Contra Flow on Motorways? Possible?

flazio

OK so most of the motorway network is still fairly young and working fine, but I hear all this talk about if work is needed the motorway would have to be shut down and traffic diverted onto old roads. I'm just wondering whether or not there are any designated gaps or removable bollards along the median barriers to allow a carefully coned section hop across to the other lanes of the motorway and contraflow. Has there ever been a contraflow set up on the motorways before?

GerardKeating

flazio wrote: »

OK so most of the motorway network is still fairly young and working fine, but I hear all this talk about if work is needed the motorway would have to be shut down and traffic diverted onto old roads. I'm just wondering whether or not there are any designated gaps or removable bollards along the median barriers to allow a carefully coned section hop across to the other lanes of the motorway and contraflow. Has there ever been a contraflow set up on the motorways before?

Never seen it done in Ireland yet., but the gaps in the median barriers are there for it to happen.

Aidan1

Motorway surfaces generally have to be replaced after 9-10 years, depending on traffic volumes (Most of the PPP sections have these resurfacings in the contract, including one just before the section is handed back to the State). Most of the newer motorways have been built with this in mind - they have 'gates' in the concrete barrier every couple of kilometers to allow contraflows to be out in place during re-surfacing works. The 'gates' are essentially flush fitting steel panels on the barrier - fairly visible in most cases.

Roryhy

Aidan1 wrote: »

Motorway surfaces generally have to be replaced after 9-10 years, depending on traffic volumes (Most of the PPP sections have these resurfacings in the contract, including one just before the section is handed back to the State). Most of the newer motorways have been built with this in mind - they have 'gates' in the concrete barrier every couple of kilometers to allow contraflows to be out in place during re-surfacing works. The 'gates' are essentially flush fitting steel panels on the barrier - fairly visible in most cases.

Its more like every 20 years isn't it?

celticbest

There was a contraflow on the M1 a few years back when they were putting in Junction 3 (Drynam). You can still see the crossover points on google maps.

Aidan1

Its more like every 20 years isn't it?

Depends on traffic - some of our Motorways will be so lightly trafficked that it will be well in excess of 20 years (M9 being a case in point), but for heavily used roads, the design life of the wear surface is 9 years. The sections of N25that were built in the mid/late 1990s are a case in point (not Motorway I know) - parts of that road are in dire need of a re-surface, and have been patched already.

ardmacha

It can depend on construction quality. The surface on the M1 Dunleer Bypass is in good order for the most part, 18 years later, but the section from Dunleer to Dundalk is by no means as good, although not more more than half its age.

parklands

There was a contraflow on the M7 Naas bypass last year

lucernarian

ardmacha wrote: »

It can depend on construction quality. The surface on the M1 Dunleer Bypass is in good order for the most part, 18 years later, but the section from Dunleer to Dundalk is by no means as good, although not more more than half its age.

+1

It baffles me to see the wear surface worn away on several small stretches of the Dunleer-Dundalk section of M1

L1011

The worn bits of the M1 are covered by the mainto bit of the PPP contract so I'm surprised the NRA haven't slapped CRG in to action over it yet.

The M4 between Leixlip and Kilcock is 17 years old now and very heavily trafficed and just has some small patching one on carriageway. It should last to 20 without any bother.

NFD100

MYOB wrote: »

The worn bits of the M1 are covered by the mainto bit of the PPP contract so I'm surprised the NRA haven't slapped CRG in to action over it yet.

The M4 between Leixlip and Kilcock is 17 years old now and very heavily trafficed and just has some small patching one on carriageway. It should last to 20 without any bother.

CRG can't even pick the litter up on the stretch they are paid to 'manage' why would they be pushed to resurface any of it?

L1011

because they're contractually obliged to. Probably having to pour all their profits in to bypass at waterford though...