The roads logjam

Consonata

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121470580#Comment_121470580

A little thing called the Coronavirus Pandemic happened during 2 years of that 🙄

Cookiemunster

It's two years since we came out of pandemic restrictions......

marno21

No sign of TII's funding allocations for 2024 yet. From 2019-2022 they were always released pre Xmas but last year they weren't released until February 17. Presumably there was behind the scenes "negotiations" going on.

It'll be interesting to see what's allocated this year as either 2024 will be an election year or else the election will take place in early 2025. Realistically anything to be on the ground pre-election will have to be funded in 2024.

This should also hopefully be the final year of having a Minister carpet bombing one of his Department's capital programmes.

spacetweek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121562938#Comment_121562938

I see little reason why a pandemic should have prevented work happening on design and planning. It’s just an excuse.

marno21

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/cork/news/tii-expected-to-publish-2024-grant-allocations-for-national-roads-active-travel-and-greenways-early-next-week/a1879263201.html

Allocations out officially next week according to the Corkman.

Confirmed that the N4 and N17 large schemes have been funded for 2024.

I suspect a lot of the delay has been due to the jockeying to get schemes included in an election year.

Hibernicis

Joint Committee on Transport and Communications to meet with Transport Infrastructure Ireland for discussion on large scale capital projects at 1:30pm today, 14th February 2024

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Committee Leas-Chathaoirleach Senator Gerry Horkan said: “We welcome Transport Infrastructure Ireland to our meeting tomorrow. TII is tasked with connecting Ireland’s people and places by providing transport infrastructure and services.

“Our Committee looks forward to this engagement on their operations and large scale capital projects and we will welcome TII’s perspectives on their challenges in the provision of new roads, rail and Greenways and the maintenance of the existing network.”

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121765406#Comment_121765406

What's expected to come out of that meeting I wonder. Will there be an update on the prioritisation of projects or what is it for?

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121765625#Comment_121765625

It’ll be TDs and senators asking TII for updates on projects etc. Last time out they submitted a fairly comprehensive pdf update on everything so hopefully same again this time

I’ll have the committee meeting on in the background so will post a summary after

Hibernicis

Thanks Marno. They generally produce a PDF for these meeting but I haven’t located it.

marno21

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/33/transport-and-communications/membership/

I should add, a quick look at the membership list will give a preview as to the questions asked.

Expect questions on: The Tipp Town bypass, N25 Midleton-Youghal, Eamon Ryan's project stalling, projects in east Meath, Mayo and Clare.

Westernview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121765661#Comment_121765661

Cheers for that.

marno21

Oireachtas Committee meeting (will update as I go along):

Funding of 147m for new roads in 2024, to be allocated as per Minister's wishes.

Slane bypass. Submitted to ABP. Funding questions on who will fund the Public Realm works. Funding for construction depends on 2026-2030 funding envelope (currently set at 4bn but NDP will be under review). If 4bn funding from 26-30 is maintained construction will happen in that period pending ABP approval.

N2 Ashbourne/Rath Roundabout-Kilmoon Cross: no funding for 2024 as per Minister's priorities. If a public transport project is to be progressed it'll be an NTA project.

M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy: new type of contract for this tender, significant interest in this project from contractors vs old public works contract. N5 Ballaghaderreen-Scramoge showed unwillingness to accept risk of old public works contract with one party of a JV tender withdrawing due to parent company unhappy with risk level of such contract.

TII: it would be "desirable" to have multi annual funding certainty instead of on a whim allocations as at present.

NDP review expected in 2024/2025. Thurles bypass not included in current NDP. TII encouraging local authorities to engage with review for projects to be included.

N24 Tipp Town bypass: funded for 2024 as part of Lim Jn-Cahir project. TII instructing local authority Tipp bypass section to be advanced in isolation

N67 Blakes Corner: pending judicial review outcome.

Donegal TEN-T: submitted to Department for Cabinet approval in June 2023, awaiting submission to ABP after passing Decision Gate 1 (Cabinet approval for ABP submission).

TII CEO makes point that despite many decision gates taking c. 6 months to get through, not one TII project has been amended at one of these decision gates

TII now estimate Phases 0-4 (planning & design) will take 7-9 years.

N25 Carrigtwohill-Midleton has been effectively shitcanned and replaced by a set of minor safety interventions.

N72 Mallow relief road funded for 2024, exact amount to be released.

No funding for N22 Farranfore-Killarney this year.

Hibernicis

Loosing the will to live listening to D.H.R. touting for business looking for a contract to "cut the bushes what are causing the flooding on the N22"

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121767557#Comment_121767557

I'm going to bow out now but seeing as someone else is watching there might be something after the Roscommon talk from Padraig O'Sullivan re: North Ring in Cork.

Hibernicis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121767601#Comment_121767601

Thanks @marno21, picking up where you dropped out.

Padraig O'Sullivan asked about:

• "CNNR" as he termed it - not a priority so nothing happening
• CNDR - part of CMATS so being progressed by NTA
• Carrigtwohill-Midleton esp in context of proposed major shopping development - not in line for funding apart from minor safety enhancements previously mentioned
• Noise mitigation, could there be a budget line going forward to help retrospectively address road noise black-spots - noise reduction, apart from initial design considerations, is not in TII's remit

Question from Councillor via the Chair: What is the timescale for the M20. Response: Currently in phase 3, hope to have business case submitted for Decision Gate 1 by end 2024, and then move to Phase 4 - Planning. When pressed as to when the first car would drive on it, Nigel O'Neill said 10-15 years, but revised this to 7-8-9 years based on where it is currently at, including the remaining phases (4-7) but not making any allowance for Judicial Reviews. The construction phase will most likely take 4 years, possibly 5. Interestingly, he mentioned that the three Decision Gates are now taking 6 months each whereas 15 years ago this was 2 weeks. Shout-out to Eamonn and co.

Other points during the discussion:

While billed as "Discussion on large scale capital projects" this was more akin to sitting at a County Council meeting.

N25 Middleton to Youghal raised by three TDs, ....sounds like... further funding to progress this is on the way in the upcoming announcements. Also, likely to be some short term progress on safety works proximate to Burgess Filling Station. Also mentioned that this may progress as a series of bypasses as advanced projects rather than an end to end scheme. Shout-out to Eamonn.

When asked about how long projects can take from start to finish, Nigel O'Neill said "the N6 GRR started in 1999 and look where we are today".

Peter Walsh bit his tongue a few times, and said things like "We don't make policy, we deliver on it" and "we can't take in something that wasn't favoured by the political leadership". To be fair, almost all the CDs and Senators present seemed to know exactly what he was getting at.

As @marno21 mentioned, there was interest from a lot of parties in being shortlisted for the M28 main contract, and Peter Walsh attributed this to the new contract type which limits the risk transfer to the contractor. This format was previously mentioned as a pilot/trial and he seemed genuinely excited about the outcome. He mentioned that the N5 scheme nearly didn't go ahead due to the very limited response/interest and the withdrawal of one of the two tendering parties.

And then there was Danny of the Kilgarvan Healy Reas, and his folksy claptrap parable about the bushes and the flooding.....

timmyntc

TII CEO makes point that despite many decision gates taking c. 6 months to get through, not one TII project has been amended at one of these decision gates

TII now estimate Phases 0-4 (planning & design) will take 7-9 years.

These two parts are shocking - the needless delays are strangling the states infrastructure

marno21

Update on major schemes

N5 Ballaghaderren-Scramoge - contractor mobilised on site, site clearance has commenced

N69 Listowel bypass - construction ongoing, 90% complete. Work ongoing on bridge deck, work substantially complete on online section of scheme. Anticipated opening Q2 2024

M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy - significant advance works ongoing, 5 submissions to main works tender contracto notice in Sept 2023. Ministerial approval to commence procurement granted in Jan 2024. Construction to commence Q4 2024 subject to Cabinet approval

M21 Limerick-Adare-Foynes - adavnce works contracts commenceing on site (archaeology, geophysical surveys, site clearance, fencing). 7km section around Adare to be progressed in advance of the Ryder Cup in 2027.

N2 Slane bypass - submitted to ABP in December 2023

N2 Clontibret-Border - Phase 3 recommenced in Q4 2023 thanks to funding from the Connecting Europe Facility, submission to ABP expected in Q2 2025

M6 Galway City Ring Road - ABP require Galway County Council to submit updated documentation, GCC currently updating traffic model, EIAR & NIS with submisson in September 2024

N11 Oilgate-Rosslare Harbour - Phase 3 ongoing

Donegal Ten-T (N13/N14/N15) - Preliminary Business Case submitted for Gate 1 approval in June 2023, asessment ongoing. Finalising of design underway

M20 Cork-Limerick - work ongoing on preliminary business case, submission expected late 2024

N52 Ardee bypass - part 8 planning approved April 2022. Judicial review process initiated, hearing set for 9/4/2024

N72 Mallow Relief Rod - submission for Gate 1 approval and planning approval in 2024

N3 Virginia bypass - planning and design work to continue in 2024

N4 Carrick on Shannon to Dromod - design and planning work continuing with planning submission expected in 2025

N4 Mullingar-Longford - route selection ongoing with planning & environmental design to commence in 2024

N17 Knock-Collooney - route selection to be complete by end Q1. Work to progress in 2024 on advancing the Tobercurry and Charlestown bypass elements of the scheme

N21 Abbeyfeale/Newcastlewest bypasses - Phase 3 ongoing, preliminary business case submission in early 2025

N24 Cahir-Limerick Junction - Phase 3 ongooing

N25 Midleton-Youghal - Phase 1 (feasibility & scope) to be complete Q1 2024, route selection to commence in 2024

N58 Foxford bypass - Phase 1 to commence 2024

N40 Ten-T route study - Phase 2 to commence 2024, first element (J10 Mahon westbound diverge) under judicial review

From TII Oireachtas meeting on Feb 14th, full detail here: https://www.tii.ie/news/press-releases/large-scale-capital-proje/JCTC-i-1107-Report-Delivery-Status-Update.pdf

Very detailed and would recommend a read.

Projects not on the list (eg N2 in Louth, Waterford-Cahir, Killarney, Cork North Ring) are not funded for 2024 at the request of the Minister.

Hibernicis

Good summary thanks. Just paged through it - certainly looking more positive than the early 2023 equivalent.

Great to see positive developments in relation to the M28 in particular.

Consonata

M6 Galway City Ring Road - ABP require Galway County Council to submit updated documentation, GCC currently updating traffic model, EIAR & NIS with submisson in September 2024

What a dead horse this project has been.

hans aus dtschl

Interesting that they've finally admitted Carrigtwohill-Midleton is dead.

Shame about all the Midleton-Youghal "bypass" talk: I think talk of bypasses rather talk about the overall corridor (and all modes!) could be a mistake.

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121769148#Comment_121769148

Why in the name of god is there a judicial review on the N40 Mahon offramp extension.

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121769307#Comment_121769307

Dead for years and yet GCC keep flogging it like mad.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121770200#Comment_121770200

Doubling down on the 25million already spent I guess. Love to see the costing in todays money (600 million figure thrown around is from 7-8 yrs ago)

neiljung

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/b7eaf-ministers-announce-658-million-for-regional-and-local-roads/#

neiljung

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121769148#Comment_121769148

Compared to last year's report by my count there's 13 major projects not listed. Not all of these were funded last year either but at least they were mentioned with a status given.

1. N22 Farrenfore to Killarney

2. N40 Cork City NRR

3. N25 Carrigtwohill - Midleton

4. N25 Waterford - Glenmore

5. N52 Tullamore-Kilbeggan

6. N24 Waterford-Cahir

7. M11 J4 Bray - J14 Coyne's Cross

8. N2 Kilmoon Cross-Ashbourne

9. N3 Clonee-M50

10. M4 Maynooth-Leixlip

11. N2 Ardee-Castleblayney

12. N59 Clifden-Maam Cross

13. N14/A5 Link

Remaining N56 phase in Donegal has been reclassified as a minor project.

Presume we can expect individual local campaigns to get some of these back on the funded list as in recent years.

Kermit.de.frog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121770200#Comment_121770200

And they should. We have an under-developed motorway system and this scheme is very important for Galway and the integrity of the M6 route overall.

When the Greens are out after the next election we need to get the show back on the road. A lot of schemes will be ready to go but some will have to go back to design and made bigger.

Even the Galway ring motorway should be at least 3 lanes at a minimum.

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774361#Comment_121774361

Good man Kermit.

timmyntc

Even the Galway ring motorway should be at least 3 lanes at a minimum.

🤣

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774161#Comment_121774161

There's no breakdown given for this, yet every single local paper seems to have their county summarised.

top floor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121777108#Comment_121777108

Bad form to filter the information by press release from TDs and councillors. Taxpayers should be able to access it online. Looks like really old style politics from Eamon Ryan. Would have expected better.