N21 Castleisland Bypass Thread

lottpaul

Raidio na Gaeltachta is quoting the NRA as saying the road will open on October 22nd.

Tech3

lottpaul wrote: »

Raidio na Gaeltachta is quoting the NRA as saying the road will open on October 22nd.

Wow excellent news, only 8 more days for cars passing through Castleisland town. N21 from the R576 junction(county border) - Tralee will be excellent when this opens.

kerry4sam

carchaeologist wrote: »

Passed through the tralee road roundabout this eve,and there was some green road signs up on the road up towards the limerick roundabout.

I done that myself yesterday aswell. It really is impressive to see the progress being made on the roads down here in Kerry.

from www.radiokerry.ie 14 Oct 2010
"Castleisland Bypass to open two months ahead of schedule

The Castleisland Bypass is set to open two months ahead of schedule. The 5.5km road bypasses Castleisland to the west of the town and links the N23 Killarney Road at Clashganniv to the N21 Limerick Road at Dooneen, via the N21 Tralee Road at Knockannagore.

Construction on the 34 million euro project began in May 2009, and was due to finish in December 2010. But good weather and a strong push by contractors mean the Defence Minister Tony Killeen will officially open the road to traffic on Friday October 22nd.

The Castleisland Bypass is projected to divert 70 percent of all traffic from the town centre. Kerry County Councillor Bobby O'Connell, who is a Castleisland native, says the bypass will not only be a boost for the town but the county as a whole"

Tech3

Thanks kerry4sam for that, I'll be heading down home to drive this next friday! Should be open around 4 at the latest for the friday evening/bank holdiday mahem traffic

dh0661

There was some announcement about an official opening of a section of the Castleisland bypass (sometime next month I think) on Radio Kerry this evening.

I was otherwise preoccupied at the time and did not catch the whole thing

---

but there was something.

kerry4sam

tech2 wrote: »

Thanks kerry4sam for that, I'll be heading down home to drive this next friday! Should be open around 4 at the latest for the friday evening/bank holdiday mahem traffic

Oh the bank-holiday traffic... Castleisland won't know itself in a year or two.

Here's hoping everything runs smoothly now in the interim and the opening will be a success for everyone involved.

namenotavailablE

This bypass will be a welcome (and long overdue) addition to the county's infrastructure.
Already looking forward to using it the next time I'm heading to the family home in the north-east!

fresca

photos from sunday 17th oct 2010 of signage

n21_20101017_a:- heading east on n21, entering castleisland from tralee (some tree trimming to be done here!)
n21_20101017_b:- looking north at same roundabout... can't really see here but cosmetic works are pretty much complete...
n21_20101017_c:- heading south from castleisland on road to farranfore

as you know, from tralee road to limerick road is 2+2 (or dual-carriageway or something). thankfully, the roadabout on the limerick side maintains the climbing lane up the hill. so traffic won't be tightened to 1 lane here!

overall, this scheme is pretty much done.
small bits of tidying up to be completed.

these are probably the last photos i'll take of construction.

Tech3

Great photos again fresca. I wonder what time the opening ceremony is on Friday? Might head down and get a few photos and then drive it. From the photos it looks as though it May need a good wash of the surface before Friday!

carchaeologist

fresca wrote: »

overall, this scheme is pretty much done.
small bits of tidying up to be completed.

Good shots,what do they spray the signs with to cover the directions?

Is the Tralee road to farranfore road completed too?

dh0661

carchaeologist wrote: »

Is the Tralee road to farranfore road completed too?

I'll bet you meant to say Castleisland to Farranfore road.

fresca

The loop from the tralee side of castleisland to the farranfore side of castleisland looks complete and should open on friday.

now the castleisland to farranfore road is another matter entirely.
we're some distance from getting that tackled.
i imagine that the farranfore / killarney road may well be tackled first - and that is some time off.

carchaeologist wrote: »

Good shots,what do they spray the signs with to cover the directions?

Is the Tralee road to farranfore road completed too?

carchaeologist

dh0661 wrote: »

I'll bet you meant to say Castleisland to Farranfore road.

Yes,i guess that kinda came out wrongly!:D
I meant the new part of the Bypass.:o

fresca

Minister Killeen to officially open Castleisland Bypass

The Castleisland Bypass will be officially opened on Friday, October 22nd, by Minister for Defence, Tony Killeen.
The 5.5km road bypasses Castleisland to the west of the town and links the N23 Killarney Road at Clashganniv to the N21 Limerick Road at Dooneen, via the N21 Tralee Road at Knockannagore.
The Limerick Road-Tralee Road section consists of 3.4km of Type 2 Dual Carriageway. A single-carriageway links the N21 Tralee Road to the N23 Killarney Road.
Construction work on the €34m project started on the Bypass by Bam Civil Engineering in May 2009, and was due to finish in December 2010. However, good weather conditions in 2010 and a strong push by the contractors saw the Bypass finish well ahead of schedule.
“I am delighted at the progress of the Castleisland Bypass over the past 15 months, and it is terrific to be able to open it before Christmas,” Mayor of Kerry, Cllr Pat Leahy stated.
“It is no secret that the town of Castleisland has suffered from chronic traffic congestion and the opening of the Bypass will benefit the town hugely. To be finished two months ahead of schedule is a fantastic achievement, and I want to pay credit to Bam Civil Engineering, contractors on the project, Jacobs Engineering and RPS of Cork.
“I also want to pay particular credit to the staff of the Kerry National Road Design Office in Castleisland. Matt Corridan and his staff put in a huge effort to ensure that this project was ready to get off the ground when funding became available, and their efforts have also helped to bring the project through in time and on budget.
“The people of Castleisland must also get huge credit for their efforts in keeping the Castleisland Bypass in the spotlight and in pushing for the project to start.”
The Castleisland Bypass is projected to divert 70% of all traffic from the town centre. Over three-quarters of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) will also be diverted from the Town Centre.

http://www.kerrycoco.ie/en/allservices/roads/ministertoofficiallyopencastleislandbypass/

Tech3

One more day to go through castleisland!! * jumps with Joy*

Tech3

Found this on the AA roadwatch website. Opening ceremony to start at 11am and the road is opening to traffic at 3.30pm. Not sure I'll make the opening ceremony though

The N21 Castleisland bypass is nearing completion and will officially open to traffic on Fri 22nd Oct
Updated: 22/10/2010 11:00:00

An opening ceremony will take place at 11am and road will open to traffic at approx. 3.30pm. The 5.4km section of road on the western side of Castleisland town will link the N23 Killarney Rd to the N21 Limerick Rd. The Bypass is estimated to save motorists between 20-40 minutes on their journeys at peak times. Construction began in May 2009.

Link

kerry4sam

Woot! Woot!

A big well done to everyone who has worked on the Castleisland By-Pass ... from those who guaranteed the funding to ALL the labour and hours that have gone in, and will still be put in to the entire completion.

Safe Driving Everyone

fresca

As usual though, the road will probably open a bit earlier... maybe round 1 or 2?
3:30 seems very late in the evening for politicians to be out and about... especially a friday... of a bank holiday... i'm sure they have way more important things to be doing at the moment, than pressing the flesh....:rolleyes:

tech2 wrote: »

Found this on the AA roadwatch website. Opening ceremony to start at 11am and the road is opening to traffic at 3.30pm. Not sure I'll make the opening ceremony though



Link

fresca

anyone been through yet?
is she open?

Bersouth

officaly opened at 11am and first public access to bypass at 3pm.........

Bersouth

fresca wrote: »

anyone been through yet?
is she open?

Had a drive through this morning ...brillant

Bersouth

Bersouth wrote: »

officaly opened at 11am and first public access to bypass at 3pm.........

ITS OPEN ......

Vain

Just back from driving it, nice road. For some reason I was expecting it to last longer. You come out just at the climbing lane on the abbyfeale road. Its great tho not to be stuck in traffic in Castle island anymore.

Rookster

I cannot belive it is finished. Many a summer weekend I have been caught going through the town.

Bersouth

Vain wrote: »

Just back from driving it, nice road. For some reason I was expecting it to last longer. You come out just at the climbing lane on the abbyfeale road. Its great tho not to be stuck in traffic in Castle island anymore.

Its a brillant addition for commuuter from east kerry traveling to Limerick and visa versa, wonder who will take the koodo's for secureing funding....

dh0661

Bersouth wrote: »

wonder who will take the koodo's for secureing funding....

:eek: JHR claims it was part of his deal with Bertie - :D:D:D:D

Tech3

Drove it at half 7 this evening and traffic was mental at that time for the bank holiday weekend. Road surface is immaculate and the signage is good. Surprised Castleisland North wasnt labelled on the Limerick rd roundabout. Also it has the warning type refelectors at the start of every side crashbarrier like the M18 Gort-Crusheen scheme. A load of motorists doing last minute crazy type turns on the roundabout at the Tralee road recognizing the bypass is open.

It's the first time I've driven on a type 2 dual carriageway and I have to say I am impressed with what the NRA are trying to achieve with the national primarys not warranting full motorway spec.

It is a good idea however there is two aspects of the design which should be changed:

- At-Grade Roundabouts: For long distance traffic a roundabout every 10km or so on these 2+2 roads is not ideal. Even tonight traffic was very busy on the Tralee road roundabout and looked well under-speced for the amount of traffic using it on all directions. Compact grade seperated junctions for every town along the route is the best solution to this.

- Wire rope median: Poor type of median used on a dual carriageway. Very dangerous mainly to motorcyclists and needs to be replaced by armco probably as the concrete barrier would be too expensive.

Overall delighted to see Castleisland bypassed and hopefully Abbeyfeale, NCW and Adare will follow soon enough on the N21.

dh0661

tech2 wrote: »

hopefully Abbeyfeale, NCW and Adare will follow soon enough

And Macroom --- to the other side

Tech3

Anyone who missed out on the RTE news report can find the videos for that piece here

Picture taken by RTE of the road on the pound road overpass




Press release from the NRA

N21 Castleisland Bypass Opens Today Friday-October 22, 2010

Minister for Defence, Mr Tony Killeen TD stated. The opening of the Castleisland Bypass, 2 months ahead of schedule, is a major step in improving access to Kerry, and the county as a whole would benefit from the Bypass. The €35m project is expected to remove 60% of traffic from Castleisland’s Main Street, and greatly reduce travel times into and out of Kerry.

"The Government is committed to investing in a safe and modern road network under Transport 21,” the Minister stated. “We can see today that investment brought to fruition with the opening of the N21 Castleisland Bypass Road Improvement Scheme.

“This 5.4km road scheme will offer direct benefits for the people of County Kerry by reducing journey time and more importantly by providing a safer route. This scheme will provide improved accessibility to County Kerry and will continue to facilitate the important industry of tourism for the entire County.

“On a regional level the N21 links County Kerry with County Limerick and improves overall regional connectivity for people conducting their day to day business which is vital for the entire regions economic well being."

Fred Barry, CEO of the National Roads Authority stated: “The National Roads Authority understands the importance of the N21 Castleisland Bypass, not only for daily road users, but for visitors and business throughout the region.”

“Additionally, there are a significant amount of projects of this scale throughout the country that will improve overall road safety, enhance competitiveness and give back to communities their villages and towns. We will continue to work with the local County Councils on upgrading and improving regional connectivity throughout the country.”

Mayor of Kerry, Cllr Pat Leahy, also pointed to the benefits of improved access to the county. “The N21 is the main access route to the county and traditionally there have been long delays passing through Castleisland town,” the Mayor stated. “Now, thanks to the hard work of many people, especially the people of Castleisland, we are able to declare these delays a thing of the past.

And he stated that it was particularly satisfying to be able to open the Bypass before the October Bank Holiday weekend, when there is added traffic on the roads.

“This is a project where everybody, both from political and community spheres have come together for the good of the county, and I would like to pay tribute to them for their hard work in bringing it off the drawing board and making it a reality.”

Construction work on the €35m project by Bam Civil Limited began in May 2009. Tributes were also paid to contractor’s designer RPS Ballincollig Cork and Jacobs Engineering Ireland, Dublin.

ENDS
Notes for Editors:

* Approximately 3 months ahead of schedule.
* The 5.4km road bypasses Castleisland to the west of the town and links the N23 Killarney Road at Clashganniv to the N21 Limerick Road at Dooneen, via the N21 Tralee Road at Knockannagore.
* The Limerick Road-Tralee Road section consists of 3.4km of Type 2 Dual Carriageway.
* A single-carriageway links the N21 Tralee Road to the N23 Killarney Road.
* The Bypass will Divert 60% of all traffic from the town centre
* The Bypass will divert 78% of Heavy Goods Vehicles from the Town Centre

dh0661

tech2 wrote: »

Anyone who missed out on the RTE news report can find the videos for that piece here

And the locals have nick named it "the triple bypass" in honor of the 3 healy reas :rolleyes: WTF