrocker wrote: »

good point! especailly if u travel the whole cork road u will have to pay toll twice!

Anyone driving from Cork to Belfast will be paying 4 tolls.

Amtmann

Rovi wrote: »

I can see my house from here!

Well, actually, not quite; but I can see part of my farm.

I live close to where the scheme crosses the N-7, so I'll try to get some photos sometime soon.

Things have gone quite here lately; there was a flurry of activity building the embankments and foundations where the N-7 is going to be re-aligned over the M-7, but everyone seems to have fecked off now.

Excellent Rovi! Just snap a few on your mobile. I think a lot of the builders are taking their August holidays, hence the quietness. What's the word on the ground up there with regard to the project being completed ahead of schedule? Last I heard was mid-2010 -- a few months ahead of the official deadline of winter of that year.

What Vision?

Can't believe that there is a river passing under the toll plaza area, it will be "dark water" for a really long section, How did this get by the OPW or the Dehlg or who ever it is. It will be a very long "dead section" of river

spacetweek

Furet wrote: »

Colour plate showing what the interchange will look like:

http://www.m7m8scheme.ie/eis/pdfs/EIS_M7M8_Volume6_Fig1-10.pdf

Interesting. From that pic, traffic heading M7 east can exit before the toll plaza without paying a toll.

Amtmann

spacetweek wrote: »

Interesting. From that pic, traffic heading M7 east can exit before the toll plaza without paying a toll.

It does look like that. But M8 traffic will have to pay. How come?

corktina

its an attempt to keep Dubs out of Cork...divert them all to Limerick....

childoforpheus

There is a junction on the M8 aswell not too far before the toll. I presume that there will be toll gantrys on these interchanges like on other toll motorways.

Amtmann

I notice that Exit 2 will be for what's called "Local Access". What exactly does this mean? Will anyone be able to use Exit 2, or just people local to the area?

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

I notice that Exit 2 will be for what's called "Local Access". What exactly does this mean? Will anyone be able to use Exit 2, or just people local to the area?

It's basically a type of junction that allows certain traffic to enter and exit the motorway, ensuring that everybody pays the toll. If Exit 2 was full access, you'd be able to avoid being tolled. In this example traffic will only be allowed to ENTER the northbound carriageway and EXIT on the southbound carriageway.

Danno

Lots of earth moved in the area and foundations going in for over bridge south of Cullohill.

Danno

Rovi wrote: »

The plaza has been part of the plan since the scheme first got put on the drawing board, and that image hasn't changed since the first documentation I received back in late 2003.
Tolling technology/policy has moved along quite a bit since then and I don't know what the final plan is going to be, but the contractors are doing the groundwork over a very big area in that location, and it certainly looks like the layout of a full sized toll plaza along the lines of what's currently on the M-50.

Anyone driving from Cork to Belfast will be paying 4 tolls.

I was in Salou recently and went from there to Barcelona, approx 50-60 miles and there were 5 tolls. Glad that it won't be that bad here!

Amtmann

Danno wrote: »

Lots of earth moved in the area and foundations going in for over bridge south of Cullohill.

I noticed that alright. Must say, progress appears to be very slow on this scheme. Considering it started fully 6 months before the Mitchelstown Fermoy Scheme, the contractor seems to have done very little. Which is ironic, because this scheme is the great tolled PPP, after all. :mad:

Danno

From what I have heard locally that the contractor who is on the Urlingford Cashel route is sending in the gang when that is finished... could see some impressive gains then if it be true...

RubberMammy

You have to pay because road tax is being spent on Berties pension payments.

Go back to bed Ireland.....the Gubberment has figured it all out.

And pay your TV license fee or we'll arrest you.........PS please tune in and watch the midweek movie, which is scheduled right in between the main evening news with 85 mins of advertising:p.

Amtmann

This newsletter is from last March, but it's still the most recent official published document about the scheme. It's quite interesting. Apparently, badger paths have been incorporated under the road {Furet is impressed}!

Anyway, see here: http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/ContractorsNewsletters/file,14420,en.pdf

BluntGuy

It doesn't tell you an amazing amount but thanks altogether for finding this...

Amtmann

The boards.ie poster clon has found the little publicised third contractor's newsletter for this scheme, viewable here: http://www.crg.ie/M7M8_Newsletter.pdf -- and it's absolutely useless.

A fourth newsletter is due to be released in November, but I won't hold my breath waiting for either its timely arrival or its value as an organ of actual news (i.e. progress) on this hugely important scheme.

We know next to nothing about this project. I tried to take photos, but all I could see on the one occassion I was up in Laois was a giant crater in the ground where the interchange will eventually be sited. Very few overbridges seem to be open. I might be wrong there, but no one's contradicted me so far. This seems to be the black sheep of the M8 upgrade schemes. It's proceeding at a snail's pace compared with all the others -- remarkable considering it's a PPP and, as such, will be tolled.

So once more, an appeal: if you live near the construction site, will you please give us as many updates as you can. Photos would be great too. Thanks.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

The boards.ie poster clon has found the little publicised third contractor's newsletter for this scheme, viewable here: http://www.crg.ie/M7M8_Newsletter.pdf -- and it's absolutely useless.

No wonder...

I'd be embarassed to have anybody read that uninformative piece of drivel. My full thoughts on it are in the M8 thread on the infrastructure forum anyway...

BluntGuy

Nothing much, but proof at least that the road may possibly be going somewhere. They've moved it forward to Q3 2010 it seems. Not much (only one quarter), but a good omen none-the-less...

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/news/story.asp?ID=1442

mysterious

I passed the by the new overbridge at the N7 that will take the Mountrath road over the M7, it does seems to be going at a really slow pace aswell.

The earth works at Moneygall, on the Castletown scheme only started a few months ago, and there are fairly already nearing to set the bridge placments in etc,and the earthworks there is massive in comparison to the narrow two lane bridge going up over the new M7 near Portlaoise. The Moneygall bridge is an interchange bear in mind.

The Castletown seems to be racing along at Moneygall. Will any of the N8 contractors be moving to the M7 works aswell to speed up there?

t does look like we will have The M7/M8 Portlaoise - Castletown scheme been the final leg to open between Btween Dublin - Limerick/Cork route.


Therefore in mid to late 2010 we will see a complete M7/M8 completed the same time. Seems like a double celebration planned for the fianna fail.

serfboard

mysterious wrote: »

The Castletown seems to be racing along at Moneygall.

and

mysterious wrote: »

Therefore in mid to late 2010 we will see a complete M7/M8 completed the same time. Seems like a double celebration planned for the fianna fail.

Just in time for Barack Obama's visit. Another reason to celebrate!

clon

Furet
the nra website has now been updated with another news leter from the M&/M8 scheme

http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/ContractorsNewsletters/file,15866,en.pdf

Amtmann

Thanks Clon.

Again, quite a poor newsletter. However at least we know now that they're behind schedule, as we've long suspected.

BluntGuy

The newsletter wasn't amazing, but more substantial than their last.

But they need a good website to keep us up-to-date...

BluntGuy

Just to update on the M7/M8 scheme:

1) Visible Earthworks have been going on, the scheme seems to be marked out (at least at the Cullahill area before it goes miles offline).

2) There is not one, nor two, nor three, but ZERO overbridges open. A disgrace. Those of you who attempted to watch the M8 vid I posted on the M8 Cullahill forum may have seen the half-finished overbridge which seems to be one of the few signs of progress on the route.

There is not much else to be seen from the N8, and I don't have any correspondence from people who have driven on the N7. This is why a much better update website is needed.

Cool Mo D

On the N7 side of things, there's definitely visible work going on, with what looks like an overpass or large bridge half finished near Mountrath, along with roadworks for the tie in with the existing M7. It's been pretty dark whenever I've been passing recently so I haven't gotten a good look.

Amtmann

Two photos of the scheme just south of Cullahill. The overbridge is huge for some reason, even though it will cross only a small boreen.

BluntGuy

Thanks for the pics Furet...

The first one is definately an indicator of good progress since those overbridges take months upon months to construct and it looks ready for parapets/surfacing etc.

The second is the famous "half-finished overbridge" some of us have been referring to. I would have expected it to be done by now.

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

Thanks for the pics Furet...

The first one is definately an indicator of good progress since those overbridges take months upon months to construct and it looks ready for parapets/surfacing etc.

The second is the famous "half-finished overbridge" some of us have been referring to. I would have expected it to be done by now.

Actually, it's the same overbridge taken from different locations!

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Actually, it's the same overbridge taken from different locations!

Really? I thought they were different.

The overbridge doesn't appear that big from the N8. But why is it so huge ? AFAIK, the road connecting to bridge is tiny...

L1011

Are they closing other crossing roads and diverting traffic on to that one (and widening it for that?).

Around here there were a fair few roads terminated and traffic moved on to upgraded roads which were given overbridges when the original M4 was built late 80s/early 90s.

Amtmann

When is the next newsletter due?

Hopefully it'll be better than the last one!

BluntGuy

This isn't exactly shocking news, but there isn't much to say about the project so I may as well post it:

From the AA Website...

Works are occuring on the N7 just west of Portlaoise. They are associated with the M7/M8 scheme...

Traffic restrictions with a stop/go system will be in place from 9:30am until 1pm. These works are part of the M7/M8 Motorway Project.

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/traffic/story.asp?id=98187

Rovi

What Vision? wrote: »

Can't believe that there is a river passing under the toll plaza area, it will be "dark water" for a really long section, How did this get by the OPW or the Dehlg or who ever it is. It will be a very long "dead section" of river

I met an engineer down there yesterday, to discuss his request to do some adjustments to my side of the river.
The Fisheries people refused to allow them to build the bridge under the approaches to the toll plaza as originally planned, for exactly the reason you state, too much 'dark water'.

I've grabbed a section of the .PDF linked above, and added some finger painting showing the detail of what's happening on the ground-


They've built a two part culvert with precast concrete sections, perpendicular to the mainline, with an open section between the service road and the mainline.
This reduced the dark water to a minimum and was acceptable to the fish people.
The realigned watercourse after the culvert on the map is being constructed with huge limestone slabs to keep it contained as designed.

I snapped a quick photo through the culvert while I was waiting for the engineer-

I'll try to get out in the daylight over the Christmas when there's no-one about, and get a few more.


I got talking to a man driving a roller, and he was telling me that all of the structures on the scheme are either complete or very close to completion, and that the scheme is way ahead of schedule to open towards the end of 2010.
A large number of foremen have been let go, and everyone else is on shorter time, starting later in the morning and finishing earlier in the evening.
This seems most odd to me, as I was under the impression that the main contractor would earn considerable bonuses for early completion, and letting people go and reducing working hours would be counter to that.
Anyhow, yer man on the roller appeared to have 'issues' with the people in charge, so perhaps his information may not be entirely accurate.

Amtmann

Many thanks for that Rovi.

I was talking to someone today who took the R434 west of Durrow past Ballacara village (I think that's how it's spelt!).

He said that there are two overbridges under construction that will divert the R434, and one of these is nearing completion. He said that many of the other overbridges basically just have column stumps in place.

Amtmann

Rovi wrote: »

A large number of foremen have been let go, and everyone else is on shorter time, starting later in the morning and finishing earlier in the evening.
This seems most odd to me, as I was under the impression that the main contractor would earn considerable bonuses for early completion, and letting people go and reducing working hours would be counter to that.

I don't like the sound of that. The team building the M-F Scheme work six days per week. Heading up to Clonmel from Cork last Saturday morning at 8.30am they were laying blacktop.
I still think something fishy is going on with the M7/M8 scheme.

Rovi

Furet wrote: »

Many thanks for that Rovi.

I was talking to someone today who took the R434 west of Durrow past Ballacara village (I think that's how it's spelt!).

He said that there are two overbridges under construction that will divert the R434, and one of these is nearing completion. He said that many of the other overbridges basically just have column stumps in place.

Ballacolla.

As I said, the man on the roller appeared to have his own agenda to pursue with the people further up the chain of command, so I wouldn't be placing 100% faith in what he was saying.

Amtmann

Thanks again for all the updates though Rovi. Very much looking forward to your photos over Christmas if you get a chance.

BluntGuy

First of all, thanks for the information Rovi.

Second, I have a few issues with the way the project is being handled. There is next to no information available about the project and updates are rare, relying on us to actually drive up there and physically SEE what's going on.

That's unacceptable, and should not be the case. Newsletters should be a least quartely, and should include relevant, concrete and detailed information about what is happening with the project at the moment, what has been achieved so far, and what the planned works for the coming months are. Good quality pictures that are captioned, so we know what they actually are should be included. Big blocks of vague text with no real facts or details are not newsletters and aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

As for the website, if you haven't seen it, it's this:

www.m7m8scheme.ie

That's simply not acceptable. There is simply nothing on the page. The EIS combined with a few meagre scraps of outdated information.

It is anticipated that the land required for the scheme will be acquired by Compulsory Purchase Order which will be published with the EIS.

Rovi

BluntGuy wrote: »

That's simply not acceptable. There is simply nothing on the page. The EIS combined with a few meagre scraps of outdated information.

The website is practically an archaeological relic in its own right at this stage; the main announcement on it is:

"A copy of the Environmental Impact Statement may be inspected at

Laois County Council,
National Roads Project Office, Clonkeen,
Portlaoise,
Co Laois.

between the hours of 9.30am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.30pm on working days between Wednesday 17th December 2003 and Friday 6th February 2004"


...so it's 5 years since that was posted, and nothing else appears to have been done there since then.

Amtmann

I did speak recently with one of the CRG spokesmen and complained about the website. He said they're not contractually obliged to maintain one, but that they are "looking at it". I also said the newletters could be improved, and he said they'd bear it in mind for the next issue.

I did say that the scheme has been getting a bit of a bashing here, and he seemed a bit concerned. I was assured the scheme is still on schedule.

MSporty

Approx 100 people have been let go off the M7 site since mid november, figure that