When is Bishops Quay and howleys quay road reopening?

Berty

I was there today. Not many people working there. Bit that's complete is a bit rough. It's okay looking for what it is and for how much its likely costing the city.

You may as well have put it out my back garden for the use it will get. There's nothing down there to draw people and no buildings that would accommodate a living city.

seachto7

Howdee, a bit related to this thread, but anyone know where I could find out who has the building contracts for the likes of Bishops Quay, Howleys quay, Regional Hospital?
As in, are they local, and are the people working on them local? Looking for a story for college, and this might be worth looking into, but I could be way off the mark....?

Poxyshamrock

Beer Baron wrote: »

I was there today. Not many people working there. Bit that's complete is a bit rough. It's okay looking for what it is and for how much its likely costing the city.

You may as well have put it out my back garden for the use it will get. There's nothing down there to draw people and no buildings that would accommodate a living city.

Build it and they will come, maybe? :pac:

I'm hopeful it will take off anyway!

Poxyshamrock

It'll be done by Christmas....2013, I think.

Would be nice if they put some Christmas lights down there and maybe the market they had along Bedford Row last Christmas.

http://www.live95fm.ie/news/howley-s-quay-works-will-end-in-time-for-christmas-shopping-period/16739

sleepyman

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

It'll be done by Christmas....2013, I think.

Would be nice if they put some Christmas lights down there and maybe the market they had along Bedford Row last Christmas.

http://www.live95fm.ie/news/howley-s-quay-works-will-end-in-time-for-christmas-shopping-period/16739

Good to hear-I see the council want to buy the hanging gardens site on Henry St.Would be good to see that finished.There is a dearth of quality office accommodation in the city

Vanquished

Beer Baron wrote: »

I was there today. Not many people working there. Bit that's complete is a bit rough. It's okay looking for what it is and for how much its likely costing the city.

You may as well have put it out my back garden for the use it will get. There's nothing down there to draw people and no buildings that would accommodate a living city.

What so then? Do we just not even bother to try and improve the city because all attempts are just futile and ultimately condemned to failure? Yeah because that's the way to change things!

What about all those apartment dwellers in the likes of riverpoint, harveys quay, howleys quay, bridgewater court to name just a few? This will be an excellent new amenity for them right on their doorstep. Significant numbers are also employed in office accommodation etc located along the riverfront and in the general vicinity.

Milano, Clohessey's and The Pier Hotel/Quays Bar can take advantage of the improved environment down there and I see that a sizeable unit in the same complex as Milano is also available for rent. This should become a more attractive proposition now that the area has been revamped.

Longer term both the former ESB site and the current Garda headquarters will be redeveloped in to office, residential and probably commercial space which would bring further vitality.

Once the fencing has been removed and the final elements are in place we'll obviously get a full appreciation of the project. I'm confident that this will facility be a very positive addition to the city.

Itsdacraic

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Would be nice if they put some Christmas lights down there and maybe the market they had along Bedford Row last Christmas.

Agreed. They could even try a mad idea and have a christmas tree floating in the river.

bigpink

Riverfest is moving down there I heard

Poxyshamrock

Itsdacraic wrote: »

Agreed. They could even try a mad idea and have a christmas tree floating in the river.

That might be a bridge too far! :pac:

manna452121

More speed limits and the job is still on going. http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/business/business-news/confusion-on-road-to-speed-reduction-on-limerick-s-quays-1-5651842

Cityslicker1

I have to say, in my opinion the river front in Limerick, coming over Sarsfield bridge from the Ennis rd side is the nicest and most impressive river front out of all of the cities in the country. It looks great now so when it's finished it should be very nice.

Johnny_BravoIII

I live quite close by so have seen this project on an almost daily basis since the beginning. Initially I was understanding. There was a huge amount of work involved and a summer finish was always unrealistic.

At this point though, I can't understand what is taking so long. It's ridiculous.
It seems there are about 5 blokes working 8am-8pm 7 days a week. Then every few weeks there's a burst of activity. Engineers come down, extra people come on board. A few days later, it slows back down to snails pace.

On the up side, I think it's a project which will have a significant impact on the area. The crowds that flock to the Locke for the evening sun now have an alternative during the summer.

sleepyman

Any update on the progress(or lack of).Is the boardwalk finished?

Vanquished

Specialist contractors are on site now installing the wooden surface on the boardwalk structure.

The steel framework on the Poor Man's Kilkee side has yet to be finished though.

sleepyman

Good stuff.Does anyone have up to date photos by any chance?Haven't been home in a while.

power101

It seems it's going to be well after christmas now when it's finished. It's beyond a joke at this stage.

sleepyman

power101 wrote: »

It seems it's going to be well after christmas now when it's finished. It's beyond a joke at this stage.

Is the contractor in financial difficulty?I assume the boardwalk will be finished & the area around Milanos/Claws.They're not still messing around there are they?

power101

sleepyman wrote: »

Is the contractor in financial difficulty?I assume the boardwalk will be finished & the area around Milanos/Claws.They're not still messing around there are they?

Oh they are indeed. The boardwalk is months from completion and they still have to erect a massive spire on poor man's kilkee aswell. They're digging up shannon street by dunnes at the moment.

zulutango

The project is a bloody disaster. For starters, it was barely justified to begin with. Or, at least, it didn't really require a cantilevered boardwalk, and if this had been omitted it would have cost a lot less, and have been finished in a fraction of the time.

It seems that there are very few workers committed to site on a daily basis. I wonder what kind of penalty clause is in Keatings contract?

Vanquished

zulutango wrote: »

The project is a bloody disaster. For starters, it was barely justified to begin with. Or, at least, it didn't really require a cantilevered boardwalk, and if this had been omitted it would have cost a lot less, and have been finished in a fraction of the time.

Barely justified? Are you serious? Those quays were in an absolutely deplorable state and were in dire need of a revamp. It was an utter embarrassment for a so-called riverside city!

There's nothing exceptional about a boardwalk either. It's an excellent way of maximising the often limited space available along urban waterfronts. There's a very extensive boardwalk spanning the Liffey in Dublin and one was installed in recent years by the Grand Parade in Cork.

Not forgetting the boardwalk on Clancy Strand along by the treaty stone, which works very well I think.

So no the boardwalk isn't the problem. It's the contractors who appear to be making a balls of it!

Early completion bonuses are no longer awarded these days and it's becoming more apparent with the perceived lack of urgency we've seen in many projects over recent years.

sleepyman

I'd get another contractor.Clearly they're incompetent.

testicle

sleepyman wrote: »

I'd get another contractor.Clearly they're incompetent.

Why? Has someone died?

Cookiemunster

Vanquished wrote: »

Early completion bonuses are no longer awarded these days and it's becoming more apparent with the perceived lack of urgency we've seen in many projects over recent years.

I think all contracts these days are fixed priced, so I can't understand why contractors drag these things out as they're costing themselves money.

sleepyman wrote: »

I'd get another contractor.Clearly they're incompetent.

I'd say it's too late for that now. They'd have to retender for the remainder of the job which would take a lot longer than letting the current contractor finish.

ShaneMc2012

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I'd say it's too late for that now. They'd have to retender for the remainder of the job which would take a lot longer than letting the current contractor finish.

At the speed they're going its a tough one to call.. :P

zulutango

Vanquished wrote: »

Barely justified? Are you serious? Those quays were in an absolutely deplorable state and were in dire need of a revamp. It was an utter embarrassment for a so-called riverside city!

There's nothing exceptional about a boardwalk either. It's an excellent way of maximising the often limited space available along urban waterfronts. There's a very extensive boardwalk spanning the Liffey in Dublin and one was installed in recent years by the Grand Parade in Cork.

Not forgetting the boardwalk on Clancy Strand along by the treaty stone, which works very well I think.

So no the boardwalk isn't the problem. It's the contractors who appear to be making a balls of it!

Early completion bonuses are no longer awarded these days and it's becoming more apparent with the perceived lack of urgency we've seen in many projects over recent years.

Hold your horses there! Yes, a revamp of the quays was long overdue (they were in a deplorable state), but a good design didn't require a cantilevered boardwalk, no matter how much we all like boardwalks. That has added considerable and unnecessary expense and time to the project. It's not like there was actually a shortage of space there. Two lanes of traffic are unnecessary given the traffic volumes that currently use the quays (and this could fall further depending on the detail of the Limerick 2030 plans).

Citing boardwalks elsewhere as justification for a boardwalk along Howley's/Harvey's Quay doesn't really cut it. Clancy Strand's boardwalk was justified and successful because of the completely different circumstances there. Same goes for boardwalks in Dublin and Cork.

That's not to say Keatings aren't making a total balls of the project anyway (and the City Council too).

Vanquished

zulutango wrote: »

Hold your horses there! Yes, a revamp of the quays was long overdue (they were in a deplorable state), but a good design didn't require a cantilevered boardwalk, no matter how much we all like boardwalks. That has added considerable and unnecessary expense and time to the project.

Well you did start with "it was barely justified to begin with". I contend that it's badly needed.

You keep mentioning "cantilevered boardwalk" as if it's some kind of ground breaking, outrageously sophisticated feat of engineering. Most boardwalks are cantilevered.

This is the signature element of the project along with the new landscaped public space at poor man's kilkee. It should add a whole new dimension to the riverfront and I see nothing wrong with a bit of ambition here. Something that's sadly lacking in Limerick all too often.

It's not like there was actually a shortage of space there. Two lanes of traffic are unnecessary given the traffic volumes that currently use the quays (and this could fall further depending on the detail of the Limerick 2030 plans).

The quays will become a shared surface area once the job is complete. Traffic is never going to be totally removed from there owing to the various car parks and the need to accommodate deliveries etc. The boardwalk provides an entirely segregated space for pedestrians.

Citing boardwalks elsewhere as justification for a boardwalk along Howley's/Harvey's Quay doesn't really cut it. Clancy Strand's boardwalk was justified and successful because of the completely different circumstances there. Same goes for boardwalks in Dublin and Cork.

Rubbish. Those boardwalks were primarily provided in order to develop a greater appreciation of and interaction with the river along with encouraging further footfall in the area.

The premise is the same here.

source

Just came across this pic on Twitter, boards are going down on the board walk.

Vanquished

Looking good! They've been laying those planks for about two weeks now.

Encouraging to finally see the project entering the closing stages!

sleepyman

source wrote: »

Just came across this pic on Twitter, boards are going down on the board walk.

It looks great-is there going to be a big hole in the middle?I assume there's railings going around that!!

the drifter

sleepyman wrote: »

It looks great-is there going to be a big hole in the middle?I assume there's railings going around that!!

or a trampoline...please god let it be a trampoline