N7 - Newlands Cross upgrade

MJohnston

Caliden wrote: »

Better in the sense that traffic can exit easier but as there are no lights, the traffic going northbound (N7 inbound) will no longer be staggered.

I can't say for sure, but having it no longer staggered is probably a good thing, as the traffic is more even distributed when merging, instead of being in giant clusters.

omicron

eyeball kid wrote: »

It looks like the 6 lanes will be pretty narrow judging by that photo. Are they putting in a central median?

I think this might be a case of ''small and far away''.

ciarsd

eyeball kid wrote: »

It looks like the 6 lanes will be pretty narrow judging by that photo. Are they putting in a central median?

Narrow concrete median and no hard shoulder.

paulbok

ukoda wrote: »

on the city side they appear to have the markers down for the lines to be painted, assuming the final surface is on so?

Final layer went on over the last 2 days, both ends is all that's left to build up and grade into the active roads. I'd guess they may close some of the lanes off peak over the next week to allow them to do so.

emo72

lads thats just the outbound lane. they have to start the inbound flyover next.

L1011

emo72 wrote: »

lads thats just the outbound lane. they have to start the inbound flyover next.

No, it isn't and no, they don't

iseegirls

emo72 wrote: »

lads thats just the outbound lane. they have to start the inbound flyover next.

eh??

D Trent

MYOB wrote: »

No, it isn't and no, they don't

He's right. They're starting the other flyover soon, funding just announced couple weeks back

beertons

emo72 wrote: »

lads thats just the outbound lane. they have to start the inbound flyover next.

That's it dude. Inbound and outbound on that. 6 small lanes, no hard shoulder. I thought the same myself. Missed opportunity, I'd have done 2 bridges.

D.L.R.

D Trent wrote: »

He's right. They're starting the other flyover soon, funding just announced couple weeks back

There's one 6 lane flyover being built. That's it.

K.Flyer

There are still going to be some problems with traffic leaving the M50 going south onto the N7 trying to cross lanes either to get into the Luas station, the industrial estate or Belgard.
Either way though, it has to be an improvement.

slinky2000

Sure the crossing the lanes to the Luas exit was always an issue this was never going to cure that. At least with the Belgard road they have slightly longer to move over.

emo72

MYOB wrote: »

No, it isn't and no, they don't

Yeah guys. I was pulling yisser legs. Hope it works out okay.

emo72

emo72 wrote: »

Yeah guys. I was pulling yisser legs. Hope it works out okay.

you forgot the ( )

spacetweek

beertons wrote: »

That's it dude. Inbound and outbound on that. 6 small lanes, no hard shoulder. I thought the same myself. Missed opportunity, I'd have done 2 bridges.

Lot of people have been commenting on how narrow it looks. It's not narrow, you're just seeing it from a long way off. The lanes will be normal (i.e. full) width. There won't be room to pull over but you shouldn't be doing that anyway.

slinky2000

damm someone inconsiderate enough to get a flat tyre. Do they not know its the newlands cross flyover!

Cookiemunster

slinky2000 wrote: »

damm someone inconsiderate enough to get a flat tyre. Do they not know its the newlands cross flyover!

The flyover isn't that long. Someone with a puncture can easily continue on to where it's safe to pull over.

W.Shakes-Beer

Cookiemunster wrote: »

The flyover isn't that long. Someone with a puncture can easily continue on to where it's safe to pull over.

Very true, but will they? Or will they just pull into the left lane and cause chaos which seems to be common enough along this traffic clogged route.

Common scenario that I can't understand:

Rush hour on a friday evening, traffic bumper to bumper, someone's car boils over/clutch turns to mush/conks out (popular in the middle lane it seems).

Option one - Drop handbreak, get out of car (by this stage people in surrounding cars cop somethings up), maybe ask for assistance, push car to edge of road whether it be a verge or bus lane, do so at the mercy of other motorists who might hold back/make room to do so. Wait for tow truck while the traffic gets going again.

Option two - Sit in car in middle lane, make no eye contact with anybody, ignore the horns/revvy engines as cars mill either side of you, tweet about it maybe and cause chaos.

I'm aware I'm being cynical as it always seems as though people take the second option and appear relatively ignorant of the chaos that'll back from Newlands X right back to the Red Cow.

My cynicism is fueled by too much time sitting in that traffic twice a day

RichardoKhan

Very big difference between our expectations what reasonable drivers should do & what actually occurs.
Multi lane driving hasnt quite settled in to the Irish drivers psyche fully yet. A drive on the M50 any given day but particular in rush hour will show you that.......

W.Shakes-Beer

RichardoKhan wrote: »

Very big difference between our expectations what reasonable drivers should do & what actually occurs.
Multi lane driving hasnt quite settled in to the Irish drivers psyche fully yet. A drive on the M50 any given day but particular in rush hour will show you that.......

Too true. It's almost a polar opposite.

Traffic bunches up in the outer overtaking lane, followed by people hitting the brakes, I'm surprised there isn't more pile ups to be honest.

Middle lane, also an overtaking lane, isn't much better.

The inside lane is usually the most clear. Although I don't condone undertaking, most of the time I'm left with no choice.

EDIT: Anyway, lets not turn this into a lesson on the disaster that is the average Irish motorist, as we could end up writing a book here...

spacetweek

Took two shots, let me know what yis think.

Guy:Incognito

There's plenty of other bridges without hard shoulders that I can't remember any major issues. The m50 toll doesn't have them does it? Iirc either does the m1 at malahide.

Duiske

W.Shakes-Beer wrote: »

Option one - Drop handbreak, get out of car (by this stage people in surrounding cars cop somethings up), maybe ask for assistance, push car to edge of road whether it be a verge or bus lane, do so at the mercy of other motorists who might hold back/make room to do so. Wait for tow truck while the traffic gets going again.

Even with Option one traffic still gets snarled up all the way back to the M50 interchange, as rubber neckers slow down to gawp at your misfortune.

by the curragh

spacetweek wrote: »

Took two shots, let me know what yis think.

Doctor Who is going to have to move his yoke

Idbatterim

question, is building the overpass with 3 lanes in each direct, as short sighted as building the original m50 with 2 lanes?

by the curragh

by the curragh wrote: »

Doctor Who is going to have to move his yoke

He's going to move it yesterday. :pac:

AndyBoBandy

Idbatterim wrote: »

question, is building the overpass with 3 lanes in each direct, as short sighted as building the original m50 with 2 lanes?

I would disagree,

as there will still be bus lanes and regular lanes that don't go over the flyover but will still have the capacity to continue south on the N7 (they'll just have to cross the traffic lights/junction)

Dummy

Idbatterim wrote: »

question, is building the overpass with 3 lanes in each direct, as short sighted as building the original m50 with 2 lanes?

It would make absolutely no difference.

Didn't you know that when you join a 3 lane motorway in Ireland, you drive straight out to the middle lane. Then when the coast is clear, you join the outside overtaking lane & stay there for the rest of your journey.

I reckon, that in Ireland, that the inside lane will be for potted plants, café bars & street entertainment.

MJohnston

Andybobandy wrote: »

I would disagree,

as there will still be bus lanes and regular lanes that don't go over the flyover but will still have the capacity to continue south on the N7 (they'll just have to cross the traffic lights/junction)

Surely it'd make no difference anyway - I'd imagine the next stage in increasing N7 capacity would be to build an entirely new alignment, rather than try and shove in 4 lanes.

tonc76

MJohnston wrote: »

Surely it'd make no difference anyway - I'd imagine the next stage in increasing N7 capacity would be to build an entirely new alignment, rather than try and shove in 4 lanes.

Planning permission has been sought (and possibly granted?) to increase the N7 to 3 lanes from Naas north to the M7/M9 split.