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M7 - Naas/Newbridge Bypass Upgrade [Junction 9a now open]

JupiterKid

Following on from the suggestion of a poster, this thread has been set up to discuss the need for widening the M7.

The section of the M7 IMO in immediate need (really a backlog need) for widening is the section from the Maudlins Interchange at Naas to the M9 interchange - basically the original 1983 Naas Bypass and half of the 1993 Newbridge Bypass. Is this likely to proceed in the near future?

Would the central median be wide enough for widening to D3M here? I'm pretty sure it is wide enough on the Newbridge bypass section but I'm not so sure in the case of the Naas Bypass.

Also, what bridges will need to be demolished and rebuilt? Or would it be more practical to drop the hard shoulder through the existing bridges?

What about the proposal a few years back to build a new junction at on the Naas Bypass at Osberstown? Will it still go ahead?

In the longer term, does anyone see a need to widen the M7 to the N7/M8 junction?

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hognef

CeilingFly wrote: »

Lighting is being decommissioned on many motorways around Europe as it is seen as causing more issues than it solves. Even junctions are to get much more subdued lighting than it present.

Interesting. Do you have a source for this information?

GhostyMcGhost

hognef wrote: »

Interesting. Do you have a source for this information?

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/kildare-motorways-left-dark-transport-infrastructure-ireland-plans-remove-lighting-3540-junctions-nationwide/237335

[Deleted User]

It's only been 35 years.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2013/1001/477647-irelands-first-motorway-1983/

Sam Russell

Deleted User wrote: »

It's only been 35 years.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2013/1001/477647-irelands-first-motorway-1983/

It cost IR£18 million - what a bargain. (That is €23 million).

Pity they did not keep going towards Dublin. It was meant to be tolled, but wasn't.

hognef

GhostyMcGhost wrote: »

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/kildare-motorways-left-dark-transport-infrastructure-ireland-plans-remove-lighting-3540-junctions-nationwide/237335

Thank you, even though that didn't make any direct reference to decommissioning motorway lighting around Europe (though it did mention "current design standards"), which was specifically what I was interested in.

[Deleted User]

hognef wrote: »

Thank you, even though that didn't make any direct reference to decommissioning motorway lighting around Europe (though it did mention "current design standards"), which was specifically what I was interested in.

I suppose it depends on whether it is a rural motorway or an urban one, the Athlone bypass for example is terrible to drive along in the dark as your night vision is destroyed by all the light from the surrounding buildings.

Cookiemunster

Sam Russell wrote: »

It cost IR£18 million - what a bargain. (That is €23 million).

Pity they did not keep going towards Dublin. It was meant to be tolled, but wasn't.

You've got to account for inflation, so around €53m in today's money.

Sam Russell

Cookiemunster wrote: »

You've got to account for inflation, so around €53m in today's money.

That is for 8 km of motorway, compared with €650 million for 53 km of M17/M18.

That is about half the cost of the M17/M18 per km..

BuzzFish

Deleted User wrote: »

I suppose it depends on whether it is a rural motorway or an urban one, the Athlone bypass for example is terrible to drive along in the dark as your night vision is destroyed by all the light from the surrounding buildings.

On the M9 lights are now off on the slips to Carlow junctions and possibly others. Lighting remains center to junction but off on slips. They have wrapped the lighting poles with reflective tape so they remain visible (for someone heading to the ditch I guess!)

r3nu4l

Sam Russell wrote: »

The night work is to allow closing the main carriageways to single lane - not possible during the day.

Genuine question but currently, what direction does it go to single lane at night? I've driven Northwards a few nights but that side has always been dual lane.

Brasso

r3nu4l wrote: »

Genuine question but currently, what direction does it go to single lane at night? I've driven Northwards a few nights but that side has always been dual lane.

I've seen it closed a couple of times going northbound, this was at about 4 am.

It looks like they're getting close to completion on the mainline between Jct 9 and 10 anyway, the concrete divider is up some of the way and I seen the rebar in place to continue it on. Looked like they had tarmacked a small stretch in the middle too.

Sully

Curious as to how this all works. They've cleared the majority of that road now with drainage etc installed. But why are they only resurfacing sections that are done? Seems to be different blocks rather than one main line down

BuzzFish

r3nu4l wrote: »

Genuine question but currently, what direction does it go to single lane at night? I've driven Northwards a few nights but that side has always been dual lane.

Thursday last at 11pm they were diverting traffic off and back on at J10 south as they worked on pipe laying under the existing bridge.

jmkennedyie

Fyi central pier for new bridge at Kerry looks complete. Structural work on abutments not started. Prep for road/junction realignment at osbertstown in progress. No works started between railway bridge site and south of canal (100m?). This needs a ramp to go over canal. Very extensive raising of land North side of canal seems complete. Piling seems in progress for southern Liffey bridge. Piling presumably complete for northern Liffey bridge.

spacetweek

Deleted User wrote: »

It's only been 35 years.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2013/1001/477647-irelands-first-motorway-1983/

Ireland's first motorway was opened 25 years after the UK's first motorway.

[Deleted User]

spacetweek wrote: »

Ireland's first motorway was opened 25 years after the UK's first motorway.

Which in turn was opened some 25 years after the first Autobahn.

riddlinrussell

Does anyone know the purpose of what looks like a bridge pillar adjacent to the Sallins road bridge beside the new median? Its probably about 15 metres away from the bridge looking towards Junction 9. Theres no plans to move the Sallins bridge over are there? I'll try and get a picture if I can.

thebiglad

riddlinrussell wrote: »

Does anyone know the purpose of what looks like a bridge pillar adjacent to the Sallins road bridge beside the new median? Its probably about 15 metres away from the bridge looking towards Junction 9. Theres no plans to move the Sallins bridge over are there? I'll try and get a picture if I can.

Could be support pillar for an overhead gantry/sign.

riddlinrussell

thebiglad wrote: »

Could be support pillar for an overhead gantry/sign.

Ah! Of course! Do we know if they are planning to put in VMS along the route then?
It seems a poor choice of location for one too, the view will definitely be obstructed by the bridge going northbound

L1011

All new schemes have VMS on them

Danno

Had the joy of hitting the works this evening going southbound, the holdups are horrific. Is it like this every evening? I was half contemplating taking the M6 to Tullamore tomorrow and diving south via the N80 from there, timewise it would be much the same, but at least my clutch would be the better for it. I'm surprised there are not more accidents along the M7/N7 with crazy motorcyclists zipping down the gap between the lanes and cars doing lane hoppers. What the hell lane hoppers think they're achieving is beyond me.

road_high

I find the lanes desperately narrow and kinda disconcerting- I guess that naturally slows the traffic a lot anyhow. I’d hate to be a bus or truck driver on it. Would really want your wits about you.
I take the N81 to Baltinglass and onto M9 if I think it’s going to be really bad but obviously that’s not much use to you.

Avatar MIA

Danno wrote: »

Had the joy of hitting the works this evening going southbound, the holdups are horrific. Is it like this every evening? I was half contemplating taking the M6 to Tullamore tomorrow and diving south via the N80 from there, timewise it would be much the same, but at least my clutch would be the better for it. I'm surprised there are not more accidents along the M7/N7 with crazy motorcyclists zipping down the gap between the lanes and cars doing lane hoppers. What the hell lane hoppers think they're achieving is beyond me.

Tuesday night is child's play. Try a Friday for the lols. And by lols I mean soul destroying.

regedit

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Tuesday night is child's play. Try a Friday for the lols. And by lols I mean soul destroying.

doing that route 5 days a week.
The amount of cars (especially Fridays) driving from around Castlewarden and Kill) on the hard shoulder full speed to get from one exit to another is unbelievable. Hoping from one exit to another has become the routine! The speed limit of 80 and 60 isn't respected by most.
As far as I am concerned, very little progress was achieved to date on the main line. They should have started with the Naas North or Naas south exit and finished these,. That way, traffic would be diluted. The amount of heavy machinery just sitting idle with no operators is scary.
Let's hope they finish many things by March 2019

Avatar MIA

Think either last Friday or the Friday before I saw an unmarked Garda pull in someone for driving on the hard shoulder. There was a massive tail back up to exit 8 (iirc).

So many people use the junctions now that I don't think they get any advantage.

pad199207

A couple of weeks ago when that truck and trailer jackknifed Into the centre median near Rathcoole was easily the worst gridlock I’ve ever seen on that stretch of road

sea12

regedit wrote: »

As far as I am concerned, very little progress was achieved to date on the main line. They should have started with the Naas North or Naas south exit and finished these,. That way, traffic would be diluted. The amount of heavy machinery just sitting idle with no operators is scary.
Let's hope they finish many things by March 2019

Careful now. Allot of very sensitive posters on here, you are not allowed criticise progress to date or plans.

Anyway I agree it is slow but at least we can see physical progress now and more Tarmac being done every week. Tonight wasn't too bad but Tuesday's have become worse than Mondays. Must be allot of people working remotely on Mondays

road_high

regedit wrote: »

doing that route 5 days a week.
The amount of cars (especially Fridays) driving from around Castlewarden and Kill) on the hard shoulder full speed to get from one exit to another is unbelievable. Hoping from one exit to another has become the routine! The speed limit of 80 and 60 isn't respected by most.
As far as I am concerned, very little progress was achieved to date on the main line. They should have started with the Naas North or Naas south exit and finished these,. That way, traffic would be diluted. The amount of heavy machinery just sitting idle with no operators is scary.
Let's hope they finish many things by March 2019

I think the speed limit is broadly being respected for the simple reason that most of the time it's almost impossible to actually do much more than 60 kmh!- in fact many would gladly take that at peak times if the traffic was actually moving freely!
I really think this should have been all done in 2010 in tandem with the M9 opening which was the point where traffic increased hugely on the M7. But of course the crash put pay to that.

Avatar MIA

pad199207 wrote: »

A couple of weeks ago when that truck and trailer jackknifed Into the centre median near Rathcoole was easily the worst gridlock I’ve ever seen on that stretch of road

Was just about to leave work when I was told about the accident. I headed off towards Galway and turned south. Saved a lot of time by all accounts, but saw parts of the country I doubt I'll ever see again. Who knew Tullamore actually exists.

road_high

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Tuesday night is child's play. Try a Friday for the lols. And by lols I mean soul destroying.

I deliberately just avoid Dublin on a friday. It's soul destroying crawling along the M7