M50 Red Cow Interchange

ipodrocker

Does anyone know the estimated completion of the n7 interchange? Will it be completed by the end of the year??

chewed

ipodrocker wrote: »

Does anyone know the estimated completion of the n7 interchange? Will it be completed by the end of the year??

The end of what year?

BrianD

On the same subject, does anyone know when the design for this junction was first started and the design completed. I'm just casting my mind back to the "luas on stilts" debacle when vast amounts of money were wasted on reports for this idiotic plan. Surely, at the time somebody would have known that the luas route would have been quite neatly accomodated into the new junction design?

Has the new track route improved travel time on the red line?

Mitch Connor

From what i remember reading - it was due for completion in October this year, which isn't going to happen.

dublinhead

ipodrocker wrote: »

Does anyone know the estimated completion of the n7 interchange? Will it be completed by the end of the year??

yes according to the website
http://www.m50.ie/index.php?page=phase-1

shenanigans1982

Can't really see it being finished by the end of the year although there is no rush as there will be no benefit until Newlands cross is finished which will probably be 2 years from now.

murphaph

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

Can't really see it being finished by the end of the year although there is no rush as there will be no benefit until Newlands cross is finished which will probably be 2 years from now.

There are benefits for the movements not heading westbound on the N7 of course! Even then, I've been held up at the Red Cow and sailed through Newlands during the same journey so there are improvements even for Newlands users IMO. Aside from that, it's a bloody eyesore as it is and people do have to live in the area.

ipodrocker

murphaph wrote: »

There are benefits for the movements not heading westbound on the N7 of course! Even then, I've been held up at the Red Cow and sailed through Newlands during the same journey so there are improvements even for Newlands users IMO. Aside from that, it's a bloody eyesore as it is and people do have to live in the area.

i agree when ever the red cow get finished it will all work as if your not familar with the layout u could end up going northbound on the m50 fairly easy!

Mitch Connor

So i presume there'll have been a good numbe rof people who got held up at N7 this morning due to the unexpected (to me at least) lane closure coming on to the N7 going west.

Anyone know how long that lane closure will be in place? took me twice as long to get into work this morning all becuase of that piece of road works - if it is going to be like that for a while I might take the Tallagh exit instead. Any ideas?

whosedaddy?

Tauren wrote: »

So i presume there'll have been a good numbe rof people who got held up at N7 this morning due to the unexpected (to me at least) lane closure coming on to the N7 going west.

Apparently this was due to an unsafe manhole cover. Lane was only closed for a few hours.

jmkennedyie

Nice to see the new Monastery Bridge is coming together (being constructed on a mound South of final resting place for those that haven't seen it). Saw notice in paper last week for sequence of N7 closures for its installation in early/mid October. Will they drag it/ push it into position...or will a crane handle it? A little bit every night, or all at once?

weehamster

Found this picture on the net. I don't know how old it is?

Victor

weehamster wrote: »

Found this picture on the net. I don't know how old it is?

Its recent, I was out there a few weeks ago and the arches weren't in place.

Heroditas

Pardon my ignorance but is the old off-ramp going northbound on the M50 going to be closed forever? Please tell me that current method of leaving the M50 to get onto the N7 when travelling northbound won't be permanent? It seems to be a cause of major delays due to its layout.

Irish and Proud

Heroditas wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance but is the old off-ramp going northbound on the M50 going to be closed forever? Please tell me that current method of leaving the M50 to get onto the N7 when travelling northbound won't be permanent? It seems to be a cause of major delays due to its layout.

AFAIK, the old NB off ramp will be modified into a freeflow fork - the left prong will go directly onto the Naas Road outbound (over the new LUAS alignment), while the right prong will dip under the outbound N7 bridges and new LUAS tracks, and will join the R110 citybound carriageway (northern bridge of old roundabout).

I guess the present arrangment for the M50 NB to N7 WB is just temporary - like the interim loop from the M50 SB to N4 WB was.

Hope this helps!

Mitch Connor

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Nice to see the new Monastery Bridge is coming together (being constructed on a mound South of final resting place for those that haven't seen it). Saw notice in paper last week for sequence of N7 closures for its installation in early/mid October. Will they drag it/ push it into position...or will a crane handle it? A little bit every night, or all at once?

can you provide more info on this - I can't find anything on M50.ie showing any potential lane closures in October.

Mitch Connor

Irish and Proud wrote: »

AFAIK, the old NB off ramp will be modified into a freeflow fork - the left prong will go directly onto the Naas Road outbound (over the new LUAS alignment), while the right prong will dip under the outbound N7 bridges and new LUAS tracks, and will join the R110 citybound carriageway (northern bridge of old roundabout).

I guess the present arrangment for the M50 NB to N7 WB is just temporary - like the interim loop from the M50 SB to N4 WB was.

Hope this helps!

Indeed - you can already see the basic layout of the lane split on the old ramp.

Hal1

The Monastery Road slip road that joins the N7 is a disaster and dangerous. They need a stop sign there to warn people they are about to merge with the N7, there is nothing in place there what so ever, it's two lanes but usually reduced to one lane (coned off for whatever reason).

Taken from m50.ie:

Junction 9, N7 (Red Cow)

From 8am, Saturday 20th September 2008 to 6am, Monday 22nd September 2008, a works site will be in place on the N7 outbound carriageway after the Monastery Lane junction for a length of 500m. Traffic will split for this length of carriageway and then rejoin. Traffic can use either lane without any effect to journey destination.

From 8am to 6pm, Saturday 20th September 2008, Monastery Road will be reduced to one lane with temporary traffic signals controlling the traffic in both directions. This is to facilitate construction works to the new Monastery Road/Monastery Lane roundabout.

Heroditas

Irish and Proud wrote: »

AFAIK, the old NB off ramp will be modified into a freeflow fork - the left prong will go directly onto the Naas Road outbound (over the new LUAS alignment), while the right prong will dip under the outbound N7 bridges and new LUAS tracks, and will join the R110 citybound carriageway (northern bridge of old roundabout).

I guess the present arrangment for the M50 NB to N7 WB is just temporary - like the interim loop from the M50 SB to N4 WB was.

Hope this helps!

Cool. That makes perfect sense. Thanks.

D.L.R.

I wonder have the govt/NRA learned their lesson with the Red Cow reconstruciton. What a nightmare its been, and its not even finished yet after 2 years. All that expense to fix what should never have been approved in the first place.

Yet they're still planning several mickey mouse junctions on our motorways. :rolleyes:

whosedaddy?

Tauren wrote: »

can you provide more info on this - I can't find anything on M50.ie showing any potential lane closures in October.

here we go...
http://www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?pageid=939&pid=14870

South Dublin County Council has made an order to temporarily close a section of the Naas Road (N7) from Newlands Cross to the Red Cow Interchange (eastbound only) from 12:01am to 5:00am each night between Tuesday 7th and Friday 10th October 2008, in order to facilitate installation of the Naas Road / Monastery Road bridge as part of the M50 improvement works at the Red Cow Interchange.

Alternative routes are as follows:

N7 to M50 south via Belgard road and Embankment road to the M50 Southbound.

N7 to M50 north via Fonthill Rd and the N4 to the M50 and City.

Naas Road from Dublin to M50 north via u-turn at the Ballymount interchange.

Naas Road from Dublin to Monastery Road via Fonthill Road, Boot Road, Convent Road, Tower Road and Orchard Road.

Diversion signs will be erected.

Local access will be maintained at all times.

Mitch Connor

whosedaddy? wrote: »

here we go...
http://www.sdublincoco.ie/index.aspx?pageid=939&pid=14870

South Dublin County Council has made an order to temporarily close a section of the Naas Road (N7) from Newlands Cross to the Red Cow Interchange (eastbound only) from 12:01am to 5:00am each night between Tuesday 7th and Friday 10th October 2008, in order to facilitate installation of the Naas Road / Monastery Road bridge as part of the M50 improvement works at the Red Cow Interchange.

Alternative routes are as follows:

N7 to M50 south via Belgard road and Embankment road to the M50 Southbound.

N7 to M50 north via Fonthill Rd and the N4 to the M50 and City.

Naas Road from Dublin to M50 north via u-turn at the Ballymount interchange.

Naas Road from Dublin to Monastery Road via Fonthill Road, Boot Road, Convent Road, Tower Road and Orchard Road.

Diversion signs will be erected.

Local access will be maintained at all times.

Cheers - thankfully the times of the disruption don't affect me. phew!

turgon

D.L.R. wrote: »

Yet they're still planning several mickey mouse junctions on our motorways. :rolleyes:

Well we all know fianna fails policy - dont fix it until it breaks.

jmkennedyie

Tauren wrote: »

can you provide more info on this - I can't find anything on M50.ie showing any potential lane closures in October.

Sorry - was offline for a few days. Twas in the indo one of the days last week and don't have it any more. Fair play Whosedaddy? for digging it out.

Re photos - yep they are recent. (Concrete?) deck seems in place now but vertical braces were still missing a day or two ago.

Re ramp layout - yep just temporary at the moment. They have started rebuilding the new ramp recently - you can see where it is going to join the new overpass from the Luas P&R carpark.

For those that haven't seen it: http://www.m50.ie/redesign/uploads/images/n7_final-large.jpg

mysterious

I have noticed, passing by the redcow opposite the red cow inn, that there are three concrete pillars stacked beside the luas line, is this the Pedstrian bridge placement

So are they finally going to sort out the turnpike outbound lanes mess. Goofy put up a small diagram of the free flow layout, a little smaller than the monastery over bridge.

It would be cheaper to raise the outbound lanes and let the turnpike flow under. this would allow traffic to go M50 North and Naas outbound without to inflict traffic. Turnpike as of now will still be able to go back to the city with the new loop back from the old luas bridge.

Hope the engineers can do something like this. Its not rocket science.

Traffic lights, just DO NOT put here, its just not acceptable to put more lights here after such an upgrade.

I swear I will make a public show off the lot behind the design, and dont think i won't!

murphaph

mysterious wrote: »

I have noticed, passing by the redcow opposite the red cow inn, that there are three concrete pillars stacked beside the luas line, is this the Pedstrian bridge placement

Yes.

mysterious wrote: »

Traffic lights, just DO NOT put here, its just not acceptable to put more lights here after such an upgrade.

I swear I will make a public show off the lot behind the design, and dont think i won't!

In reality putting lights on the outbound R110 just before the freeflow works will have little effect on traffic as to reach that point you will have just passed through many many sets of lights anyway!

Unless there was (which there isn't) a long term plan to grade separate the R110 further towards the city, then one set of lights will restrict traffic very little. My own preference for this junction however is simply to close the side road and divert traffic back along the R110 to Robinhood.

mysterious

murphaph wrote: »

In reality putting lights on the outbound R110 just before the freeflow works will have little effect on traffic as to reach that point you will have just passed through many many sets of lights anyway!

Unless there was (which there isn't) a long term plan to grade separate the R110 further towards the city, then one set of lights will restrict traffic very little. My own preference for this junction however is simply to close the side road and divert traffic back along the R110 to Robinhood.

I really don't get people like you, really I don't. You see let's BE LONG TERM when we design roads. This problem here can be removed. Murpaph you were the one who was even ok with the Monastery road at grade at one point, before the new plans for the red cow came out. Do you want to go back to traffic lights solution there as well?

Bet not:rolleyes:

Have vision will you! If they are upgrading this junction, I see logic in making a proper upgrade. That is logic, do you understand LOGIC? Bet not.


When you do a project like this of this scale, you do it right, not half right. And there is a reasonable easy solution to this mess here. Traffic lights its a half arse job. That junction should not be left with traffic lights, especially that close. If they build a proper free flow junction here. Outbound lanes will faster and efficiently,No delays, no queues and most of all safer. It helps to get traffic out, if it were to be free flow.

Goofy gave a diagram of the new free flow layout.

Traffic lights is just not acceptable. End of. This means that the Red cow is not "free flow" It's people like you, who we shouldn't have voicing opinons, because it's people like you who leave infastructure projects with traffic lights......

kelzer

Is there a speed restriction on the luas going through the rew cow junction? Seems to slow down more than what it should.

ipodrocker

so does anyone know when the interchange will be finished, it be great if it is done by the end of the year

murphaph

mysterious wrote: »

I really don't get people like you, really I don't. You see let's BE LONG TERM when we design roads. This problem here can be removed. Murpaph you were the one who was even ok with the Monastery road at grade at one point, before the new plans for the red cow came out. Do you want to go back to traffic lights solution there as well?

Bet not:rolleyes:

Have vision will you! If they are upgrading this junction, I see logic in making a proper upgrade. That is logic, do you understand LOGIC? Bet not.


When you do a project like this of this scale, you do it right, not half right. And there is a reasonable easy solution to this mess here. Traffic lights its a half arse job. That junction should not be left with traffic lights, especially that close. If they build a proper free flow junction here. Outbound lanes will faster and efficiently,No delays, no queues and most of all safer. It helps to get traffic out, if it were to be free flow.

Goofy gave a diagram of the new free flow layout.

Traffic lights is just not acceptable. End of. This means that the Red cow is not "free flow" It's people like you, who we shouldn't have voicing opinons, because it's people like you who leave infastructure projects with traffic lights......

First off, calm down ffs. You'll give yourself a turn.

The R110 is a heavily signalised road as it approaches the Red Cow. Putting (leaving) one set of lights immediately before the new junction is not signalising the junction itself! It is a different junction between the R110 (outbound carriageway only) and the sideroad (turnpike). This junction happens to be immediately before the upgraded junction but is just one of many signalised junctions on the R110. It will have absolutely no effect on the capacity of the red Cow junction itself.

Unless you genuinely believe that the R110 itself will be upgraded by way of the elimination of at-grade junctions then your proposed freeflowing of this turnpike-R110 junction is going to be pretty redundant.

You'll have to show me where I showed support for the monastery road signalisation because it is completely different from the R110 junction.

murphaph

kelzer wrote: »

Is there a speed restriction on the luas going through the rew cow junction? Seems to slow down more than what it should.

There appears to be a temporary speed restriction in place of 20km/h according to the (temporary) signage. The trams are subject to this presumably to maintain safety for the workers on site and will be removed when works are complete.

Victor

kelzer wrote: »

Is there a speed restriction on the luas going through the rew cow junction? Seems to slow down more than what it should.

You wil always find drivers taking it slow on new sections of track, in case there is settlement.

It is also on a curve with poor line of sight and approaching a stop.

mysterious

murphaph wrote: »

The R110 is a heavily signalised road as it approaches the Red Cow. Putting (leaving) one set of lights immediately before the new junction is not signalising the junction itself! It is a different junction between the R110 (outbound carriageway only) and the sideroad (turnpike). This junction happens to be immediately before the upgraded junction but is just one of many signalised junctions on the R110. It will have absolutely no effect on the capacity of the red Cow junction itself.

It would have an positive effect,

1 been safer
2, all movements provided
3 No tailbacks.
4 traffic moves quicker.

Unless you genuinely believe that the R110 itself will be upgraded by way of the elimination of at-grade junctions then your proposed freeflowing of this turnpike-R110 junction is going to be pretty redundant.

It's not what I believe, nor do I think that the entire R110 should be upgraded. But this section of R110 is particulary busy from the Redcow to Longmile.

Longmile and Naas road combine here. So all south and city traffic use this road. I'm not to concerned with inbound, as its riddled with lights. But outboud it has many lights. To eliminate tailbacks that is always a problem here is to sort out the Redcow left in and off and the turnpike junction itself. This would mean that all city and south traffic will be able to proceed through the interchange without having to inflict more traffic.

There is just no logic in a "do nothing scenario" I don't see the logic in just re routing all the traffic onto the M50 and then going to Ballymount, this puts more pressure on the M50 Itself. It could just be done properly. I.e Raising or lowering the road and allow the Turnpike to merge much like the Monastery road.

You'll have to show me where I showed support for the monastery road signalisation because it is completely different from the R110 junction.

It was 2 years ago, don't worry I remember. I will find it if I'm in form too. But I knew you were gonna attack my post, that's why I got annoyed


Because I am right and I do see logic and future planning better than you do in this situation.

weehamster

Because I am right and I do see logic and future planning better than you do in this situation.

murphaph

mysterious wrote: »

Because I am right and I do see logic and future planning better than you do in this situation.

ok.

BluntGuy

Well whatever happens... Phase 1 can NEVER be complete by their Q3 2008 target.

Knowing the government and NRA though, thanks to the use of their patented magical road-scheme-time-machine™ this project will be opening: "on time and on budget".

weehamster

Knowing the government and NRA though, thanks to the use of their patented magical road-scheme-time-machine™ this project will be opening: "on time and on budget".

Ahhh yes, the the good aule magical (how long will it take to complete this project...ehh 2 years, right so, add another year to that) formula. :rolleyes:

jmkennedyie

Cheers murphaph. Makes sense to me.

Went for a walk around Red Cow on Sat and bumped into a builder...
1. It's still a nasty site to work on with speed of traffic
2. Bridge move timetabled for tonight (Monday)
3. Not using a crane, but push/pull from underneath.
4. He expected construction to continue into next year

They still haven't started building the ramp from the final on-ramp from M50 N to N7 W Luas overbridge.

Some mobile phone pics of monastery road bridge from the temporary pedestrian bridge...

dublinhead

For the launch of the Bowstring Bridge on the N7 interchange, the following diversions will be in place from 12am to 5am, Tuesday 7th October 2008.


Diversion Routes
- N7 outbound traffic to the M50 northbound will be diverted to the Ballymount interchange via the M50 southbound.
- N7 outbound traffic to Monastery Lane will be diverted to Newlands Cross and Clondalkin.
- M50 northbound off-ramp traffic for the city and Monastery Road will be diverted to Newlands Cross.
- N7 inbound traffic for M50 southbound will be diverted to the Ballymount interchange at Newlands Cross.
- N7 inbound traffic for the city and M50 northbound will be diverted at Newlands Cross to the N4 interchange.
- LUAS Park & Ride inbound access will be closed from 3pm Monday to 6am Tuesday.

Lennoxschips

Outbound traffic heading to the M50. Right....

jmkennedyie

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Some mobile phone pics of monastery road bridge from the temporary pedestrian bridge...

Did anyone else notice that 30MPH sign? :pac:

murphaph

Jmkenneddy, hope you don't mind me uploading those pics to SABRE. They document a moment in time brilliantly. Bridge poised and ready to move!

Have they built the northern bridge support yet? I keep meaing to look but in the mornings it's dark and in the evening it's chaotic on the rollercoaster-hard to catch a glimpse. Dissapointed that they haven't even begun the M50(N)->N7 ramp-that queue in the evening can be chronic with @rseholes skipping the queue until the last minute then trying to cut in, completely holding up lane 2. They know who they are. People should just wave those tossers on to J7 Palmerstown for being so cheeky!

whosedaddy?

Lennoxschips wrote: »

Outbound traffic heading to the M50. Right....

Yes N7 outbound (i.e. Naas Road city side - R110 / easy mistake to make)..

here is map with diversions.

http://www.sdublincoco.ie/images/roads/Map%20-%20small%20version25092008.pdf

Also SDCC site says that the restrictions are in place every night until Friday... Not just tonight as per M50.ie.

Nice pics jmkennedyie.

jmkennedyie

murphaph wrote: »

Jmkenneddy, hope you don't mind me uploading those pics to SABRE. They document a moment in time brilliantly. Bridge poised and ready to move!

No problem at all...upload away. Pity I didn't have my regular camera with me. Those pics were taken Saturday.

murphaph wrote: »

Have they built the northern bridge support yet? I keep meaing to look but in the mornings it's dark and in the evening it's chaotic on the rollercoaster-hard to catch a glimpse. Dissapointed that they haven't even begun the M50(N)->N7 ramp

Northern bridge support is up and ready for a while now. Just two columns basically. The ramp up to the bridge from Monastery road is partially completed, but not started near the columns, I guess to give the red trolleys/trucks room to drive between the two columns. Would make a nice time-lapse video if someone has nothing better to do tonight .

Just to clarify re the M50/N7 ramp...they have it ready from M50 up to where it splits but no evidence of the bit from the split up to the new bridge over the Luas. TBH, those precast wall panels seem to be quick to slap up so a week could sort that out.

NotInventedHere

Nearly across now.

jmkennedyie

NotInventedHere wrote: »

Nearly across now.

Fair play NotInventedHere. Anyone see if they finished it since then?

Traffic

Yes new bridge is now in place

D'Peoples Voice

I think jmkennedyie was being sarcastic
they hardly pulled it 95% of the way across and said, "thats it for tonight, lads, throw on the kettle" and let gravity hold it up.

jmkennedyie

D'Peoples Voice wrote: »

I think jmkennedyie was being sarcastic
they hardly pulled it 95% of the way across and said, "thats it for tonight, lads, throw on the kettle" and let gravity hold it up.

Me, sarcastic? :rolleyes: Actually, a genuine question. It was being supported from below, and so at a different height to the final resting place. I thought they might do the rolling on night 1 and then the lowering onto the columns on some other night. They had booked road closures for the whole week I think. Sounds like they nailed it in 1.

JimmyO

Hey All,

Does anyone know when the new bridge from Monastery road is due to be completed?

Also will this ultimately replace the footbridge to the Luas stop?

Sorry if this is answered elsewhere but I can't find it if it is.

Traffic

Due to open by December this year but seems to be a lot more work to be done so maybe a little too optomistic