N77 Road Development

road_high

Anyone know when the realignment scheme between durrow and the glanbia plant is to finally progress to actual construction? Articles appear in the local paper from time to time but still no construction.
The N77 is a shocking road. It carries massive traffic, the whole lot needs realignment but I think it was ignored as the M9 was built. Saying that small realignment and widening could do a lot to improve matters.

foxcoverteddy

It sure don't look like anyone knows much about this one, given it is not a road anyone would really choose to use, I think you under estimate your opinion, it is potentially lethal.
Come on any idea's?

road_high

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

It sure don't look like anyone knows much about this one, given it is not a road anyone would really choose to use, I think you under estimate your opinion, it is potentially lethal.
Come on any idea's?

Check out the NRA traffic figures so. No up to date figures but May 2010 traffic over 10,000 vehicles per day at Dunmore...looks like a lot of people don't have a "choice" not to use it. Not that there is one for travel between Kk and most of the Midlands.

kikel

Use this road regularly. It's been a bad road for years. As a Laois man now living in KK, We all hate that road. KK is not far away from us but it easier to go to Portlaoise. Which does not have anything as good as KK to offer.

foxcoverteddy

Yes, good observation I would though can't really think of a good reason, like to go to Thurles, in truth there is not a decent road that takes us west, equally try going east it is just as bad.
Kilkenny is a North or South City, the motorway improves the North/South position and okay if you get to Urlingford, no you really wouldn't achieve much, Cahir maybe, I am being cynical perhaps but surely our city should be a hub.
Can you get a bus to Thurles on a regular basis? or Templemore?, something radically wrong.

road_high

kikel wrote: »

Use this road regularly. It's been a bad road for year. As a Laois man now living in KK, We all hate that road. KK is not far away from us but it easier to go to Portlaoise. Which does not have anything as good as KK to offer.

Yes I agree. South Laois area is Kilkenny cities natural hinterland really but has been cut off almost by an extremely substandard road. I had to laugh to myself there a few weeks back; Was in Portlaoise and took a good 50 mins to get there. About 30 miles away. And the road after Durrow isn't too bad in places.
You would be on the outskirts of Dublin now in the same time but double the distance!

Kilkenny people seem to be very blasse about poor roads. In the West they complain to high heavens. They should be top of everyones agenda as they bring investment and jobs. Though we are lucky the M9 and M8 have been huge for Kilkenny area.

foxcoverteddy

See Road-high you are not on your own on this one, I reckon you will find more than enough people to get up a petition to the employees at the council office, though judging by the last few days it could well be a waste of time.
Though it may only be a rumour suggesting there is not a lot of money to be made, perhaps I got that wrong, but it would be nice to see the west of Kilkenny.
Very much like the old western days, wagons roll!!!
Foxy

foxcoverteddy

Well said road-high, have a go getting to New Ross from Kilkenny, Enniscorthy is even worse, my son often asks if we go to some of these places, as he is quite young I tell him it is "Bandit Country", he rushes out and gets his bow and arrow, not cewrtain if we are the badies or the goodies.

road_high

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

Well said road-high, have a go getting to New Ross from Kilkenny, Enniscorthy is even worse, my son often asks if we go to some of these places, as he is quite young I tell him it is "Bandit Country", he rushes out and gets his bow and arrow, not cewrtain if we are the badies or the goodies.

i think the NewRoss bypass will go a long way to solve that one, as it will almost link to the M9/N25 Waterford bypass. The other roads are R roads unfortunately so most we can expect are minor improvements.

JupiterKid

The N77 is an utterly atrocious road - it is a death trap. At the very least it needs complete realignment and widening to bring it up to the required standard.

The M9 motorway will bring huge benefits to Kilkenny. The importance of a good road infrastructure cannot be overstated.

One of the reasons Ireland was so poor and underdeveloped for so long was because of the shocking state of our roads until relatively recently. Industry will simply not locate in places where the road network is not up to scratch.

foxcoverteddy

Well motorways might be good news for getting from A to B; getting to the motorway in the first place is essential and as it is being repeatedly pointed out the R roads are frequently so substandard, they can be lethal.
No body cares a hoot; one would have thought the Glanbia factory would have had updated roads for the tankers to come and go, given it is a major earner in the area?
If you want another bad road, aren't they all, try the Callan Road to Carrick on Suir, you really do not want to meet the milk tankers, the Callan yo Clonmel after the Carrick turn off takes some believing, trucks from Bulmer's
cannot overtake until after Nine Mile House, it is a major artery.
The money being spent on the X Bridge for the CAS and the mart, should be used to improve Kilkenny's lot.
If you think of the infrastructure in a wider context the rail system is ludicrous, can I get to Cork, Limerick or Galway? without great trouble and can you do a return within a day?
Travelling Foxy

road_high

JupiterKid wrote: »

The N77 is an utterly atrocious road - it is a death trap. At the very least it needs complete realignment and widening to bring it up to the required standard.

The M9 motorway will bring huge benefits to Kilkenny. The importance of a good road infrastructure cannot be overstated.

One of the reasons Ireland was so poor and underdeveloped for so long was because of the shocking state of our roads until relatively recently. Industry will simply not locate in places where the road network is not up to scratch.

There was a plan pre-M9 to have a dual carriageway link from KK to the M8 via the N77. Obviously not (as) needed when the M9 opened.

Appears to be work going on near where this re-alignment is due. Truck delivering huge concrete piping and some JCB activity.

road_high

According to another fourm apparently work has started on the relaignment scheme at Ballynaslee. Let's hope it's true! Wondering how they'll manage this, will it be built off line.

cargo

road_high wrote: »

According to another fourm apparently work has started on the relaignment scheme at Ballynaslee. Let's hope it's true! Wondering how they'll manage this, will it be built off line.

What forum is it on road-high?

Edit
Found it over in the "50 worst bends" thread in Roads. Thanks

Benny Cake

I drove the N77 every day morning and evening for 8 years (up until recently) and never once came across an accident or incident of any type. The surface is excellent & once you reach the dynan bridge from Hennebrys cross it opens up into a fine stretch of road.

In my opinion the most dangerous road in KK is the Motorway between Waterford & KK. I've never seen a stretch of road more prone to holding water even during light rain. Numerous serious accidents in the past 18 months....

road_high

Benny Cake wrote: »

I drove the N77 every day morning and evening for 8 years (up until recently) and never once came across an accident or incident of any type. The surface is excellent & once you reach the dynan bridge from Hennebrys cross it opens up into a fine stretch of road.

In my opinion the most dangerous road in KK is the Motorway between Waterford & KK. I've never seen a stretch of road more prone to holding water even during light rain. Numerous serious accidents in the past 18 months....

It's an awful stretch of road. The only reason there are not more accidents on it is because it's so bad that you resign yourself to being stuck behind the convoy of trucks/cars/tractors you invariably get stuck behind on it. Drainage is woeful anytime I've driven it on a very wet day too. It's only because you can't go over 60/70 kmh in the wet on it that it appears "safe". Big difference between that and 120 kmh on a motorway. Be interesting to see the accident stats on the M9 vs any ordinary two lane, I sincerely doubt they're higher or more dangerous. I don't recall any fatal accidents on the M9 this year but interestingly (and sadly) there was one on the (much shorter) two lane N10. Stats everywhere prove motorways are far far safer than two lane roads. If there is an issue with the M9 then it needs to be addressed and also driver behaviour needs to adapt to the road conditions also.

kikel

Yeah work has started on the road between Durrow and the Glanbia factory. They are currently fencing out the area for the new road.

road_high

Reading an article on this weeks KK people about this years roads funding it mentions something along the lines of "100k in funding, but this will not allow the scheme to progress any further"??
I hope to damn I'm misinterupting this or it is wrong? Because that sounds to me like they only had the funding to progress the fencing and siteworks at this time and have no funding to progress to building the new stretch of road? If so, this is very bad news.
Anyone know?

cargo

road_high wrote: »

Reading an article on this weeks KK people about this years roads funding it mentions something along the lines of "100k in funding, but this will not allow the scheme to progress any further"??
I hope to damn I'm misinterupting this or it is wrong? Because that sounds to me like they only had the funding to progress the fencing and siteworks at this time and have no funding to progress to building the new stretch of road? If so, this is very bad news.
Anyone know?

I said over on the other forum that this stage is only for the archaeology...

road_high

cargo wrote: »

I said over on the other forum that this stage is only for the archaeology...

That's very unfortunate then :mad:

Had hoped this was the end of that dire stretch of road, clearly not. Plenty of other minor relaignment schemes have gone on around the country despite the lack of funding. Either the NRA, Dept of Transport or KK co council are not pushing it forward.

Schadenfreudia

road_high wrote: »

Reading an article on this weeks KK people about this years roads funding it mentions something along the lines of "100k in funding, but this will not allow the scheme to progress any further"??
I hope to damn I'm misinterupting this or it is wrong? Because that sounds to me like they only had the funding to progress the fencing and siteworks at this time and have no funding to progress to building the new stretch of road? If so, this is very bad news.
Anyone know?

Update: was on the N77 from KK to Durrow yesterday; the realignment south of Durrow is fully fenced but no sign of any works.

Also can't find anything about this on the web....any links anyone?

slimjimmc

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Update: was on the N77 from KK to Durrow yesterday; the realignment south of Durrow is fully fenced but no sign of any works.

Also can't find anything about this on the web....any links anyone?

Ballynaslee realignment

http://www.kilkennycoco.ie/eng/Services/Roads/Roads_Design/Road_Design_Homepage.html#N77-ballynaslee
http://www.cisireland.com/project?id=726249&title=n77-ballynaslee-realignment

road_high

No finding allocated to it this year for some mad reason. Just 100k to progress archeology. Hopefully not an election stunt whereby they pretend to be doing something but in reality nothing is happening. Big shame as the whole N77 needs looking at and if they can't even get this done it doesn't bode well for the rest of the road. I don't think anything will be done with the rest of the road for decades.

Schadenfreudia

slimjimmc wrote: »

Ballynaslee realignment

http://www.kilkennycoco.ie/eng/Services/Roads/Roads_Design/Road_Design_Homepage.html#N77-ballynaslee
http://www.cisireland.com/project?id=726249&title=n77-ballynaslee-realignment

Links don't work

road_high

This is almost completed and partially opened. Lovely wide and straight scheme. Should be good overtaking opportunities once fully opened.

foxcoverteddy

Wow that is great news, thanks for the update, only use it when going to Kildare Village but nevertheless it will make the trip safer, bet the camera van will be in use, drive carefully Regards Foxy

Schadenfreudia

road_high wrote: »

This is almost completed and partially opened. Lovely wide and straight scheme. Should be good overtaking opportunities once fully opened.

Does it have a hard shoulder?

road_high

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Does it have a hard shoulder?

Hard to say yet but certainly looks wide enough.

foxcoverteddy

It is good to hear of a road improvement in Kilkenny, one wonders why the notorious callan Road has not been developed, given the amount of heavy traffic, who is responsible?
Local elected representatives have made promises, but as usual they are to get election votes and not benefit those who have to drive the N76, though Tipp Council are not much to write home about where their part of the road is concerned.
Why no 30kmh limit around the Callan schools? Pathetic local situation.