M1 - There is already the need for 3 lanes north of exit 4 (Swords)

Praetorian

I firmly believe there is already the need for 3 lanes north of exit 4 (Swords). The traffic every day is quite bad and with all the towns on the east coast growing significantly I think plans should be put in place now to extend the 3 lane section from exit 4 to exit 9.

The space for the lanes is already there thankfully and the bridges are wide enough.

Who do I need to email to get this project started

Kermit.de.frog

I'd go with 5 lanes each way from north of Balbriggan to J4 and 6 lanes each way then to the M50.

Replace all the junctions on the route with full cloverleaf junctions as well.

marno21

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I'd go with 5 lanes each way from north of Balbriggan to J4 and 6 lanes each way then to the M50.

Replace all the junctions on the route with full cloverleaf junctions as well.

MOD:

Please do not post on this thread again unless you have something realistic to add. You and I both know that's not happening and this is borderline trolling at this point and taking away from the discussion.

Kermit.de.frog

I am fully entitled to my opinion. That is my opinion and i'm not changing my views on how we should construct our roads at the behest of anti road posters.

It is up to others to argue why our roads should not be built properly - not up to me to stop giving my ideas and proposals which is what this forum is suppose to be.

marno21

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I am fully entitled to my opinion. That is my opinion and i'm not changing my views on how we should construct our roads at the behest of anti road posters.

It is up to others to argue why our roads should not be built properly - not up to me to stop giving my ideas and proposals which is what this forum is suppose to be.

MOD: There are no anti-roads posters here. Nobody is suggesting you should change your views. This thread is about widening the M1 to 3 lanes between J4 Lissenhall and Balbriggan/Drogheda. Discuss that topic or else start a new thread. Further discussion on widening the M1 to 6 lanes south of Lissenhall or 5 lanes north of Lissenhall is pie in the sky stuff that has no business here. Remain on topic or start a new thread.

Sam Russell

Mod: @ Kermit.de.frog

You were instructed not to post on this thread anymore of your nonsense of 5 lane motorways. You did continue to post despite being warned.

Take a 7 day break.

BelfastVanMan

I can't help thinking that widening to Junction 7 would be better as the next step on the M1; a lot of traffic coming from south of Drogheda, Julianstown etc. joins the M1 heading south, here.
Not to mention traffic that has went through Drogheda to avoid the toll.

BelfastVanMan

3 lanes, now...NOT 6. ;-)

guylikeme

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

I can't help thinking that widening to Junction 7 would be better as the next step on the M1; a lot of traffic coming from south of Drogheda, Julianstown etc. joins the M1 heading south, here.
Not to mention traffic that has went through Drogheda to avoid the toll.

Are there really people that go through droghedas traffic to save 1.90. Poor fools

BelfastVanMan

guylikeme wrote: »

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

I can't help thinking that widening to Junction 7 would be better as the next step on the M1; a lot of traffic coming from south of Drogheda, Julianstown etc. joins the M1 heading south, here.
Not to mention traffic that has went through Drogheda to avoid the toll.

Are there really people that go through droghedas traffic to save 1.90. Poor fools

Still a quare good few, yes.

Praetorian

BelfastVanMan wrote: »

I can't help thinking that widening to Junction 7 would be better as the next step on the M1; a lot of traffic coming from south of Drogheda, Julianstown etc. joins the M1 heading south, here.
Not to mention traffic that has went through Drogheda to avoid the toll.

I would take any improvement on offer. The further north the 3 lane goes the better. For now, I think north of Drogheda does not need it.

I realise building more roads or widening them isn't as sexy as talking about Metro's and heavy rail but the population on the east coast is growing fast and heavy rail especially isn't going to be improved enough for a very long time (we would need quad rail & electrification ideally) on the Belfast line. Metrolink is 9 years away minimum. I think planners expected 3 lanes to Swords to help for longer than it has, but the reality is a lot of people for example from Lusk / Skerries now stay on the m1 passed junction 4 and take one of the exits near Balbriggan. Considering the M1 has space, the costs won't be huge compared to say, the m50 widening.

Carawaystick

It was strange that during the widening workd to J4, the Concrete median was built to prevent the easy conversion of the Mainline to 3 lanes.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.4731816,-6.2031736,3a,75y,332.21h,75.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZw8zABFSWiIC9brmc0OxJQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I don't think Motorways are a sustainable way to deal with commuter traffic, but if the N2 south of Ardee was abandoned and the M1 used instead, there's a better business case to link Derry, North Donegal and Monaghan to Dublin

Charles Babbage

Carawaystick wrote: »

I don't think Motorways are a sustainable way to deal with commuter traffic, but if the N2 south of Ardee was abandoned and the M1 used instead, there's a better business case to link Derry, North Donegal and Monaghan to Dublin

It makes no sense to divert all traffic from the northern third of the country past Dublin airport, creating a single bottleneck.

guylikeme

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It makes no sense to divert all traffic from the northern third of the country past Dublin airport, creating a single bottleneck.

Ah now... how many Donegal people really go that far daily. Trucks to a small point yeah but the majority are coming in from larne belfast direction

marno21

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It makes no sense to divert all traffic from the northern third of the country past Dublin airport, creating a single bottleneck.

Dublin -> Derry/Donegal traffic on the M1 is a minute amount. It's commuter traffic that's the issue.

Chris_5339762

With the airport ever-growing (Regardless of a future rail link), I can see an 'airport bypass' being created hooking the M2 up to the M1 north of the airport and sending traffic around that way.

sgarvan

Praetorian wrote: »

I firmly believe there is already the need for 3 lanes north of exit 4 (Swords). The traffic every day is quite bad and with all the towns on the east coast growing significantly I think plans should be put in place now to extend the 3 lane section from exit 4 to exit 9.

The space for the lanes is already there thankfully and the bridges are wide enough.

Who do I need to email to get this project started

The road is as bad as it has ever been, traffic wise. 3 lanes are needed from J4 to the toll booth.

tigerboon

Praetorian wrote: »

I would take any improvement on offer. The further north the 3 lane goes the better. For now, I think north of Drogheda does not need it.

I realise building more roads or widening them isn't as sexy as talking about Metro's and heavy rail but the population on the east coast is growing fast and heavy rail especially isn't going to be improved enough for a very long time (we would need quad rail & electrification ideally) on the Belfast line. Metrolink is 9 years away minimum. I think planners expected 3 lanes to Swords to help for longer than it has, but the reality is a lot of people for example from Lusk / Skerries now stay on the m1 passed junction 4 and take one of the exits near Balbriggan. Considering the M1 has space, the costs won't be huge compared to say, the m50 widening.

It doesn't need to be widened. There is capping for a third lane in the wide medians already. It was put in at construction stage (certainly to Balbriggan South anyway). The structures were built with widening in mind as well

tigerboon

tigerboon wrote: »

It doesn't need to be widened. There is capping for a third lane in the wide medians already. It was put in at construction stage (certainly to Balbriggan South anyway). The structures were built with widening in mind as well

The Balbriggan bypass will be a big project to add a lane. Looks just about wide enough but in parts the median is basically a ditch. North from there has plenty of space though.