M7 - Naas/Newbridge Bypass Upgrade [Junction 9a now open]

Last Stop

WishUWereHere wrote: »

Those bollards You mention need to be erected asap. Crazy now with vehicles going right up to the off-ramp and at the last moment trying to squeeze back out.

Putting them bollards in on an exit diverge simply moves the problem back to where the bollards start. Ideally they should be placed between lane 2 and 3 near exits to stop people cutting across last minute but this would be dangerous given the speed of cars and if there is a collision etc.

The other solution is driver education :rolleyes:

GavMan

WishUWereHere wrote: »

Someone told me today that that off ramp is permanently going to be fed up to the Bundle Of Sticks ( BOS ) - true?

Sincerely hope not. Doesn't seem to make much sense

Darc19

WishUWereHere wrote: »

Someone told me today that that off ramp is permanently going to be fed up to the Bundle Of Sticks ( BOS ) - true?

Where did you hear that rubbish.?

Even a child looking at the work area there can see a roundabout is being built. Every drawing of the junction shows the roundabout and common sense would prevail too.

Amazing how fake news is taken seriously by some people.

On a separate point, was the M7 closed overnight at the weekend? Doesn't look like much was done at the m7/m9 merge.

WishUWereHere

Darc19 wrote: »

Where did you hear that rubbish.?

Even a child looking at the work area there can see a roundabout is being built. Every drawing of the junction shows the roundabout and common sense would prevail too.

Amazing how fake news is taken seriously by some people.

On a separate point, was the M7 closed overnight at the weekend? Doesn't look like much was done at the m7/m9 merge.

I only asked if it is true or not, I don’t need to have my question being called fake news or rubbish. That was my first time using the new exit, so I had no idea what was the end product. If you cannot offer constructive replies, rather belt up.

Darc19

WishUWereHere wrote: »

I only asked if it is true or not, I don’t need to have my question being called fake news or rubbish. That was my first time using the new exit, so I had no idea what was the end product. If you cannot offer constructive replies, rather belt up.

It wasn't directed at you rather the fool that told you who probably heard it in a pub and took it as true and then starts telling everyone.

But as I said, even a cursory look as you drove by would tell you it was utter rubbish.

WishUWereHere

Darc19 wrote: »

It wasn't directed at you rather the fool that told you who probably heard it in a pub and took it as true and then starts telling everyone.

But as I said, even a cursory look as you drove by would tell you it was utter rubbish.

It really doesn’t matter who your retort is aimed at, what gives you the right to be so arrogant and offensive in your replies. You know, the more you say the more you remind me of another know all named ceilingfly who used to be on here professing they knew everything & anything anyone said that disagrees with him/her was treated with contempt.

And as I said I have used that off ramp once, and all I saw was a solid metal plate going across where (we all hope ) those heading for Toughers and Newbridge can turn.

Darc19

WishUWereHere wrote: »

It really doesn’t matter who your retort is aimed at, what gives you the right to be so arrogant and offensive in your replies. You know, the more you say the more you remind me of another know all named ceilingfly who used to be on here professing they knew everything & anything anyone said that disagrees with him/her was treated with contempt.

And as I said I have used that off ramp once, and all I saw was a solid metal plate going across where (we all hope ) those heading for Toughers and Newbridge can turn.

I know feck all about roads but I know what a roundabout under construction looks like.

I used to post on boards about 4 years ago and I went by my own name. I don't think this started back then and I worked nowhere near it, unless you regard Cork as near. Kinsale to be precise.

You query was ridiculous and actually giving some credibility to someone for such a statement was ridiculous too.

WishUWereHere

Darc19 wrote: »

I know feck all about roads but I know what a roundabout under construction looks like.

I used to post on boards about 4 years ago and I went by my own name. I don't think this started back then and I worked nowhere near it, unless you regard Cork as near. Kinsale to be precise.

You query was ridiculous and actually giving some credibility to someone for such a statement was ridiculous too.

For someone who says they work in Cork/Kinsale, you sure seem to know a lot about the Newbridge area & its environs.

You still banteringon saying something is ridiculous, that’s seems how you operate. I thinkIwill just hit the i*nore button so we won’t cross paths.

Darc19

WishUWereHere wrote: »

For someone who says they work in Cork/Kinsale, you sure seem to know a lot about the Newbridge area & its environs.

You still banteringon saying something is ridiculous, that’s seems how you operate. I thinkIwill just hit the i*nore button so we won’t cross paths.

"four years ago"

Now work in Newbridge for the same company I worked for in Cork.

Any more information you wish?

Sam Russell

Mod: Can you cut the bickering. Do not attack the poster - study the charter before psting again.

iseegirls

This image shows how its working at the moment in regards to that exit, and you can tell what it'll look like eventually.
http://d2f0ora2gkri0g.cloudfront.net/5d/bc/5dbc863c-1e45-4828-9170-0969ae0f4939.JPG

jmkennedyie

A diagram of final layout: http://www.theaa.ie/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/M7-Scheme-Layout-Layout2-1.jpg

Also we try to keep https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/53.20918/-6.70983 up to date with layout changes, but can take a few hours for updates to be re-rendered.

Eoghanj

I take the M9 exit, and to be honest, i cant see what work was done at the weekend

Cazale

Builders holidays start next Monday for two weeks. Will the works on the upgrade be affected I wonder as they were stopped last year for the two weeks.

Emme

Cazale wrote: »

Builders holidays start next Monday for two weeks. Will the works on the upgrade be affected I wonder as they were stopped last year for the two weeks.

I don't think those lads will notice they're on holidays to be honest, well OK they did a bit of work in the last 2 months. However the builders holidays will be an excuse to down tools for the month of August and cause maximum frustration when they get back to work in September and the new school year starts.

KBurke85

Eoghanj wrote: »

I take the M9 exit, and to be honest, i cant see what work was done at the weekend

I don't think overnight works took place. They were only going to happen of they were ready to do so. I drove by at 4am Sunday morning and nothing happening

Eoghanj

KBurke85 wrote: »

I don't think overnight works took place. They were only going to happen of they were ready to do so. I drove by at 4am Sunday morning and nothing happening

That makes sense. I note from an earlier post that the next two weekends were also booked in case of delays / bad weather. this would suggest they will be working through the builders holidays as well.

It is very close to completion now. I cant see them downing tools for two weeks this close to the finish

BuzzFish

Was chatting to a friend working for one of the main subcontractors and who is on site a lot and close to what's happening.

They had some interesting stuff to say:

- Fining has been triggered for delays on the widening since end of April and these are being split across almost all contractors. 3 lanes by end April, J9a by September, Sallins bypass by Jan was the plan. Fining is per day. An amount was mentioned but I'll not post publicly as I'm sure this is contractual.
- Health & Safety has made the job infinately more complex. If this works work was being completed 10 years ago it would be done by now.
- Gardaí forced a complete redesign of J9a days before the bridge demolition, after the use of the new ramps had been approved by siac/Colos h&s, the HSA, TIA, roadstone and others. Their argument was that 2 trucks could not navigate the roundabouts side by side at 60kph. This diverted huge number of crews/equipment to demolish and reallign the road (for 2 days while they knocked the old bridge) and put it back again after. This caused multiple knock on delays for weeks.
- Distances from barrier to "live traffic" have been increased during daytime, forcing much work planned for daytime to overnight crews.

Also mentioned multiple other incidents and issues that have cause delays as this new partnership of Colos & SIAC work through the project.

Not my options above, just relaying information but a clear takeaway, for me, is that this is not an easy project and the sequential nature of the work causes delays very quickly when things go wrong. The amount they can do in parallel seems limited.

BuzzFish

BuzzFish wrote: »

is that this is not an easy project and the sequential nature of the work causes delays very quickly when things go wrong. The amount they can do in parallel seems limited.

Not easy, no, but things like meeting Garda expectations should be planned well in advance and shouldn't have caused weeks of delay.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Not easy, no, but things like meeting Garda expectations should be planned well in advance and shouldn't have caused weeks of delay.

Sounds like someone was absent during the planning stages.

Darc19

BuzzFish wrote: »

Was chatting to a friend working for one of the main subcontractors and who is on site a lot and close to what's happening.

They had some interesting stuff to say:

- Fining has been triggered for delays on the widening since end of April and these are being split across almost all contractors. 3 lanes by end April, J9a by September, Sallins bypass by Jan was the plan. Fining is per day. An amount was mentioned but I'll not post publicly as I'm sure this is contractual.
- Health & Safety has made the job infinately more complex. If this works work was being completed 10 years ago it would be done by now.
- Gardaí forced a complete redesign of J9a days before the bridge demolition, after the use of the new ramps had been approved by siac/Colos h&s, the HSA, TIA, roadstone and others. Their argument was that 2 trucks could not navigate the roundabouts side by side at 60kph. This diverted huge number of crews/equipment to demolish and reallign the road (for 2 days while they knocked the old bridge) and put it back again after. This caused multiple knock on delays for weeks.
- Distances from barrier to "live traffic" have been increased during daytime, forcing much work planned for daytime to overnight crews.

Also mentioned multiple other incidents and issues that have cause delays as this new partnership of Colos & SIAC work through the project.

Not my options above, just relaying information but a clear takeaway, for me, is that this is not an easy project and the sequential nature of the work causes delays very quickly when things go wrong. The amount they can do in parallel seems limited.

I had a look back at the reports when the work started and when the contracts were announced.

These all gave September/ October as the opening of the three lanes and new location jct 10. And then the sallins bypass and new jct 9 to be completed by January 2020

I can't see how a legal document can have dates changed and then fines applied whilst work is continuing.

The road under the bridge was not changed - I travel it daily and would have noticed a change and gardai would have no expertise in this area.

During Bridge demolition, protective runners were placed on the stretch so that the rubble and machinery would not damage the road. The time lapse video of the work shows all this.

Health and safety is definitely more important these days but there have been no new regulations since the start of the work.

I really can't see how a worker for a subcontractor would be privvy to any of this information. We've sub contractors where I work and they may gossip like every workplace but rarely would have a clue to what is going on.

I do think they should have had weekly updates good and bad just like the A14 project in Cambridge which is similar but about 50% bigger (and taking 3+ years)

jmkennedyie

Darc19 wrote: »

The road under the bridge was not changed - I travel it daily and would have noticed a change and gardai would have no expertise in this area.

I think the point about the Gardai refers to the slips that were used by the diverted traffic during bridge demolition...not the mainline under the bridge.

Presumably original plan was 2 lanes up, join the partially constructed two lane roundabout on either end of new bridge, and two lanes back down.

But after Gardai intervention they had to surface directly across middle of the new roundabouts to support 60kmph speeds.

Cookiemunster

jmkennedyie wrote: »

I think the point about the Gardai refers to the slips that were used by the diverted traffic during bridge demolition...not the mainline under the bridge.

Presumably original plan was 2 lanes up, join the partially constructed two lane roundabout on either end of new bridge, and two lanes back down.

But after Gardai intervention they had to surface directly across middle of the new roundabouts to support 60kmph speeds.

But he's correct to ask what expertise the Gardai would have from an engineering POV and question if that actually happened as claimed.

Darc19

jmkennedyie wrote: »

I think the point about the Gardai refers to the slips that were used by the diverted traffic during bridge demolition...not the mainline under the bridge.

Presumably original plan was 2 lanes up, join the partially constructed two lane roundabout on either end of new bridge, and two lanes back down.

But after Gardai intervention they had to surface directly across middle of the new roundabouts to support 60kmph speeds.

Considering that the specialist demolition crew for the bridge were booked months in advance, I can't see any merit in the post.

Where I work you'd hear all sorts of things in the canteen and so many "a foreman said this, a contractor said that" and all rubbish.

Not saying that someone working on the site didn't say things, but a worker for a contractor simply would not be privvy to such information in a reliable way.

All the official press releases say January 2020 for total completion of entire contract and only official date for the main 3 lanes is autumn 2019.

benny79

Are the 3 lanes not meant to be finished and open by the end of July? It was originally April. Do you reckon this will happen?

mosesgun

benny79 wrote: »

Are the 3 lanes not meant to be finished and open by the end of July? It was originally April. Do you reckon this will happen?

I can't see the southbound between J10 and the M9 turnoff being finished by the end of the month. The inside lanes are still really rough and they still appear to be laying pipes etc. Doesn't look like a few weeks work but maybe I'm wrong. Ive waited this long, a few more weeks won't kill me! Just hoping it has the desired effect traffic wise.

mosesgun

mosesgun wrote: »

I can't see the southbound between J10 and the M9 turnoff being finished by the end of the month. The inside lanes are still really rough and they still appear to be laying pipes etc. Doesn't look like a few weeks work but maybe I'm wrong. Ive waited this long, a few more weeks won't kill me! Just hoping it has the desired effect traffic wise.

The three lanes may be finished, but down to 80 kmph while they finish the junction. I'd be okay with that.

SoupyNorman

mosesgun wrote: »

I can't see the southbound between J10 and the M9 turnoff being finished by the end of the month. The inside lanes are still really rough and they still appear to be laying pipes etc. Doesn't look like a few weeks work but maybe I'm wrong. Ive waited this long, a few more weeks won't kill me! Just hoping it has the desired effect traffic wise.

When you start to see the barriers being removed, things progress very fast.

The remaining 3 lanes East and West are cleared and most barriers are removed, once they fire up the tarmac layer lanes will be open soon after.

WishUWereHere

Had a good look this evening, seems there is a roundabout in the making on the off ramp at J10 SB.

Anyone else think the traffic was very heavy this even8 g? First time #ince the 3 lanes SB opened that the queue started just after The Ball.

harr

Anyone find the road surface to be poor especially the left lane between the two Naas junctions (south bound) ...it seems very bumpy and uneven.
Middle and right lane seen ok .