My e-mail to the NRA. Some of your questions answered...

BluntGuy

I recently e-mailed the NRA to try and get some official answers to some of the questions frequently asked on this forum (as well as my own), and to my surprise, I actually got some concrete responses from them. Now then, I'm not going to mention any names (it simply would not be fair on the person who answered this), I'm simply putting down the question and the answer given:

Question 1:

At what time will the Cullahill-Cashel scheme be opening? I plan to make a trip from Cork to Dublin in the early morning on December 8th. Will I able to do this?

The Cullahill - Cashel road scheme will be officially opened at 12 noon on the 8th December so it will be late afternoon before motorists will be in a position to use the new road.

Question 2:

When is it expected that the second tranche of motorway redesignations will be pased through?

The decision on the second tranche of motorway redesignations is a matter for the Minister for Transport. Submissions to the Department in respect of the redesignations are currently being considered.

Question 3:

Will there be a third tranche of motorway redesignations? Will the N25 waterford bypass be included? What issues are there with the N9 section?

It is not anticipated that there will be a third tranche of motorway redesignations and there are currently no plans to reclassify the Waterford City bypass as a motorway. A technical issue arose with regard to the junction with the N10 at Kilkenny that resulted in the application for a section of the N9 not being approved at the time. This has now been resolved.

Question 4:

What is the status on the motorway service areas? When can we expect the first ones to be opened, specifically on the M8 route. Will they be similar to the UK ones?

Information regarding the Authority’s service area programme which is currently underway is contained in the enclosed Policy Statement for the Provision of Service Areas and associated map indicating the intended locations of the priority service area facilities. Service area facilities for motorists will typically include a fuel station, shop, restaurant/food outlet, toilet, picnic and extensive parking areas. Two service areas have been identified on the N8, north of Cashel and at Kilworth, Co. Cork. It is expected that the service area on the N8, north of Cashel will be open at the end of 2010, subject to approval of the service area scheme by An Bord Pleanala.

Question 5:

When will emergency telephones be installed on the recently redesignated motorway stretches?

Emergency telephones will soon be installed on the recently designated stretches of motorway.

(This wasn't the exact answer but I don't want to include anything that may give away a person's identity.)

Question 6:

I have noticed that a lot of signage doesn't reflect the recent motorway redesignations. For example, outside Cahir, both the new road (the M8) and the old road (R639) are still referred to numerous times as the "N8" on many of the road signs, and use green patching. Who's responsibility is it to make sure that these signs are changed?

The signage on the M8 has been amended to reflect its motorway status. Signage on the former N8 is a matter for the relevant road authority, in this case, South Tipperary County Council.

Question 7:

When will the new TSM be available for viewing?

The Traffic Signs Manual is nearing completion and will be available early next year.

Question 8:

Is there any chance of Newlands Cross even being started by the end of 2009?

In light of recent budget announcements, the commencement date for Newlands Cross is under review.

So that's it. I will not be e-mailing the NRA again for a while. The answers for some of the questions weren't exactly surprising, but I appreciate the answers none-the-less...

You can e-mail them yourself if you want more information: (info@nra.ie)

They responded quite quickly to my e-mail.

D.L.R.

NRA wrote: »

The decision on the second tranche of motorway redesignations is a matter for the Minister for Transport. Submissions to the Department in respect of the redesignations are currently being considered.

Going by the first tranche, it'll be Apr/May. But its been stated that it'll go through quicker this time round.

NRA wrote: »

It is not anticipated that there will be a third tranche of motorway redesignations and there are currently no plans to reclassify the Waterford City bypass as a motorway. A technical issue arose with regard to the junction with the N10 at Kilkenny that resulted in the application for a section of the N9 not being approved at the time. This has now been resolved.

Pity about the N25.
I wonder what the issue with the N10/M9 was, sounds like the 'M10' problem. Possibly "resolved" by sticking a big roundabout just before the M9 :rolleyes:

NRA wrote: »

In light of recent budget announcements, the commencement date for Newlands Cross is under review.

Grunt

BluntGuy

Two more things:

With regards to question 4, the attachment they sent me can be viewed here:

http://www.nra.ie/Publications/DownloadableDocumentation/NRAPolicyDocuments/file,10785,en.pdf

I'm sure you've all seen it numerous times.

With regards to question 6, I've e-mailed the relevant road authority and expect a response within the next week or so.

Going by the first tranche, it'll be Apr/May. But its been stated that it'll go through quicker this time round.

Well examining the situation for the 1st tranche:

1st Tranche -
Closing Date For Submissions: March 2008
S.I Passed: July 2008 (There was some faffing about inbetween due to those who just had to make a complaint and slow the whole thing down)
S.I Came Into Effect: September 2008

My guess for the 2nd:

2nd Tranche -
Closing Date For Submissions: November 2008
S.I Passed: I would guess March or April. But it could be January as the NRA promised to do it quicker this time around. The problem is, there is a lot more scope for complaining, so I wouldn't be surprised if it takes longer.
S.I Comes Into Effect: July or August.

HonalD

BluntGuy wrote: »

to my surprise, I actually got some concrete responses from them. Now then, I'm not going to mention any names (it simply would not be fair on the person who answered this)

Nice One BluntGuy - I guess naming the person may get them sacked for being helpful!!!!!!:)

BluntGuy

HonalD wrote: »

Nice One BluntGuy - I guess naming the person may get them sacked for being helpful!!!!!!:)

Well this is the NRA...

Compared to some of the responses I've gotten before, this was pretty good...

Anyway, if I named any names the mods would be after me...

Carawaystick

I asked about the slip onto the N8 from the M7

The opening of this slip road is a matter for Laois County Council as
the road authority for the area. I have, however, made enquiries into
the matter and I understand that following the opening of the N7
Portlaoise Bypass, Laois County Council failed to reach an acceptable
agreement with the adjacent landowner and the slip road has not been
opened as it impacts on the access to the landowners property.

And about the tunnels/tubes at the M50/N2 junction

I understand that the tunnel / tubes in the vicinity of the M50 / N2
junction are to facilitate access to ESB cabling associated with the
nearby sub station.

Victor

BluntGuy wrote: »

Well examining the situation for the 1st tranche:

1st Tranche -
Closing Date For Submissions: March 2008
S.I Passed: July 2008 (There was some faffing about inbetween due to those who just had to make a complaint and slow the whole thing down)
S.I Came Into Effect: September 2008

My guess for the 2nd:

2nd Tranche -
Closing Date For Submissions: November 2008
S.I Passed: I would guess March or April. But it could be January as the NRA promised to do it quicker this time around. The problem is, there is a lot more scope for complaining, so I wouldn't be surprised if it takes longer.
S.I Comes Into Effect: July or August.

While they have been through the hoops and will know how to do things better the second time, they are also dealing with some slightly more contentious roads this time.

BluntGuy

Victor wrote: »

While they have been through the hoops and will know how to do things better the second time, they are also dealing with some slightly more contentious roads this time.

That's the problem. Look at the fuss the Wicklow councillers are making about the N11...

The Athlone Bypass, not quite the issue I thought it would be, but still quite a bit of moaning going on there.

I think it's to do with the fact that many roads that are proposed to redesignated have been open to all traffic for quite a while (especially the Athlone bypass). Some people, inevitably, will lose out, but the gain in safety is much greater. We can't have trundling tractors, cyclists, pedestrians, mopeds, animals, horses and carts, nervous learners etc on high-speed DCs. Even at 100 km/h it's a massive safety hazard.

L1011

Carawaystick wrote: »

I asked about the slip onto the N8 from the M7

I can't see how a present but closed slip allows any more access than opening it.... yet I can't see that slip being a huge boon if it was opened either, might just not be worth the red tape.

Amtmann

Victor wrote: »

While they have been through the hoops and will know how to do things better the second time, they are also dealing with some slightly more contentious roads this time.

Can the statutory instruments be signed per scheme? If yes, then the N8 could be the M8 by late January, while other more contentious redesignation proposals take longer to push through.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Can the statutory instruments be signed per scheme? If yes, then the N8 could be the M8 by late January, while other more contentious redesignation proposals take longer to push through.

That's a good idea.

They could speed up the process on the roads with relatively little opposition (M8, majority of the proposed M6, M7/M20, M18 etc.) and deal with the more controversial ones (M11, Athlone Bypass) over a longer period of time.

Sadly though, that won't happen. They'll insist on pushing this through in big chunk, even if it means holding up the entire process all for the sake of a 1 km stretch nobody really cares about.

BluntGuy

MYOB wrote: »

I can't see how a present but closed slip allows any more access than opening it.... yet I can't see that slip being a huge boon if it was opened either, might just not be worth the red tape.

Neither can I. It'll be a bit of a waste of time now anyway with the new C-C-P scheme finished in two years time.

Colm R

Carawaystick wrote: »

I asked about the slip onto the N8 from the M7

If you don't mind me asking, whats this about?

L1011

Colm R wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking, whats this about?

There is a freeflow slip (avoiding the roundabout) from the N7 West to N8 South at their junction - it has never been opened.

Colm R

MYOB wrote: »

There is a freeflow slip (avoiding the roundabout) from the N7 West to N8 South at their junction - it has never been opened.

Cheers. I know it well. I assumed that it was open in the past, before my driving days, but closed because it was too dangerous.

murphaph

Colm R wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking, whats this about?

There's an unused slip from the M7 southbound to the N8 at Portlaoise. It never opened after construction due to a land dispute.

Amtmann

murphaph wrote: »

There's an unused slip from the M7 southbound to the N8 at Portlaoise. It never opened after construction due to a land dispute.

Very interesting; I never knew that. I was under the impression, though, that all N roads came under NRA authority including, I would have thought, all attendant issues. Yet as Carrawaystick says, in this instance the NRA passes the buck to the local authority.

G_R

murphaph wrote: »

There's an unused slip from the M7 southbound to the N8 at Portlaoise. It never opened after construction due to a land dispute.

this "dispute" is one of the stupidest things i have ever heard. I get that its technically someone elses land but what the hell could that person ever dream of using it for. Its tarmack'd for gods sake. I also kno that it isnt going to reduce journey times by anything more than a couple of seconds but its still a waste of land/tarmac/money!!!

Amtmann

Ha, it's clearly visible on Google Earth! Never noticed that before. I always thought there was something slightly half-baked about the N8's start from the M7 southbound.

BluntGuy

dannym08 wrote: »

I also kno that it isnt going to reduce journey times by anything more than a couple of seconds but its still a waste of land/tarmac/money!!!

Maybe the person's planning to do something really amazing with that idle stretch of road...

G_R

BluntGuy wrote: »

Maybe the person's planning to do something really amazing with that idle stretch of road...

ye...that must be it.ha:)

BluntGuy

I have e-mailed the NRA with a further set of questions. HOWEVER, I will not be posting all the specific answers to them here as the questions I asked are far more subjective than last time. The answers are for my own interest and I don't think they will be of any real benefit to the majority of Boards users unlike my previous set.

However, I did ask for clarification on a few issues raised here and I'll post the general gist of the response I get from them.

Carawaystick

dannym08 wrote: »

this "dispute" is one of the stupidest things i have ever heard. I get that its technically someone elses land but what the hell could that person ever dream of using it for. Its tarmack'd for gods sake. I also kno that it isnt going to reduce journey times by anything more than a couple of seconds but its still a waste of land/tarmac/money!!!

I think the issue, as I read the reply is that the land beside the slip road has an entrance - or potential entrance, which if the M7 trafic was going past would make it dangerous or impossible for someone coming from the roundabout using the entrance.
Not the actual land of the slip itself.

BluntGuy

I have just received the answers to a further set of 13 questions I e-mailed the NRA with.

I will not be posting them all here however, I will post the ones that are relevant in the appropiate forums.