M3 - 2 years later

chewed

It's been over 2 years since the opening of the M3 motorway.

Are there any stats out there as to traffic levels and if the tolls collected are enough to pay for it? I remember reading a few years back that if there weren't enough tolls then the government (i.e. Tax Payer) would have to pay the difference!

antoobrien

chewed wrote: »

It's been over 2 years since the opening of the M3 motorway.

Are there any stats out there as to traffic levels and if the tolls collected are enough to pay for it? I remember reading a few years back that if there weren't enough tolls then the government (i.e. Tax Payer) would have to pay the difference!

The traffic counts are available on the NRA traffic counter page (if you know how to look for them as they're not listed).

The details of the contracts are not public as they are "commercially sensitive" but if they did give guaranteed traffic levels they traffic counts are almost certainly lower.

It's clear though that the motorway has had an effect - the traffic levels at Dunshauglin have halved since it opened.

L1011

From memory there's a sliding scale of 'support payments' if tolling revenue is below expectations on this, and on the Limerick tunnel.

In each case the actual contract value - as in how long the PPP concession last for, etc - would have been done so that the total cost to the taxpayer *should* still be lower even in a situation like we have now. No guarantee that that's the case, though.

_Kaiser_

Well on a practical "on the ground" level it's great if you are willing to pay the tolls as it's almost always (virtually) deserted, certainly once you pass the Navan exits but even before that I've never yet seen it busy.

Blanch to Kells can be done in about 35-40 mins.

The Idyll Race

The story of the M3 and of those who benefited from its construction will be, I am sure, one of the most interesting stories since the foundation of this state.

Are the construction costs and land purchase costs a matter of public record?

How does the performance of the M3 measure up to any cost/benefit analysis?

We are very quick to condemn any investment in public transport but roads seem to be sacrosanct. An architect of my acquaintance once said to me that rail projects get screwed around with, because "they can't figure out how to make superprofits from the land".

JupiterKid

The M3 certainly is a relatively lightly trafficked motorway, especially when you compare it with the M1, M7 and M4. It seems to be busiest between its start at Clonee and the junction for Ratoath.

The section between Ratoath and Navan is significantly quieter but the quietest of all is the section between Navan and Kells. This anecdotal evidence suggests that the tolls are definitely acting as a deterrent to traffic using the M3.

How busy is traffic these days in Navan, Dunshaughlin and Kells? If these towns still have peak hour tailbacks then the M3 has clearly failed in its role. It was built to remove traffic from these three towns.

EDIT: Just took at quick look at the traffic count stats for the M3 linked by Antobrien. Roughly 13,000 vehickes per day at the Dunshaughlin interchange and 10,000 at Navan south. Very lightly trafficked by the looks of it and, in fact, below capacity for the 14,000 AADT threshold that warrants a dual carriageway.

Irish and Proud

JupiterKid wrote: »

The M3 certainly is a relatively lightly trafficked motorway, especially when you compare it with the M1, M7 and M4. It seems to be busiest between its start at at Clonee and the junction for Ratoath.

The section between Ratoath and Navan is significantly quieter but the quietest of all is the section between Navan and Kells. This anecdotal evidence suggests that the tolls are definitely acting as a deterrent to traffic using the M3.

How busy is traffic these days in Navan, Dunshaughlin and Kells? If these towns still have peak hour tailbacks then the M3 has clearly failed in its role. It was built to remove traffic from these three towns.

Are there any AADT counts available yet for the M3? If if not - why not?

The last time I looked, the NRA traffic counts would suggest approx' 8k PCUs between Kells and Navan and 13k PCUs between Navan and Dunshaughlin.

antoobrien

JupiterKid wrote: »

EDIT: Just took at quick look at the traffic count stats for the M3 linked by Antobrien. Roughly 13,000 vehickes per day at the Dunshaughlin interchange and 10,000 at Navan south. Very lightly trafficked by the looks of it and, in fact, below capacity for the 14,000 AADT threshold that warrants a dual carriageway.

It's not as badly off as appears from first glance. The AADT for 2009 in Dunshauglin (3km east of the village on the old N3) was 15,792. Since the motorway opened, that's down to about 8,000. The motorway at Dunshauglin is holding about 14,000 (88% of the traffic levels in 2009).

Given that the combined traffic for the two roads is approx 22,000 vehicles per day (vs about 18,000 at the peak), I'd say it's fair to say that there was lot of traffic using "other routes" to avoid Dunshaughlin.

The Idyll Race

antoobrien wrote: »

It's not as badly off as appears from first glance. The AADT for 2009 in Dunshauglin (3km east of the village on the old N3) was 15,792. Since the motorway opened, that's down to about 8,000. The motorway at Dunshauglin is holding about 14,000 (88% of the traffic levels in 2009).

Given that the combined traffic for the two roads is approx 22,000 vehicles per day (vs about 18,000 at the peak), I'd say it's fair to say that there was lot of traffic using "other routes" to avoid Dunshaughlin.

14,000 at what point - north of the junction, the junction or south (tolled section)?

antoobrien

The Idyll Race wrote: »

14,000 at what point - north of the junction, the junction or south (tolled section)?

That one is south of the village

http://nraextra.nra.ie/CurrentTrafficCounterData/index.html

M3 Between Pace and Dunshaughlin (IG: 301668E 244643N)

Bummer1234

Don't want to start a new thread so will hijack this, Anyone got an idea why there has been a contraflow for a few weeks now on the bridge between Navan and Dunshaughlin.

here

Irish and Proud

Bummer1234 wrote: »

Don't want to start a new thread so will hijack this, Anyone got an idea why there has been a contraflow for a few weeks now on the bridge between Navan and Dunshaughlin.

here

Maybe something to do with expansion joints? I remember one of those on a small bridge driving through Scotland (A74 DC) in 1986. We drove the same road the following year and the contra-flow was still in place. I think the entire coursing was being redone in that case though.

cgcsb

Unlike the M1,4 and 7, it doesn't connect Dublin to any other cities, so it'll be mostly relying on commuter traffic, same story as the M2 and M11, only difference is there's tolls to be paid on the M3.

JupiterKid

Irish and Proud wrote: »

Maybe something to do with expansion joints? I remember one of those on a small bridge driving through Scotland (A74 DC) in 1986. We drove the same road the following year and the contra-flow was still in place. I think the entire coursing was being redone in that case though.

I hope it's not yet another problem with our newly constructed motorways. There have already been more than enough.

antoobrien

JupiterKid wrote: »

I hope it's not yet another problem with our newly constructed motorways. There have already been more than enough.

If it is, as opposed to routine/scheduled maintenance (no indication that it's either), at least it's at the cost of the operating consortium.