motorway stop ballyellen near gorey

wexsean

Can anyone tell me who is or has funded the project at Ballyellen between gorey and arklow and how much did it cost.
It is now finished but not occupied . The NRA said this was built for safety reasons. Yet I can drive for several miles on Motorways in other parts of the country with no such stops. In fact I would have to travel from gorey to enfield if I was on way to galway as an example.

Would it not have been better to bypass Ferns for example where a friend of my sisters was tragically killed on a bike some years ago

bruschi

wexsean wrote: »

Can anyone tell me who is or has funded the project at Ballyellen between gorey and arklow and how much did it cost.
It is now finished but not occupied . The NRA said this was built for safety reasons. Yet I can drive for several miles on Motorways in other parts of the country with no such stops. In fact I would have to travel from gorey to enfield if I was on way to galway as an example.

Would it not have been better to bypass Ferns for example where a friend of my sisters was tragically killed on a bike some years ago

there is another stop at Coynes cross at the very end of the M11 before Kilmacanogue, and you use the M50 which has multiple stops if necessary. The Waterford to Dublin motorway was the worst for an extended run with no stop, but that is now being rectified around Kill where a stop is being built now too.

It was to be a private investment by Applegreen where it was projected to cost €7m, but I think they were looking for state funding due to the other one they built at Coynes cross. Not sure how it turned out, it might be a case of subsidising the income rather than paying them to build.

munchkin_utd

As mentioned above, a station costs €7million.
The ferns by pass is costing an estimated €281 million, which your primary school maths will tell you is a difference of a mere €274 million.

If the scheme could be done for €7million instead of 281, I am sure it would have had priority.

wexsean

@bruschi the coynes cross stop was not envisaged during the planning process for Ballyellen. Also where are the multiple stops on the M50.

@ Munchkin 7 million is a lot of money for most of us primary secondary or third level maths. Since when is the cost of something the reason not to do it?

For the moment can somebody tell me who has paid for this?

vicwatson

munchkin_utd wrote: »

As mentioned above, a station costs €7million.
The ferns by pass is costing an estimated €281 million, which your primary school maths will tell you is a difference of a mere €274 million.

If the scheme could be done for €7million instead of 281, I am sure it would have had priority.

From that website you linked to -

" Bids Submitted for the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy16 December 2014

Bids were submitted for the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy Bypass contract, on the December 16, 2014, located in the west of the Republic of Ireland."


Wha'?

blindsider

wexsean wrote: »

@bruschi the coynes cross stop was not envisaged during the planning process for Ballyellen. Also where are the multiple stops on the M50.

@ Munchkin 7 million is a lot of money for most of us primary secondary or third level maths. Since when is the cost of something the reason not to do it?

For the moment can somebody tell me who has paid for this?

Nope - I'm afraid I can't.

€7m is ca. 2.5% of €281m.

I imagine it was cheaper to build it at the time, than to do it retrospectively.

It would be better to do a lot of things, but the money isn't there.

I know it's no consolation, but the NRA/Minister have pulled the plug on Cork - Limerick - that's a real deathtrap.

wexsean

@ blindsider Regarding cost the gorey bypass already had off road stops, I guess these are now redundant along with the current new service area. This service area was built retrospectively despite the location of these off road stops in very close proximity.The point is these stops are supposed to be every 100km on motorway. There is obviously much greater need to provide one nearer Dublin.

Private money has now built the one at coynes cross which is much nearer Dublin on this route and makes far more sense.

So again I ask can anybody tell me who has paid for this

Macy0161

My understanding is the stations are built by the NRA, and then the operation is tendered for.

Personally, my only issue is the lack of foresight in not building at least the junctions when some of these relatively new motorways were built. Fuel prices have to be national average (it's part of the contract) and the facilities are way above what you get in most petrol stations.

They are filling in the gaps between service stations - there's one under construction on the M6 too.

Carawaystick

Macy0161 wrote: »

My understanding is the stations are built by the NRA, and then the operation is tendered for.

They are filling in the gaps between service stations - there's one under construction on the M6 too.

The one on the M6 is about 5km from Athlone, where there are 2 service stations right beside motorway junctions already.


@wexsean, there's a petrol station in Barndarrig on the N11, and one each direction in Kilmacanogue

Macy0161

Carawaystick wrote: »

The one on the M6 is about 5km from Athlone, where there are 2 service stations right beside motorway junctions already.


@wexsean, there's a petrol station in Barndarrig on the N11, and one each direction in Kilmacanogue

Neither of the kilmac stations, and the one ive used in Athlone are comparable to full service stations in terms of facilities, parking etc. The main point of the official stations is 24/7, and not "customers only" which private ones are, even if not enforced.

Both kilmac ones are traffic hazards, with massive queues and regular illegal parking (at the northbound one at least) which blocks a functioning junction. Neither have proper dining facilities or proper toilets. They don't even have that big a range in store.

redfacedbear

wexsean wrote: »

...the one at coynes cross which is much nearer Dublin on this route and makes far more sense.

Coyne's Cross makes sense when traveling Wx to Dublin but I find it's too soon to be stopping after setting off from Dublin. The new one at Gorey will be handy (for me anyway) traveling the other direction.

The new motorway from Clough to Oylegate, bypassing Camolin, Ferns and Enniscorthy is due to start this year.

ezra_

Happy to see them. The ones on the M1 are good, handy for a parking up and taking a break after you've gone up and back to Belfast. good range of consumables. Will hit the business in Camolin I guess, they'll have to keep prices down.

Macy0161

ezra_ wrote: »

Happy to see them. The ones on the M1 are good, handy for a parking up and taking a break after you've gone up and back to Belfast. good range of consumables. Will hit the business in Camolin I guess, they'll have to keep prices down.

I think the fact that they are more than petrol stations is often missed in these discussion. They are supposed to be break stops, with facilities, such as adequate parking, toilet facilities, some catering and also including fuel.

Barndarrig, Kilmac, Camolin petrol stations just aren't comparable. I believe the NRA policy is not to build their own where genuinely comparable private ones exist (which they do on a few routes).

jd

They have to have adequate parking/facilities for HGVs too. One thing about Offline Service Areas is that you may have HGVs mixing with local traffic, though this isn't a big issue at Coyne's Vross.

wexsean

So i guess the taxpayer pays up. Value for money is my issue along with priority.

Coynes cross was not built by the taxpayer but seems to work. As does Moneygall Obama centre.

I have just come down N11 and doesn't seem odd that they could not have planned in a stop at the new section of motorway close to Jack whites for example, given all the equipment to hand . Which of course they had when the Gorey bypass was built. It must be so much more expensive and wasteful to retrofit.

As MAcy points out above the Kilmac stations are positively dangerous and so much could have been done there with 7m to improve safety

"Both kilmac ones are traffic hazards, with massive queues and regular illegal parking (at the northbound one at least) which blocks a functioning junction." Neither have proper dining facilities or proper toilets. "

jd

In the long run on-line stations are better, but it was a shame that the NRA couldn't build the service area whyen the Gorey by-pass was being built.
http://debates.oireachtas.ie/TRJ/2010/12/01/00005.asp

. Committee members may recall passing an amendment to the Roads Act in 2007 which enabled the NRA to become directly involved in securing online service area facilities. Since then, planning approval has been received for the following online service areas: the M1 at Lusk, the M1 at Castlebellingham, the M4 at Kinnegad, the M6 at Athlone, the M8 at Cashel, the M9 at Kilcullen, and the M11 at Gorey.

The Oylegate-Clogh section of motorway should be completed by 2018, with possibly DC to Rosslare a few years after after that.