N2 - Article: "Locals bid to halt plans for new M2 Monaghan dual carriageway"

Amtmann

A CAMPAIGN has been launched in Co Monaghan against plans for a new dual carriageway to replace the N2, from Clontibret to the Border at Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone.

The new road would replace the existing Monaghan bypass, which was opened just four years ago.

None of the route options being examined by Monaghan County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) incorporates the bypass, built at a cost of €26 million, or other large sections of the existing N2 that were also improved in recent years.

The proposed 25km route, which is the subject of public consultation, would link up with a new A5 dual-carriageway between Aughnacloy and Derry for which the Government has pledged to contribute £400 million (€487 million).

A spokesman for the NRA, for which the county council is acting as agent, said the new N2 was “part of a cross-Border initiative with the Northern Ireland Roads Service” to improve links between Dublin and Derry. “We’re looking to incorporate a bunch of little road schemes into one big one”.

Noel Murphy, spokesman for the Don’t Bypass the Bypass campaign, said the pledge had been made in 2007 “at a time when we thought we were flush with money” and needed to be reviewed in the light of changed economic circumstances.

“The proposed stretch of road [in Co Monaghan] will carve through complicated drumlin country, costing up to €12 million per kilometre – a total of €300 million,” he said.

“We are calling on the Government to exercise commonsense leadership and stop this flawed road project.”

Mr Murphy said large sections of the N2 had recently undergone major road improvements, with towns along the route bypassed. This included the “brand new” 3km Monaghan bypass completed in 2006 and 13km of “excellent quality highway” in the county.

“The remaining 14km section between Monaghan and Aughnacloy was granted planning permission in 2004 and substantial consultancy work has been carried out on this proposed roadway, which was expected to cost €50 million [and] now seems to be shelved.

“Traffic flow analysis taken from the NRA statistics show an 8.7 per cent decrease in volumes from a peak in 2007-2010 on this road. The maximum recorded volumes of 6,029 vehicles per day in 2007 fall well short of 10,000 required to justify investment in a motorway.”

Mr Murphy, whose family home is located in one of the route corridors being studied, said the latest plan “is being advanced at a vigorous pace by the Monaghan County Council and Grontmij consulting engineers despite the fact that the country is in the depth of a recession”.

He claimed that there had been no real communication or consultation with landowners, householders and businesses that may be affected by the plan. “Some farmers will lose homes and farm buildings that have been farmed by the family for generations,” he said.

Inadequate time had been given to the general public to make informed submissions on the route options being studied, which did not include upgrading the existing N2 route, but Mr Murphy said public pressure had resulted in the closing date being extended to August 31st.

The NRA spokesman said three public meetings were held last year and a consultation last month in Monaghan town on route corridor options, which 348 people attended. A further round of consultations would take place after a “preferred route” was chosen later this year.

Last February, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the N2/A5 was “an obvious project that is of mutual benefit to everybody. We have interests in the northwest. We want to ensure that the people in Donegal and that part of the world have proper transport access . . .”

The proposed road “will proceed because it is strategically important. It is not something that should be done based on a whim or just as an optional extra. It is important that it be completed and there shall be no more about it as far as I am concerned”, he added.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0819/1224277150127.html

dubhthach

Are there any PDF's available online showing the potential route selections for this road?

murphaph

Seems like a genuine waste of money given the current climate and likely AADT and existing high standard of roadway. Much better places to spend that money. The A5 thing won't be built for ages anyway.

slickmcvic

sooner they build that road the better, the stretch between monaghan and emyvale is lethal and the A5 to strabane isnt much better....things are moving quite fast in Monaghan from what I hear.....what i dont get though is how the road is going to link up with the recent upgrades on that route like the 'blaney bypass (2+1) and aughnacloy to ballygawley stretch that isnt dual carraigeway either!....won't be losing too much sleep about "bypassing the Bypass" around Monaghan though.....was only a small stretch of single carraigeway littered with too many pointless roundabouts

L1011

The Monaghan Bypass was a temporary sticking plaster, and the 2 ported roundabout in the middle makes it bloody clear the council have every intent of destroying its function in the future with development.

Pete_Cavan

Mr Murphy, whose family home is located in one of the route corridors being studied, said the latest plan “is being advanced at a vigorous pace by the Monaghan County Council and Grontmij consulting engineers despite the fact that the country is in the depth of a recession”.

This road is not going to be built for a long time. Just because we are in a recession does not mean we should cancel all road planning work. It takes years for a road scheme to progress from planning/consultation/detailed design/cpo to construction. If we wait until we come out of recession before planning any road building projects we will be back in another recessionary cycle before we start building it. Im sure the plan is to design the road now but they are aware the funds will not be available for 5-10 years. That guy would be better off working with the road designers to it ensure it has as little impact on him as possible instead of campaigning to get the whole thing cancelled.

dubhthach

dubhthach wrote: »

Are there any PDF's available online showing the potential route selections for this road?

So when looking at the Monaghan county council site. Here's a an aerial photo map of the different route selections

http://www.monaghan.ie/websitev2/download/pdf/roads/2010/N2Realignment/1stConsultation/MapsAndInfo/N2C2NI%20PCM2%20Display%206b%20-%20Route%20Corridor%20Options%20%28Aerial%20Photo%29.pdf

More documents can be found here:
http://www.monaghan.ie/websitev2/roads/N2Clontibret/1stPublicConsultation.html

mckdrumbo

definitely need to improve stretches of that road but surely better to incorporate existing new roads which are very good,rather than have unnecessary destruction of the countryside(as seen on the 'Blaney by-pass) and huge expense where it is not required.Maybe some common sense could be applied rather than just the usual bureaucratic methods.

L1011

The existing Monaghan bypass isn't "very good" though. It serves its purpose well but its single carriageway with a superflous roundabout and poor sightlines for overtaking. Its also too close to the town. The N2/N12 roundabout is also too small.

murphaph

MYOB wrote: »

The existing Monaghan bypass isn't "very good" though. It serves its purpose well but its single carriageway with a superflous roundabout and poor sightlines for overtaking. Its also too close to the town. The N2/N12 roundabout is also too small.

Cheaper to enlarge the roundabout and perhaps GSJ/remove a couple of the others, rather than paying for more land for another bypass?

What are AADTs like on the N2 in Monaghan?

westtip

Monaghan needs a decent road to Brookborough on the A4 to fill in the East West Border route Sligo/Enniskillen/Monagahn/Newry (or Dundalk), this scheme further shows our obsession with radial routes from Dublin.

Traffic from the North and North west should be funnelled into the M1 south around Dundalk, there is plenty of capacity on the M1 and provides a key link to Dublin Airport and Dublin Port. When building strategic transport corridors there is nothing wrong with steering drivers on a slighly longer, more fuel efficient and safer route, for the greater good of all.

anyway this scheme has snowflakes chance in hell of ever getting off the ground in the next ten years the problem is simple lack of money.

L1011

murphaph wrote: »

Cheaper to enlarge the roundabout and perhaps GSJ/remove a couple of the others, rather than paying for more land for another bypass?

The extra land required to bring the proposed corridor over to and back from the bypass would outweight it in land costs. There are premises (a car dealer and the town of monaghan coop IIRC) too close to allow a bigger roundabout.

GeneHunt

Anyone know what type of dual carriageway is planed - I haven't had the chance to read up on it yet, I mean is it intended to stay a dual carriageway or will it be designated a motorway at a later date?

MYOB wrote: »

The Monaghan Bypass was a temporary sticking plaster, and the 2 ported roundabout in the middle makes it bloody clear the council have every intent of destroying its function in the future with development.

MYOB, I think you're right about the Monaghan bypass been a "temporary sticking plaster", However looking at the routes of the proposed new dual carriageway, I think the "2 ported roundabout in the middle" is intended to connect via a new link road to a new junction on dual carriageway south of the N12. I'll bet there'll be no junction for the N12, just an over-bridge!

ardmacha

This route could be 2+2. There seems little reason why the existing road around Clontibret could not be upgraded to 2+2 from the end of the existing 2+1 sectio to the R213 at Castleshane. The 2+1 should be upgraded to 2+2. The new route could then proceed East of Monaghan, this would be significantly shorter than going close to the town and the existing mickey mouse relief road. All of the routes above converge on a point near the exisiting bridge at Aughnacloy. One idea would be to stay well to the West and join the A28 west of Aughnacloy, to join with an enhanced A5. The N12, as a national primary route, deserves a GSJ.

L1011

GeneHunt wrote: »

Anyone know what type of dual carriageway is planed - I haven't had the chance to read up on it yet, I mean is it intended to stay a dual carriageway or will it be designated a motorway at a later date?



MYOB, I think you're right about the Monaghan bypass been a "temporary sticking plaster", However looking at the routes of the proposed new dual carriageway, I think the "2 ported roundabout in the middle" is intended to connect via a new link road to a new junction on dual carriageway south of the N12. I'll bet there'll be no junction for the N12, just an over-bridge!

It'll stay DC, will never be built to motorway standards.

The RAB could easily be used as the joining point for a link road, I just suspect it was done to allow future development to link to (and hence destroy the function of) the bypass...

Bypasses that are that close to the towns they bypass will eventually be destroyed anyway - its ineviable. Cavan should serve as a warning - there is so much development on the Dublin side of where the bypass joins that you can be delayed for some time outside Quinn depending on time of day and so on.

Amtmann

Interesting discussion on the Pat Kenny Show here:

http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2010/pc/pod-v-13091019m39stodaywithpatkenny.mp3