M17/M18 - Gort to Tuam [open to traffic]

galway 4 sam

I agree. It seems pretty positive at this stage. Seems a pretty decent vote of confidence from the minister. He would hardly be that confident if he was not sure it was starting soon.or Maybe I'm just a sucker for political spin!

spacetweek

This article reckons mid-2014 is more likely for a start date.

f2

Cant see Leo mentioning the turning of the sod if he wasnt expecting to!!!

serfboard

antoobrien wrote: »

the M6 was started in April 2007, with an expected end date of late 2010 (can't remember if it was Q3 or Q4). It was opened just before Christmas 2009

Yeah but the only thing with that is that the M6 was a PPP whose only payback was going to be the tolls so it was in their interest to get it finished quickly, to get the tolls rolling in to replay their loans.

Also, were there bonus payments for finishing early on that contract as well?

yer man!

Just read in the Galway tribune that the EU are asking the dept of transport why funding wasn't applied for this projuct under the regional development scheme. http://www.connachttribune.ie/galway-news/item/1193-eu-has-to-beg-government-to-seek-funds-for-the-west

notharrypotter

Quote:
Petition 836/2012 by Martin Cunniffe (Irish), on behalf of West On Track, on the
lack of transparency and fairness in transport policy in Ireland
Speakers: the Chair, Martin Cunniffee (petitioner), Helen Rochford-Brennan
(petitioner), Paul O'Connor (petitioner), Peter Declan Bowen-Walsh (petitioner),
Stephen Langley (Commission), Martina Anderson, Marian Harkin, and Jim Higgins.
Decision: keep open; consider in light of the forthcoming fact-finding visit to Ireland in the
second half of 2013; request a written opinion from the Committee on Transport and Tourism
(TRAN); ask the Commission to provide figures on the breakdown of funds disbursed; send a
letter to the Irish Minister of Transport
I think this is the petition - I posted it elsewhere too.
This isn't the EU deciding off its own bat to investigate, it is responding to a petition from a lobby group.

Lifted from the Irish economy section
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057028381
so looks like the visitors is the railway grants section not the roads..

I drove to Donegal last month and I think that the road would be more useful.

jenningso

http://www.galwaybayfm.ie/component/k2/item/2422-county-official-confident-tuam-motorway-will-progress

f2

Hope it isnt more wishful thinking

annfield1978

The detailed design of the scheme has been put of until the middle of next year, was meant to start in november

jenningso

annfield1978 wrote: »

The detailed design of the scheme has been put of until the middle of next year, was meant to start in november

Can you provide a bit more detail on this? What is your source for this information?

annfield1978

annfield1978 wrote: »

The detailed design of the scheme has been put of until the middle of next year, was meant to start in november

I thought this would of been completed as they were hoping to start the road before the end of year ?

f2

Is the whole project not a design and build project, would the contract have to be signed and then the detailed design finalised.

antoobrien

jenningso wrote: »

Can you provide a bit more detail on this? What is your source for this information?

On every major road project for the past 10 years it has taken 3-6 months after contract award to see earthworks going on (take a look at the N7/N11 projects as it is a similar project setup).

The detailed design can not start until after the contact is signed, which will be at least November from the comments made earlier (more likely later).

How anyone can have detailed design work scheduled to go before they get a contract is beyond me.

f2

The road will have to start before the 31 march or wait until 31 sept, 2014 or so I am told, I believe no construction work can go ahead during the bird nesting season unless started before 31 march . That leaves very little time to sign contracts, finalise plans etc so realistically the contracts need to be signed soon if there is to be any real movement by the middle of next year.

f2

Its been reported in the local paper that the NRA are confident of signing contracts in October with Lagan consortium, hope its true.....

annfield1978

Is Direct Route not the preferred bidder?

f2

Bamwere the preferred bidder, Roadbridge were the underbidders but there has been so many different reports , at this stage I cant keep up......

roadmaster

annfield1978 wrote: »

Is Direct Route not the preferred bidder?

I think directroute is Sisk Roadbridge Lagan and stragbag

f2

Thats what I thought. just seen it printed , and was wondering had anybody heard anything, Time will tell

Chris_5339762

I'd be reluctant to believe the local paper (or the big ones for that matter). Until we see an NRA press release I'm sceptical!

Irish_rat

Until the diggers are on site it's just a printed rag

sonnyblack

f2 wrote: »

Thats what I thought. just seen it printed , and was wondering had anybody heard anything, Time will tell

could you upload a copy of the article?

ThePieintheSky

...oops

sonnyblack

ThePieintheSky wrote: »

...oops

?

antoobrien

From the Galway Co Council website:

Work on the construction of new motorway between Gort and Tuam in Co Galway is expected to begin before the end of 2013, after funding was approved for the project.

The Department of Public Expenditure has approved the allocation of money to cover the Exchequer element of the scheme. The National Roads Authority says it will now re-engage with the preferred private contractor to complete the new N17/ N18 route. The construction of a 57-km motorway - part of the so-called Atlantic Corridor on the west coast - will take thousands of vehicles out of Clarinbridge, Claregalway and Tuam each day. It will be constructed as a Public Private Partnership project. There will be no tolls on the route. Instead the State will pay the private contractor an annuity over 25 years. The NRA says hundreds of jobs will be created during the construction process.

It is expected the motorway will take up to three years to complete and should be open to traffic in 2017. An environmental assessment of the proposed route has already been completed and approved. All archaeological sites investigated along the route have been fully resolved under licence from the National Museum. In addition, compulsory purchase orders required to develop the road have been completed.

Negotiations are currently ongoing between the National Roads Authority and the Direct Route consortium - a group made up of several contractors including Lagan, Roadbridge and Sisk. That consortium has already been involved in the construction of the Limerick Tunnel. A spokesperson for Direct Route said this afternoon they were ready to start work on the Gort to Tuam motorway, pending completion of the procurement process.

It's also worth noting this tender notice from June for Technical Advisory Services or Architectural services; engineering services and integrated engineering services; urban planning and landscape engineering services; related scientific and technical consulting services; technical testing and analysis services.

flazio

Wonder if it'll be opened in stages, i.e. the section to M6 J18 opens first and then the section up to Tuam, or will they just build it all and open it at once..

glineli

antoobrien wrote: »

From the Galway Co Council website:

Is this a new article?

antoobrien

glineli wrote: »

Is this a new article?

It's been updated recently (can't say when) as there are several things that were not on it over the summer such as the fact that they are in discussions with Direct Route.

spacetweek

antoobrien wrote: »

It's been updated recently (can't say when) as there are several things that were not on it over the summer such as the fact that they are in discussions with Direct Route.

Wait, was that article already posted? I thought it was completely new.

antoobrien

spacetweek wrote: »

Wait, was that article already posted? I thought it was completely new.

It's from the co co website, there's stuff there I' don't remember seeing before the summer.

Regardless, it shows the current view of the co co, which is more that can be said for some of the rumourmongering that is going on for the past few pages.