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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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Last Stop

BrownFinger wrote: »

Im no Town planner but I've always thought they could spur out the sallins line to naas like this.
Now obviously there is more too it than this and also the NIMBYs but you get the idea.

Would you not just build a road along that alignment with a big park and ride to serve the existing train station where commuters could utilise the existing services that stop there rather than having to have specific services running to the new station?

[Deleted User]

Last Stop wrote: »

Would you not just build a road along that alignment with a big park and ride to serve the existing train station where commuters could utilise the existing services that stop there rather than having to have specific services running to the new station?

I'd rather get straight on a train over a bus, especially on the way home.
Anyway it'll never happen. KCC are absolute clowns.
Cant even get a ring road build properly after 20 years of planning.

jmkennedyie

As I understand it there are professionals employed by local authorities e.g. KCC planners who draft local area plans for individual towns and seek input from all stakeholders and the public.
Then there are the handful of locally elected Councillors for that area who accept and reject and alter the draft Local Area Plans entirely as they see fit.
Then there is An Bord Pleanala that can ignore the County Development Plan, Local Authority planning department opinions, relevant Local Area Plan and even the explicit recommendations of their own ABP-commissioned Inspectors report as they see fit e.g. for Special Development Zones.

I suggest people
- submit constructive suggestions to the local authority when Local Area Plan is being drafted.
- demand local councillors strengthen sustainable development - get them to propose adjustments at draft stage if necessary - and certainly not water down or weaken the draft LAP provisions or sneak in even more residential zoning without supporting infrastructure
- ask TDs what they are doing about national sustainable development policy, and the power of ABP to ignore policy, LAPs and even their own inspectors advice

But that's just my 2 cent. Veering back on topic, I have noticed recently that
- J10 Naas > Newbridge now diverted onto new surface to facilitate finalisation of J10 roundabouts
- new fencing being installed to allow construction of roundabout at Clane end - so it appears that the problem reported previously regarding landowner/landownership has been resolved, presumably by the CPO.

Cazale

Signs up saying the current southbound access at junction 10 will be closed from tomorrow.

_Kaiser_

Cazale wrote: »

Signs up saying the current southbound access at junction 10 will be closed from tomorrow.

So does that mean the new exit further up will be opening?

pad199207

It’s probably been mentioned on this thread before, but the new road that leads from Millenium up onto the new J9a is extremely narrow.

Ridiculously narrow does anybody think? Certainly if you were a truck driver you’d be squeezing in.

_Kaiser_

pad199207 wrote: »

It’s probably been mentioned on this thread before, but the new road that leads from Millenium up onto the new J9a is extremely narrow.

Ridiculously narrow does anybody think? Certainly if you were a truck driver you’d be squeezing in.

Yep I and a few others mentioned this too. The consensus seemed to be traffic calming measure.

Me I just expect tailbacks onto the motorway slip once it all finally opens. It makes no sense but as usual it'll all be torn up and disrupted again when the complaints start rolling in.

We can never just do things right the first time.

spacetweek

Maybe give it a chance? It’s just possible that the design is intentional. Just possible.

speedfreak

Any clues as to when it’s open? Looks ready to go. Also why is Naas north southbound aux lane not open yet? Bizarre.

MaceFace

speedfreak wrote: »

Any clues as to when it’s open? Looks ready to go. Also why is Naas north southbound aux lane not open yet? Bizarre.

They were working there (Naas north southbound aux lane) yesterday as I was driving by. I did notice the slip road is closed tonight until 5am so possible or could be open tomorrow but that’s just speculation by me.

sdanseo

Southbound slip opens tomorrow apparently.

https://www.facebook.com/Kildare-Garda-Division-225578664444183

jmkennedyie

Also announced here
http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/PressReleasesAdverts/NewM7Westboundon-slipaccessfromR445atJunction10NaasSouth.html

Hope rain doesn't delay it...other works were cancelled. Good to see that the previous m7 access route will be closed off... the new slip won't have a junction half way down it.

BuzzFish

J10 new southbound ramp now open. Old entry has also been left open until Tuesday.

J9a remains closed... and complete.

emfifty

BuzzFish wrote: »

J10 new southbound ramp now open. Old entry has also been left open until Tuesday.

J9a remains closed... and complete.

Drove new westbound (not southbound

) slip onto M7. Still not fully finished i.e needs final layer of asphalt but fully signed and great have it finally opened.
Couple of sign gantries to go up Naas north westbound and then the aux lane can open. Then all that's left is the roundabout at exit 10/R445, street lights, signage and a few more gantries eastbound along with emergency telephones.
Re. Junx 9a; as previously stated, not opening until Sallins bypass is ready.

regedit

What's happening with the exit 9 (SB) and the slip-road at the globe? All work is finished there but it is not open yet! Any particular reason for this decision?

JohnC.

Isn't it in the previous post? Opening with Sallins bypass.

Chris_5339762

BuzzFish wrote: »

J10 new southbound ramp now open. Old entry has also been left open until Tuesday.

J9a remains closed... and complete.

Driving past it today there was ample space to drive between the bollards and use it, if someone wants to give that a shot

speedfreak

JohnC. wrote: »

Isn't it in the previous post? Opening with Sallins bypass.

That can’t be right. Sallins bypass won’t be open till March next year I thought. They can just block off the sallins bp exit on the roundabout and open it up into millennium park.

Tomrota

speedfreak wrote: »

That can’t be right. Sallins bypass won’t be open till March next year I thought. They can just block off the sallins bp exit on the roundabout and open it up into millennium park.

I don’t know how these contracts work at all but maybe if they open it now and damage occurs between now and the completion date, they’ll have to pay to fix it? That is the only logical reason I can possibly think of for keeping it closed until then.

BuzzFish

Looking at it this morning I think it will open before the Sallins Bypass. There are still some works happening on lighting and signs to be put in place. however if this was not to open until the rest of the bypass then why:

- Pave this section and not just do the whole lot together?
- Would they not have done all the road marking together to save cost?
- Would they have not erected all the signage and lighting together?
- Have laid the final surface thus removing the possibility of heavy machinery to cross the bridge.
- Have relocated all the site offices/cabins from the side of the junction when clearly a lot of work is still happening on the opposite side of the motorway, on the bypass.

Time will tell. I'd like to see the source for the comment that it's not opening until the bypass. I believe it was an email from someone on the project?

jmkennedyie

I am also optimisitic. KCC will want to open the road if can be done legally and safely. There might be a desire by construction company to keep it closed until the works on mainline and all landscaping south of motorway are complete to allow construction vehicles move between individual sites. There are probably a few weeks of tidying up to do in and around the new J10: 3 roundabouts to finish, new slip, old slip, retention pond profiling etc. The Irish Times article referred to 120km on mainline by Christmas, so I would imagine they will have all that sorted in the coming weeks.

In other news cars (of construction staff) are making it to the north of canal bridge so I wonder if surfacing has started on central parts of Sallins bypass. Ramp from under railway to canal bridge being built up at the moment. Still a lot of work to do on West ramp of Osberstown bridge but East ramp basically there. Osberstown Road will close for wastewater pipelaying soon so they might synchronise ramp tie-ins with that road shutdown somehow.

road_high

Why was the inbound to Dublin inside lane of the M7 closed from the new junction at Kerry foods all the way to Kill this evening? Seemed to be absolutely nothing going on.

Sully

road_high wrote: »

Why was the inbound to Dublin inside lane of the M7 closed from the new junction at Kerry foods all the way to Kill this evening? Seemed to be absolutely nothing going on.

There appear to be random closing of lanes , I exit from the big ball in the evenings going northbound and for a while the had the lanes closed off too.

Just like it makes no sense why coming into Naas from Dublin has a perfectly good lane closed off for no apparent reason.

pegasus1

Sully wrote: »

There appear to be random closing of lanes , I exit from the big ball in the evenings going northbound and for a while the had the lanes closed off too.

Just like it makes no sense why coming into Naas from Dublin has a perfectly good lane closed off for no apparent reason.

Yesterday morning southbound.. left lane closed all the way from naas south to M9 turnoff, 1 team was working near the M9 turnoff... seems to me if one team is working , they close the whole stretch..

emfifty

BuzzFish wrote: »

Looking at it this morning I think it will open before the Sallins Bypass. There are still some works happening on lighting and signs to be put in place. however if this was not to open until the rest of the bypass then why:

- Pave this section and not just do the whole lot together?
- Would they not have done all the road marking together to save cost?
- Would they have not erected all the signage and lighting together?
- Have laid the final surface thus removing the possibility of heavy machinery to cross the bridge.
- Have relocated all the site offices/cabins from the side of the junction when clearly a lot of work is still happening on the opposite side of the motorway, on the bypass.

Time will tell. I'd like to see the source for the comment that it's not opening until the bypass. I believe it was an email from someone on the project?

Good morning *****,

The interchange itself is completed albeit the public lighting connection is outstanding. We are anticipating the ESB will provide this connection in the coming days.
However at this time it is not our intentions to open this interchange until we can open the Sallins Bypass in full. Works on the section of the Sallins bypass heading north from the interchange are still on-going.

Regards,
*************
Project Manager

serfboard

Project Manager wrote:

The interchange itself is completed ... However at this time it is not our intentions to open this interchange until we can open the Sallins Bypass in full.

Just does not make any sense.

To take just one group of people - Kerry Group employees driving to Dublin (or the Airport, or points north), now have to drive by a completed junction, through what feels like an interminable number of roundabouts, to get to junction 9. Why?

I can imagine a phone call from the Kerry Group to Shane Ross - that might get things moving ...

_Kaiser_

It really seems to me like they're dragging this project out as far as they can for whatever reason at this stage.

It's been the same from the start IMO. Only when media and local political pressure started to bear did we start to see real progress and pretty rapidly too.

Let's forgo the usual "expert" responses (I've no interest in the explanations and "what are your qualifications" answers we've heard before). Bottom line here is that this is a critical piece of infrastructure that could and should have been done a lot faster. Instead we'll have another winter of disruption and delays to look forward to.

veryangryman

Prezguiom wrote: »

The widening of the Naas bypass was badly needed and the more widening of the M7 the better. You look at the M1 or M6 in England, D3M the whole way.

However, having read through this thread and other material on the M7 I have noticed that people are avoiding the elephant in the room. Junction 8 on the M50.

Widening the N7 from the Red Cow to Naas to D3AP was hands down one of the worst decisions of roadbuilding in the history of the state.

That road should have been detrunked to the R445 from Naas to the Red Cow, providing an alternative route to Dublin.

A brand new D3M M7 should have been built from Naas to Junction 8 on the M50. The road would be better quality, safer and quicker. A proper motorway.

There is still a chance to build it. The new Junction 9a could be redesignated Junction 7 and the road would then continue straight on to Junction 8 on the M50. There would be a linkup with the current Junction 9 in the form of a slip road, like the M3 at Navan.

The Red Cow could be completely changed, no junction but instead a flyover with Luas lines included. A new Junction 9 could be built serving Clondalkin.

After Newlands junction got done, its definitely not happening.

sondagefaux

Prezguiom wrote: »

The widening of the Naas bypass was badly needed and the more widening of the M7 the better. You look at the M1 or M6 in England, D3M the whole way.

Do you have any idea of the total population of the towns and cities that those two English motorways serve?

sedona23

Work started on the new roundabout on Clane road out of Sallins