M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

larryone

mfitzy wrote: »

Yes the Blackstairs and Wicklow mountains provide a lovely backdrop to the lush Barrow and Nore valleys! A lot of the other interurbans go through flat level midland type bogs, and are quite boring really.

Well, the M8 does have the Galtees and the Knockmealdowns, but you're right, the M9 will be a picturesque drive when it's completed.

weeslip

Hi,

I have been going over the plans but am not very familiar with some of the new areas the motorway will be traveling through.

I'm in Dublin (Citywest, Naas Road) three days a week. I'm coming from Wexford town, Enniscorthy, Bunclody, Tullow, Castledermot, M9 etc.

I am trying to figure out how much of the motorway i will be using , where i will be able to get on, is Carlow going to be the nearest on point i wonder.

Anybody with some (lots) more knowledge have any ideas roughly how much time i could be looking at saving.

Thanks for any help

fricatus

weeslip wrote: »

Hi,

I have been going over the plans but am not very familiar with some of the new areas the motorway will be traveling through.

I'm in Dublin (Citywest, Naas Road) three days a week. I'm coming from Wexford town, Enniscorthy, Bunclody, Tullow, Castledermot, M9 etc.

I am trying to figure out how much of the motorway i will be using , where i will be able to get on, is Carlow going to be the nearest on point i wonder.

Anybody with some (lots) more knowledge have any ideas roughly how much time i could be looking at saving.

Thanks for any help

Heading north, if you stay on the N80 after Bunclody (i.e. don't turn right towards Tullow), you'll eventually join the new M9 Carlow bypass. The motorway ends after around 5 miles and you have to turn off onto the old N9 going into Castledermot. However, you can see the new motorway being built going towards Dublin. As you continue past Castledermot and onto the existing M9 near Kilcullen, you can see the motorway being built.

Basically for your journey, it will replace the section of N9 between about Castledermot and Kilcullen.

fricatus

Lots of activity at two points now:

- there is a lot of machinery working now on the stretch between the M9/N24 Quarry roundabout and the Blackwater viaduct, which is the very end stretch of the motorway.

- heading north at Lukeswell bridge, just a few hundred metres before the big bridge carrying the M9 over the old road, if you look over to the right, you can see that some sort of tarmac layer is now in place. (Sorry, I don't know my CBM from my wearing courses... )

Road-Hog

Some new pictures on the Waterford City Council N25 Site....! Particularly around the suir bridge area

spacetweek

A while back some people were estimating M9 Powerstown-Waterford to open by August; is this still realistic?

Bards

spacetweek wrote: »

A while back some people were estimating M9 Powerstown-Waterford to open by August; is this still realistic?

never was going to be Powerstown (Southern end of Carlow Bypass) to Waterford opening by Aug 2009.

More than likely it will be Knocktopher to Waterford by September, and possibly as far as Danesford or perhaps Kilkenny depending on what Roadbridge have done on their section

emfifty

Road-Hog wrote: »

Some new pictures on the Waterford City Council N25 Site....! Particularly around the suir bridge area

excellent pics. the grannagh junction has the look of somethin american with the highway and all those cement pillars. this will look very slick when all is finished. ye waterfordians will be proud of your new infrastructure...(especially the suir bridge)

Chris_533976

Be embarassed of the link road between Grannagh and the M9 'junction' (roundabout) though

emfifty

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Be embarassed of the link road between Grannagh and the M9 'junction' (roundabout) though

sure. i agree with you there. i'm sure they will add free flow slips and the like over time when the traffic volumes increase.
it's not unusual to see roundabouts at the end of motorways. from memory there is a roundabout at the end of the (a)m4 at the entrance to gatwick airport!

Chris_533976

Yeah but this is different. A trumpet with the N24 and a second trumpet connecting the M9 to the N25 east of Grannagh would have made so much more sense than the traffic jam and developer friendly roundabout and link road that they built. In no other country (except maybe Holland) would such a ridiculous arrangement have been built.

road_high

There are a lot of signs put up around Crookstown area (end of Moone-Timolin bypass0 on the current N9 to do with local businesses protesting about the effect of the new road taking their business. They want a link road built apparently.
My understanding is that there is already such a link road under construction off the M9 to meet the current N9 to the junction with the R747 road. I presume they want something in addfition to this road?

murphaph

mfitzy wrote: »

There are a lot of signs put up around Crookstown area (end of Moone-Timolin bypass0 on the current N9 to do with local businesses protesting about the effect of the new road taking their business. They want a link road built apparently.
My understanding is that there is already such a link road under construction off the M9 to meet the current N9 to the junction with the R747 road. I presume they want something in addfition to this road?

If your business model is dependent on intercity traffic passing by your doorstep then you haven't got a sustainable business model. These jokers need to realise that the roads don't exist to bring them business.

BluntGuy

murphaph wrote: »

If your business model is dependent on intercity traffic passing by your doorstep then you haven't got a sustainable business model. These jokers need to realise that the roads don't exist to bring them business.

I'm sure some of these people are the same locals who were whinging to get the bypasses in the first place.

Can't have cake and eat it.

road_high

murphaph wrote: »

If your business model is dependent on intercity traffic passing by your doorstep then you haven't got a sustainable business model. These jokers need to realise that the roads don't exist to bring them business.

True but I do ahve a certain sympathy for them at the same time. They have invested in their businesses over the years.
What I don't understand is in the case of the M9, there IS a link road being built, is their argument that this is insufficient?

Road-Hog

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Yeah but this is different. A trumpet with the N24 and a second trumpet connecting the M9 to the N25 east of Grannagh would have made so much more sense than the traffic jam and developer friendly roundabout and link road that they built. In no other country (except maybe Holland) would such a ridiculous arrangement have been built.

Chris, can you elaborate on what you mean by trumpet? what is your baisis for the prediction of traffic jams at teh end of the M9? To make a proper assessment you'd really have to look at the models and predicted traffic volumes, somehow I dont' think that a 'red-cow' type scenario will develop at Grannagh

Chris_533976

http://www.cbrd.co.uk/reference/interchanges/trumpet.shtml

Thats a trumpet

I know the junctions that are being built were designed back in 1999, and I'm quite sure that the day this lot opens there will only be a minor traffic jam. But with the roundabout looking almost designed to have industrial estates tacked onto it, it wont be the same 10 years down the road.

It is absolutey inexcusable for there not to be a direct freeflow connection between the M9 and N25.

BluntGuy

Chris_533976 wrote: »

It is absolutey inexcusable for there not to be a direct freeflow connection between the M9 and N25.

The best they can do (cheaply) is provide a free-flow connection from the M9 to the N24 link road, bypassing the first roundabout, and provide a free-flow connection from the N24 link road to the N25 heading westbound.

Other movements will be a complete mess to try and sort out. Having all free-flow movements would require two more levels of grade seperation.

Road-Hog

Chris_533976 wrote: »

http://www.cbrd.co.uk/reference/interchanges/trumpet.shtml

Thats a trumpet

I know the junctions that are being built were designed back in 1999, and I'm quite sure that the day this lot opens there will only be a minor traffic jam. But with the roundabout looking almost designed to have industrial estates tacked onto it, it wont be the same 10 years down the road.

It is absolutey inexcusable for there not to be a direct freeflow connection between the M9 and N25.

The Mooncoin Bypass is scheduled to connect into the roundabout at the start/end of the M9, which will link up with the present piltown/fiddown bypass, which will make it a 4 exit roundabout. Still not sure how you can say that the roundabout 'is almost will have industrial estates' tacked onto it? Still think it will be a long time before this roundabout will need to be upgraded to a grade-seperated/free flowing type!

spacetweek

Road-Hog wrote: »

The Mooncoin Bypass is scheduled to connect into the roundabout at the start/end of the M9, which will link up with the present piltown/fiddown bypass, which will make it a 4 exit roundabout. Still not sure how you can say that the roundabout 'is almost will have industrial estates' tacked onto it? Still think it will be a long time before this roundabout will need to be upgraded to a grade-seperated/free flowing type!

Yea I dunno where you could locate industrial developments. You couldn't have them accessible from the M9 and the roundabouts will be busy linking up other movements. The estates would be better off down near the port or along the southern ring road.

TBH guys although I agree the N9/N24/N25 setup is sh1te, we're talking about miniscule traffic levels (16,000 AADT or thereabouts) so major congestion seems unlikely for a long time.

rameire

i will hopefully get updated pics tomorrow of the area around kilcullen, for the m9, n9, and athy link road in athy.
its one month on from the last lot of photos, might do this every month till the end.

just from driving by everyday, they seem to have done a good bit of work on the northern end of the m9 including the bridge structure, and also the new n9 junction, the link road in athy seems to have not progressed at all, so it could be a case of spot the difference with the new photo, and the only difference being there wont be any puddles.

rameire

New pics taken today,
new pics are ontop of old pics,
so new first, old second.

may

april

new athy link road looking South East,
area is beside where new athy roundabout will be located.

may

april

area overlooking where new N9 road will meet the N78.
the N78 is roughly 70 yards past the road sign.



april

New N9 road looking south east towards current N9, above photo is from the same spot but looking in opposite direction.



april

New N9 road from the current N9 looking North West at Kilcullen area.



april

New M9 road looking North towards current M9 and future tie in at Kilcullen.




april

Tie in area of New M9 with current N9 at Kilcullen.



april

New structure over new M9, where local road will cross motorway and Join the N9.



follow link for more pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rameire/sets/72157617431856739/ April pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rameire/sets/72157618891111601/ May Pics

rameire

may

april

New M9 road looking South West towards previous picture, structure can be seen in the background. location is same as 2 pics above.

amd just one more pic, this will be the new N9, N78 junction,
may

yellow012

Top man, excellent work Rameire, please keep it up.

road_high

Cheers for those Rameire. Athy link road seems least advanced. Does anybody know for certain whether this will carry the N78 tag or R747 (I think)??

W.B. Yeats

Looks like the section- Kilcullen to Carlow won't be open til sometime in November
There is a 10km race scheduled for November. I'm presuming this will be before the motorway is opened as I can't imagine them closing a motorway for a road race

fricatus

Electronic signs near Grannagh today say "New Road Layout 9 June".

Anyone any idea what's changing on Tuesday? Will we be going back to using the old N9 between the two little "fried egg" roundabouts (the N24/N9 one and the N9/Kilmacow Road one)?

That's the only thing I can think of, but it looks like there is still a ton of work to be done to get the road into shape down there. It looks like it's been destroyed by all the building work for the N9 and M25 flyovers.

cargo

I was heading southbound on the Carlow bypass Thursday evening around 8.30pm and there was a 2 truck convoy of large steel structures getting a garda escort who then performed a rolling block coming to the end of the bypass (tie in at Powerstown dump) and the 2 trucks took the two massive beams into the site there.

A further kilometre or so along towards Kilkenny, just over the trees I could see a large crane getting ready to lift something so they may have been the beams for the bridge to cross the Barrow there. Although the crane did seem to be alone and beams like that would probably need a support crane for manoeuvring also.

Thought I could make out a Thompson Engineering logo on one of the support vans so they are probably involved in the construction / placing of the beams. They are based in Carlow so a handy local job for them

Bards

fricatus wrote: »

Electronic signs near Grannagh today say "New Road Layout 9 June".

Anyone any idea what's changing on Tuesday? Will we be going back to using the old N9 between the two little "fried egg" roundabouts (the N24/N9 one and the N9/Kilmacow Road one)?

That's the only thing I can think of, but it looks like there is still a ton of work to be done to get the road into shape down there. It looks like it's been destroyed by all the building work for the N9 and M25 flyovers.

From http://www.waterfordcity.ie/n25bypass/news.htm

"The temporary diversion of Kilkenny and Dublin bound traffic via the existing N24 will remain in place until the deck and parapets of structures No’s 18,19,20 are in place which is envisaged to be mid June 2009."

hi5

cargo wrote: »

Thought I could make out a Thompson Engineering logo on one of the support vans so they are probably involved in the construction / placing of the beams. They are based in Carlow so a handy local job for them

Thompson Engineering are working on the bridge at Bennettsbridge for the last few weeks so that would make sense.

yellow012

Hi folks, just an update of the progress being made with the Athy – M9 link road.
This is my map of the scheme, it’s not 100% accurate but should give people an idea of the route and the general area.


Starting on the Athy side the first part of the scheme (N78 – Baile Ui Choilean) goes cross country. There is progress being made on this section but as it’s a green field route its not that easy getting pictures.
From Baile Ui Choilean to Burton the new road seems to follow the existing road. The first 3 pics show the road widening going on.


Just an observation but the road is being built fairly close to existing houses/warehousing on the route. I wonder was there CPO’s for some of the close by properties?


I’m not too sure whether this road is an access road or part of the main scheme?

yellow012

At Burton the road crosses green fields, and the real visible progress begins.


These 3 pics are taken about a mile further on.



The new scheme crosses the road here

Looking east towards the M9.

Quiet close to the M9.


This is where the road joins the M9 (the R747 junction).

The M9 looking north from the same spot.

murphaph

Is the Athy link road going to get an N number? It looks like the CPO boundary on the greenfield sections are wide enough to accomodate 2+2 easily-what road type is planned for this link?

johnbk

Have a look at Thomsons web site.
http://www.thompson.ie/structural-division/structural-portfolio/bridges2.htm

yellow012

murphaph wrote: »

Is the Athy link road going to get an N number? It looks like the CPO boundary on the greenfield sections are wide enough to accomodate 2+2 easily-what road type is planned for this link?

My suggestion would be to call it the N747 and they could then rename the Athy - Kilcullen section of the N78 to R78.
As regards the type of road as far as I know its going to be a single carriageway.

L1011

yellow012 wrote: »

My suggestion would be to call it the N747 and they could then rename the Athy - Kilcullen section of the N78 to R78.
As regards the type of road as far as I know its going to be a single carriageway.

Not a chance of there being three digit N or two digit R road numbers. Never existed before, would break all logic in our numbering system and may actually be against the law to do it.

L1011

BluntGuy wrote: »

I don't mind the new concrete median, but I just wish they'd add in a few wide median parts to vary it up. On the M8, there is a roughly 2km wide-median (new build) section near Cahir for example. Despite the fact it's horrendously maintained, it's still a welcome break from the concrete barrier.

If they were to do it like that, I'd have no reservations (excuse the awful road pun there) about it.

I thought I'd gone mad seeing that one time and every time I've passed since I've been looking for it to see if I thought right...

Is there any proper reason for it being WD3 at that point? Different builders, older plans, lie of the land, etc I wonder.

Carawaystick

I'd imagine it will become the N78 and the existing road will be downgraded to an R road.

The link road from Loughrea to the M6 will become the N65 and the existing N6 not on the N65 or N66 route will be downgraded to R road, according to an email from the nra about a year ago.

And the N52 was re-routed away from Kilbeggan to Tyrrelspass ( the mullingar side, not the Tullamore side.) so it now multiplexes with teh M6 for a while. This was when the new link road at Tyrrelspass was built so there's form there.

Sully

Bards wrote: »

From http://www.waterfordcity.ie/n25bypass/news.htm

"The temporary diversion of Kilkenny and Dublin bound traffic via the existing N24 will remain in place until the deck and parapets of structures No’s 18,19,20 are in place which is envisaged to be mid June 2009."

Well the diversion has stopped now. You go the old road under the new bridges now rather then going over by the N24 (thank god!). Local access is only permitted if you wish to go straight, so to connect to the N24 you head out the N9 and turn back right.

That road to the N24 - its very windy and I assume there is a bridge/overpass being constructed and a slip road further up which seems to go under the main road (which might be why its closed now).

Also good progress seems to be on the roads surrounding the crazy diversions.

road_high

I hope it does become the N78. The N78 will be obsolete north of Athy now anyhow as the M9 will be far quicker and safer even though slightly longer.
Such a pity they could not have thrown in a bypass or relief road for the n78 around Athy itself and remove a major bottlekneck. But no danger there would this kind of joined up thinking in building Irish infrastructure, sadly

AndrewMc

mfitzy wrote: »

I hope it does become the N78. The N78 will be obsolete north of Athy now anyhow as the M9 will be far quicker and safer even though slightly longer.
Such a pity they could not have thrown in a bypass or relief road for the n78 around Athy itself and remove a major bottlekneck. But no danger there would this kind of joined up thinking in building Irish infrastructure, sadly

The proposed Athy Southern Distributor Road is supposed to start at the same roundabout where the Athy Link Road will join the N78. But with an estimate bill of €42m (http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/No-money-for-Athy-southern.4942811.jp) it's not really something you can just "throw in" unfortunately

dougal

yellow012 wrote: »

Hi folks, just an update of the progress being made with the Athy – M9 link road.

The Athy link road seems to be progressing at a good pace from your photos.
Does anyone know how far along the Kilkenny link road is? I have seen some works at the Hebron roundabout but not sure how the rest is going.

road_high

dougal wrote: »

The Athy link road seems to be progressing at a good pace from your photos.
Does anyone know how far along the Kilkenny link road is? I have seen some works at the Hebron roundabout but not sure how the rest is going.

Looks fairly well advanced to me, the new N10 link road. Flyovers and bridges seem to be in place and all the road has been dug out and that. Just the end point at Hebron has had least attention as there is no need to disrupt too early in the project; it will be the last bit to be tied in.

fricatus

Crossing the Danesfort bridge, you can now see them putting up the concrete median barrier. A few days ago the activity was around the bend towards Kells direction, but in the past few days it has started to move closer and closer to Danesfort.

Hopefully that means the section from Knocktopher to Danesfort could be opened along with Waterford-Knocktopher (whenever that opens). It would be nice to drive on motorway between Danesfort and Waterford, rather than having to still suffer through Stonyford, Ennisnag and Knocktopher.

By the way, big metal poles have gone up on the left-hand-side heading out of KK towards Danesfort. They seem a bit far away to be anything to do with the motorway, although they look like they could be for signage. Anyone got any idea?

Also, any idea how the bit around Mullinavat is getting on? Last time I was there, I was shocked at how far behind they seemed to be (although in fairness it could just have been that little stretch that's visible from the bridge there).

dougal

mfitzy wrote: »

Looks fairly well advanced to me, the new N10 link road. Flyovers and bridges seem to be in place and all the road has been dug out and that.

I must take a spin out the road towards Clara some evening to see progress.
In fairness the rest of the motorway is progressing at a good pace so I'm sure this will be as good a job.

fricatus wrote: »

By the way, big metal poles have gone up on the left-hand-side heading out of KK towards Danesfort. They seem a bit far away to be anything to do with the motorway, although they look like they could be for signage. Anyone got any idea?

Yeah there are 8 poles there and I assumed they would be for motorway signage but this morning between Stoneyford and Knocktopher they seemed to be putting similar poles in too so I am not so sure now.
I'll take a closer look there this evening - I may have been seeing things.

fricatus

dougal wrote: »

...but this morning between Stoneyford and Knocktopher they seemed to be putting similar poles in too...

Yeah, I saw those... although they look to be a bit smaller than the Danesfort ones. In both cases, they're quite a bit away from the motorway, so I can't imagine them having anything to do with it.

Also, signage is usually the very last thing to go up when a new road is opened, and we're still a bit of a way off that road being complete.

road_high

fricatus wrote: »

Yeah, I saw those... although they look to be a bit smaller than the Danesfort ones. In both cases, they're quite a bit away from the motorway, so I can't imagine them having anything to do with it.

Also, signage is usually the very last thing to go up when a new road is opened, and we're still a bit of a way off that road being complete.

Ah I reckon, they must be. What else could they be? Remember the ones outside of Ballyhale are well away for the development too; you know the ones that say Spring 09!! Shouldn't be too long to wait now.

Am correct in sayin the Waterford N25 bypass is to open in tandem with M9 Waterford-Knocktopher. Perhaps that explains the slow recent progress despite the vast majority of the road being finished.

fricatus

mfitzy wrote: »

Am correct in sayin the Waterford N25 bypass is to open in tandem with M9 Waterford-Knocktopher. Perhaps that explains the slow recent progress despite the vast majority of the road being finished.

That seems to be the assumption. Maybe that's because the first few kms of the N9 (from Rice Bridge out to Dunkitt) is actually not being built under the Waterford-Knocktopher contract, but under the city bypass contract.

However the two aren't dependent on one another. The M9 will start at the Quarry roundabout near Grannagh Castle, and while it wouldn't be ideal, there's nothing to stop them routing traffic from there to the city centre using the existing roads.

If the M9 is to open in tandem with the bypass, that would mean it's set for a September or October opening. That would be seriously good news for users of the existing N9, since we'd be on motorway once the dark evenings come in again.

On another note, the concrete barrier that has been moving up from Kells towards Danesfort has now progressed beyond the N10 Danesfort bridge.

Roll on!

Road-Hog

fricatus wrote: »

That seems to be the assumption. Maybe that's because the first few kms of the N9 (from Rice Bridge out to Dunkitt) is actually not being built under the Waterford-Knocktopher contract, but under the city bypass contract.

However the two aren't dependent on one another. The M9 will start at the Quarry roundabout near Grannagh Castle, and while it wouldn't be ideal, there's nothing to stop them routing traffic from there to the city centre using the existing roads.

If the M9 is to open in tandem with the bypass, that would mean it's set for a September or October opening. That would be seriously good news for users of the existing N9, since we'd be on motorway once the dark evenings come in again.

On another note, the concrete barrier that has been moving up from Kells towards Danesfort has now progressed beyond the N10 Danesfort bridge.

Roll on!

I have it from good sources that there is no way that the entire waterford to knocktopher section of the M9 will be open by the end of the year, however there is a chance the section from Mullinavat to tie-in to the section being constructed under the Waterford Bypass contract may be open by Christmas, so it looks like another winter of dark evenings on the N9 as far as the Carlow bypass.

fricatus

Road-Hog wrote: »

I have it from good sources that there is no way that the entire waterford to knocktopher section of the M9 will be open by the end of the year, however there is a chance the section from Mullinavat to tie-in to the section being constructed under the Waterford Bypass contract may be open by Christmas, so it looks like another winter of dark evenings on the N9 as far as the Carlow bypass.

Thanks Road-Hog. Even if that bit opened by Christmas it would be better than nothing. The existing section of the N9 between the city and Mullinavat is the busiest bit, and parts of it are extremely dangerous - the roller-coaster section in particular...

Roll up, roll up, for the thrill of your lives! Gasp as you enter a blind bend combined with a hump-back dip! Shriek as you encounter a 40-foot lorry suddenly inches away from you! Scream as you brake for a tractor that's just pulled out from a concealed entrance! Yes ladies and gentlemen, the N9 will scare the wits out of you!