M11 - Arklow to Rathnew

ITDept

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Tailback was pretty bad already this evening. I think it was about 4 or 5 kilometres. Thanking my lucky stars I'm not doing it this Friday.

BigMoose

How far back did the tailbacks go? Listening to one of the radio stations on the way home it sounded like it was back beyond Jn16 (which I think 4-5k would be) but no sign of a queue by the time I got there at about 6:45pm

d31b0y

Be interested to know when it gets bad. I got to the merge at about 5.15 yesterday and there was no sign of any tailback.

TechnoFreek

I'm agreed with my boss that I'm going to finish An hour early on Fridays until the works are finished. I'll need to take it as leave but I work in ballsbridge and commute via the Bus Eireann route 2. Doing this will allow me to get the 3.30 bus that passes through ballsbridge which should put me ahead of the big traffic.

I currently get the 4pm route 5 bus which is generally ahead of the traffic but that bus route is being discontinued next Thursday. Such a dose.

josip

TechnoFreek wrote: »

I'm agreed with my boss that I'm going to finish An hour early on Fridays until the works are finished. I'll need to take it as leave but I work in ballsbridge and commute via the Bus Eireann route 2. Doing this will allow me to get the 3.30 bus that passes through ballsbridge which should put me ahead of the big traffic.

I currently get the 4pm route 5 bus which is generally ahead of the traffic but that bus route is being discontinued next Thursday. Such a dose.

At least you have the 2 to fall back on.
It's worse for the (few) people of Clonroche and New Ross who used to (fork out up to €18 each way) use that route.

spacetweek

josip wrote: »

At least you have the 2 to fall back on.
It's worse for the (few) people of Clonroche and New Ross who used to (fork out up to €18 each way) use that route.

I presume you aren't saying that people used to commute all the way from Clonroche and NR to Dublin each day?

josip

spacetweek wrote: »

I presume you aren't saying that people used to commute all the way from Clonroche and NR to Dublin each day?

I doubt if anyone used it daily, but there would have been some who used it weekly, although not enough to justify keeping it open according to BE.
I used it 2 Sundays ago. Regardless of the frequency of use, those people will nevertheless miss the convenient option it provided.
Lift to Enniscorthy and bus from there from now on.

TechnoFreek

I arrived to the back log before the bee hive at around 5.10 on friday. Back log wasn't crazy long, half of the usual summer Friday. Very slow moving all the way to arklow. After 6 before we got to main street in arklow, I was travelling on Bus.

I dread to think what Fridays will be like once the summer kicks in.

Taking a days leave on the Friday before the May bank holiday!

badgerbroc11

All in all, I think they have done a fantastic job managing the traffic and causing minimal disruption. (Although the lorry driver who crashed because of the crazy way you had to drive over a future roundabout mightn't agree)

As a daily commuter (from close to Clonroche) I'm not looking forward to the potential tailbacks over the summer but as the road will hopefully be opened by August 12 weeks is not a huge sacrifice for the improvements we'll have afterwards

badgerbroc11

badgerbroc11 wrote: »

All in all, I think they have done a fantastic job managing the traffic and causing minimal disruption. (Although the lorry driver who crashed because of the crazy way you had to drive over a future roundabout mightn't agree)

As a daily commuter (from close to Clonroche) I'm not looking forward to the potential tailbacks over the summer but as the road will hopefully be opened by August 12 weeks is not a huge sacrifice for the improvements we'll have afterwards

It least the schools will be closed, so taking a lot of local traffic off the road.

ITDept

badgerbroc11 wrote: »

All in all, I think they have done a fantastic job managing the traffic and causing minimal disruption. (Although the lorry driver who crashed because of the crazy way you had to drive over a future roundabout mightn't agree)

As a daily commuter (from close to Clonroche) I'm not looking forward to the potential tailbacks over the summer but as the road will hopefully be opened by August 12 weeks is not a huge sacrifice for the improvements we'll have afterwards

I agree, and I don't think the lorry driver can have too many complaints - there are heavily signed 60 kph limits, rumble strips / lines to remind you to slow down, and signs at the ramps and he managed to ignore all of that.

I was coming down yesterday and the driver in front of me came to a complete stop halfway round the new roundabout in order to have a think about what to do next. There is only one main option and one minor option (local access) and again it's heavily signed for hundreds of metres. Some drivers will always mess it up no matter how well the road works are managed.

vickers209

Just came back through there now and they are working on the rathnew end tie in.
Five or six lorrys shifting soil over to the field beside delehunts entrance.

Must be in a rush to get job completed if they working on it on a sunday morning.

I took a few photos from the new beehive bridge, its all the time i had to take some will try gey more over next while.

Looking Towards coolbeg heading away from beehive



Looking towards Beehive



Looking south towards arklow
Note the center concrete divide comes as far as where the old road was for coolbeg


Looking North towards dublin

TechnoFreek

These upcoming bus strikes will be an excuse to work from home and stay off the road! Both scheduled for Fridays.

vickers209

Nice Day for a few photos of progress have to say work is happening at a very fast pace judging on what i saw today i would think 70 to 80% of the work has been done and would be surprised if it wasn't open by end of June.

Beehive Bridge Again looking north


Looking south


Looking North from side of new sliproad at beehive


Looking Back South at Beehive Bridge



Ballinameesda bends looking north


Looking South




Beehive in backround


Northbound slip road


Noticed Holes cut in median divide must be for drainage


Old And New road at coolbeg





Ballard bridges (Back of Tap)

vickers209

Part 2

2nd Bridge at Ballard


Looking North towards ballinameesda




Looking South




The Tap (Sorry about blurred image)


Bridge and new slipway south of barndarrig




Arklow end where the road crossed over is gone






Looking South Towards Arklow


Looking north at new flyover at scratenagh

vickers209

3rd part

The Bridge


Looking South Off new Bridge




Looking north off Bridge


And Last one
Jack Whites Bridge
Noticed light poles erected on the new slip roads

VR6

I take my hat off to you Vickers, you have done an absolutely superb job here that brings us bang up to date on progress with the M11 gap ! I hope you are right with your predictions for an early opening date, it certainly looks possible from these images.

I am really looking forward to seeing pics of the tie-in at the Rathnew end....

spacetweek

VR6 wrote: »

I take my hat off to you Vickers, you have done an absolutely superb job here that brings us bang up to date on progress with the M11 gap !

Yes and he had great weather too.

vickers209

VR6 wrote: »

I take my hat off to you Vickers, you have done an absolutely superb job here that brings us bang up to date on progress with the M11 gap ! I hope you are right with your predictions for an early opening date, it certainly looks possible from these images.

I am really looking forward to seeing pics of the tie-in at the Rathnew end....

No problem:o
its hard to get somewhere to stop near the rathnew end tie in to get pictures but it looks of it they have moved enough earth and now have it sloping up to join onto the rathnew bypass

mackerski

vickers209 wrote: »

No problem:o
its hard to get somewhere to stop near the rathnew end tie in to get pictures but it looks of it they have moved enough earth and now have it sloping up to join onto the rathnew bypass

Would here or here be any good? (Disclaimer: I can't say for sure that the second spot is still accessible, but the first one certainly is).

vickers209

mackerski wrote: »

Would here or here be any good? (Disclaimer: I can't say for sure that the second spot is still accessible, but the first one certainly is).

I was at the first spot yesterday the road is only tarred as far as the timber yard just ballast after that and I didn't fancy driving any further up it.

I got my picture of the slip road and back to beehive bridge from there. I jumped fence and walked down bank a bit trying too look up that end but it's a good 600 700 meters further up .

If I get a chance I will try 2nd like I know that road but I don't think it will go far enough down unless you enter private land

TechnoFreek

I commute by bus so am seated higher and can get a decent albeit brief view at the rathnew end.

There certainly is a lot of earth moved but it still seems like there is a lot to do here.

Also don't forget that this work is for north bound traffic. Work still has to start on the southbound side.

However having said all that, the works so far seem more expansive than for just two lanes for northbound traffic.

BoatMad

TechnoFreek wrote: »

I commute by bus so am seated higher and can get a decent albeit brief view at the rathnew end.

There certainly is a lot of earth moved but it still seems like there is a lot to do here.

Also don't forget that this work is for north bound traffic. Work still has to start on the southbound side.

However having said all that, the works so far seem more expansive than for just two lanes for northbound traffic.

Id say they'll need to put a push on to open in Aug

badgerbroc11

BoatMad wrote: »

Id say they'll need to put a push on to open in Aug

I agree. They are making great progress but there'll be a lot of work finishing off all the junctions; crash barrier, lighting, signage etc. I'd also guess that they will have to put a final layer of asphalt on the stretches that look finished so far.

badgerbroc11

Does anyone know when the Gorey service station is due to open.

msq

Can't find any detailed plans of Gorey service station - will there be an entry from R772 as well..?

jd

msq wrote: »

will there be an entry from R772 as well..?

Good God, no! It's an online Service Area

spacetweek

msq wrote: »

Can't find any detailed plans of Gorey service station - will there be an entry from R772 as well..?

*gasp* I certainly hope not!
The whole point of online services is that they are only accessible from the main road.

serfboard

spacetweek wrote: »

*gasp* I certainly hope not!
The whole point of online services is that they are only accessible from the main road.

Are the Enfield services not accessible from the L1003 though?

And doesn't that make sense for something like deliveries?

ITDept

I don't think there's any need for deliveries to go on a local back road when there's a motorway out the front. It might be useful for emergency services though.

I used to live not far from a motorway service station in the UK which had a small link to a local road from behind the buildings. Lots of people used to use it as an unofficial junction, and for the most part that was fine, but some of the locals weren't happy about the extra traffic on the back roads.