Huge traffic jam on E18

fredo1664

I was driving back from Shannon about an hour ago. The traffic from Limerick to Shannon was completely jammed. There were numerous fire trucks.
Does anybody know what was happening?

Skuxx

There was an oil spill on the road! I passed it myself, I'd say traffic from Cratloe to the Two Mile Inn, they seemed to be diverting people up over the Cratloe fly over....

fredo1664

Oh, it seems to be an oil spill: http://www.live95fm.ie/News-Sport/Article/?ItemID=13908
I was happy I was driving from and not TO Shannon...

Berty

AA seem to think it backed nearly up to the Tunnel. :eek:

Setrights to Sixmilebridge turn off. Some Spill. :eek:

Think there was a few crashes as a result of the spill

Cookiemunster

Beer Baron wrote: »

AA seem to think it backed nearly up to the Tunnel. :eek:

Setrights to Sixmilebridge turn off. Some Spill. :eek:

I was driving the opposite direction at around 5:20 and it was already backed up over the bridge after the toll, so I could easily believe that. Especially at that time on a Friday

Mr. G

The tunnel is partly closed now anyway. Gardai are redirecting at all the entries to it going over to the Clare side of the tunnel. Aparently it was an oil spill and it looked like there were a number of accidents.

pappyodaniel

If you're leaving Limerick and need to travel that route head for Watchouse Cross (Moyross) and turn left, head for the Windy Gap and go through Sixmilebridge. If you're going to Shannon you'll have no choice but to go straight through the Bridge' but if it's Ennis or Galway you're going I'd advise you turn right at Sixmilebridge and go to Ennis via the Quin road.

I've never seen traffic like it in my life. I feel sorry for those stuck in traffic especially if they have kids with them.

Anyway safe journey.

Mr. G

All the traffic towards the motorway is being diverted through the Six Mile Bridge exit and over the flyover. There is still a tail back though. The road for Galway/Shannon airport is closed. If you want to go for Ennis etc you'd have to go around the back way!

phill106

pappyodaniel wrote: »

If you're leaving Limerick and need to travel that route head for Watchouse Cross (Moyross) and turn left, head for the Windy Gap and go through Sixmilebridge. If you're going to Shannon you'll have no choice but to go straight through the Bridge' but if it's Ennis or Galway you're going I'd advise you turn right at Sixmilebridge and go to Ennis via the Quin road.

I've never seen traffic like it in my life. I feel sorry for those stuck in traffic especially if they have kids with them.

Anyway safe journey.

I went over the windy gap myself once I heard all the traffic, around 7pm. Barely saw another car until I came down into sixmilebridge. Ban garda directing traffic at the junction, 5 mins later i was home

phog

pappyodaniel wrote: »

If you're leaving Limerick and need to travel that route head for Watchouse Cross (Moyross) and turn left, head for the Windy Gap and go through Sixmilebridge. If you're going to Shannon you'll have no choice but to go straight through the Bridge' but if it's Ennis or Galway you're going I'd advise you turn right at Sixmilebridge and go to Ennis via the Quin road.

I've never seen traffic like it in my life. I feel sorry for those stuck in traffic especially if they have kids with them.

Anyway safe journey.

I told a guy at work to do that once we heard about the oil spill, he said that road would be as bad, hope he's not still stuck in traffic :pac:

frank gallagher

phog wrote: »

I told a guy at work to do that once we heard about the oil spill, he said that road would be as bad, hope he's not still stuck in traffic :pac:

Any ideas if its clear yet

kevin65

I got caught up in it on my way to Galway from Cork at 5pm. Got off the motorway onto the SixMileBridge turnoff after about an hour but traffic was barely moving so I headed back into Limerick. The traffic on the Ennis Road was a mess also so I ended heading for Nenagh and went back to Galway via Portumna. Over 5 hours on the road this evening after being 3 hours on the road this morning:(

phog

frank gallagher wrote: »

Any ideas if its clear yet

No idea but would imagine it should be.

testicle

Yeah, clear Bout 40mins ago

flyingsnail

From AA Roadwatch

Northbound bore of the Limerick Tunnel has reopened however N18 still closed between Setright’s Cross & Sixmilebridge exit after fuel spill

Delays from the Limerick tunnel through to Setright’s Cross near Cratloe on the N18 have eased at this point.

Motorists should divert via the Cratloe Rd and then onto Hurlers Cross via the Shannon Rd where they can then re-access the N18.

AlfaZen

Was stuck in it on the way home from work. 20 minute journey took almost an hour and a half.
A lot of idiots using the hard shoulder. If there way an accident up ahead I don't know how an ambulance would of got there.

Lapin

That tunnel should have been closed as soon as the oil spillage was reported.

I left the Kilmurray Lodge Hotel at 4.20 yesterday afternoon to head back to Galway.

10 minutes later I was paying a toll and heading past the point of no return for a two hour journey to Sixmilebridge via a diversion at Straights Cross.

That diversion should have been in place before the tunnel at the Dock Road Junction. At least there, people could have made alternative arrangements. The Gardai have questions to answer here, and I will ask them.

(I'm not moaning about the E1.90 tunnel toll even though I resent it, but the cynic in me says they were happy to take their E1.90 to let me sit in a traffic jam they knew about less than half a mile up up the road.)

AA Roadwatch (when they finally got around to the world outside the pale) did warn about diversions at Setright's Cross but it was too late by then.

No offence to locals in the area but Setright's Cross isn't exactly a well known place whereas everyone has heard of the tunnel. Four simple words would have done on the traffic reports - AVOID LIMERICK TUNNEL NORTHBOUND -.

It would have saved a lot of hassle for thousands of people.

Must have been a nightmare for anyone catching a flight from Shannon.

It was a badly handled situation.


P.S.

Like an earlier poster I also witnessed motorists hogging the hard shoulder while ambulances were trying to get through.

Morons is the most polite word I can use to describe them here - But if you heard me earlier.


P.P.S.

Stopped off in Sixmilebridge for 20 mins to grab a bite to eat. First time there. Nice village.

Got to Galway at 8.20.

Mc Love

Yeah was wondering what happened - was heading to TP for the match last night. There was traffic backed on to the slip road from the cement factory r/a...thought something had happened in the tunnel. Tunnel was still closed when I was going around 21.30!

MarkR

phill106 wrote: »

I went over the windy gap myself once I heard all the traffic, around 7pm. Barely saw another car until I came down into sixmilebridge. Ban garda directing traffic at the junction, 5 mins later i was home

You're welcome.

fryup

what happened? did a truck overturn or something??

Mr. G

I nearly spent two hours trying to get around this. The signage I must say wasn't great though. I must say the Gardai did the best the could in fairness. Like another poster said,there were a lot of idiots using the hard shoulder which they shouldn't have so there were no way for an ambulance to get through. Some lunatic in a taxi drove down first, I really thought that was thick.

Getting to ennis for us was a nightmare. Some roads in SMB was blocked too to make it worse.

What actually happened though?

phill106

MarkR wrote: »

Your welcome.

Screw you,i was going anyway!
Is it still closed in places, firemen were are my house again this morning getting more water.

Melion

What's the windy gap? Up by the golf ball? That's the way I went, got from corbally to shannon in 30 minutes, didn't meet a car until I got to the bridge.

krudler

Windy Gap, sounds like someplace in Middle Earth :pac:

Shane2011

From my house I could see a lot of trucks stopped in the traffic in Cratloe.. If every single car heading towards Shannon/Ennis/Galway was diverted through Cratloe, how did these trucks get through Powlawooly Bridge? I see buses going under it some times but with the already limited space crowded were they forced to turn back?

fredo1664

I still don't have a clue what happened. Where did that oil come from?? Was anybody injured?

phill106

fredo1664 wrote: »

I still don't have a clue what happened. Where did that oil come from?? Was anybody injured?

Fireman driving the water truck said to me it was a bus spilling either oil or hydraulic fluid. Said it was very thick though.
I think 4 minor accidents but no injuries. Irish independent had a small story about it today.

Doom

The tunnel should have been told to use its electronic signs to advise motorists to avoid the N18, isn't that the reason there put up......greedy feckers at the tunnel

RikkFlair

Melion wrote: »

What's the windy gap? Up by the golf ball? That's the way I went, got from corbally to shannon in 30 minutes, didn't meet a car until I got to the bridge.

krudler wrote: »

Windy Gap, sounds like someplace in Middle Earth :pac:

I think the Windy Gap is the road past Moyross after the watch house cross shopping centre, the left turn and keep following it and you eventually end up on a narrow mountain road. I'm sure someone will confirm or correct me.

fredo1664

Thanks phill106, will check.

Mc Love

Doom wrote: »

The tunnel should have been told to use its electronic signs to advise motorists to avoid the N18, isn't that the reason there put up......greedy feckers at the tunnel

They were using them - but maybe it was too late!

MarkR

Trucks were allowed to continue on the road, everyone else was diverted at setrights.

Melion

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Correct. I drove past at about 5.30 and there were trucks being escorted slowly up the road past Bunratty.

Totofan99

What a disaster!! I had just gone through the toll at around 6pm and it was 9:45pm before I got back out on the N18 after Sixmilebridge. I have to say, the guards made an absolute balls out of traffic management. They should have closed the hard shoulder with a line of cones! :mad:

Mr. G

Doom wrote: »

The tunnel should have been told to use its electronic signs to advise motorists to avoid the N18, isn't that the reason there put up......greedy feckers at the tunnel

Instead they said on them "Tunnel Closed". Thinking about it now, the guards should have closed the hard shoulder your right. Could have been better handled. Nothing on spin or 95 fm either.

bazz26

I take it the road is reopened again? I have to go out that way tomorrow afternoon.

fredo1664

Same here, but I think it will be ok: http://www.live95fm.ie/News-Sport/Article/?ItemID=13916
I may drive a little below the speed limit tomorrow morning though...

Mr. G

bazz26 wrote: »

I take it the road is reopened again? I have to go out that way tomorrow afternoon.

Its been cleaned up by now. Looked like its back to normal now when I was passing earlier.