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

I assume there will now be further delays to completion due to the construction limitations due to Level 5 Covid restrictions? Will activity on this project stop after tomorrow evening?

MYSTICA1 wrote: »

I assume there will now be further delays to completion due to the construction limitations due to Level 5 Covid restrictions? Will activity on this project stop after tomorrow evening?

It better not. This projects been going on long enough, and it’s the only infrastructure project the Naas-Area is gonna get for the next 10+ years.

Can anyone local confirm contractors on site this morning?

Anatom wrote: »

I haven't been out there today, but local councillors confirmed last week that works would be continuing.

Didn't see much activity this morning, but a few lights etc on so I assume they were working away...

They now appear to have cleared all the way along the canal bank from the start of the Osberstown road bridge to beyond the railway bridge. I have previously seen some construction flags marking both sides of the canal on that side, possible they plan to put in a pedestrian/cycling bridge and link here?

If so its highly irregular as none of this was in any of the plans I have seen for the project or even Kildare CCs long term plans, which include a bridge but on the Sallins side of the Naas canal and surfacing of the canal on that side, in some plans all the way into Sallins itself via the old mill.

WhatsGoingOn2 wrote: »

From Cllr Bill Clear on Facebook:

"Get questions regarding what is going on st Kerry group roundabout exit 9a.
Apparently it was constructed with some errors so its all dug up now. Do not blame Kildare coco this is all on the contractor and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
I noticed that the plans I had did not match what was built. All I wanted was the pedestrian crossing that was supposed to go here. Anyway still looking at end march."

Take everything that lad says with a pinch of salt. Rarely accurate with what he sodcasts. Had the whole place told the junction was opening over 12 months ago. Always getting stuff wrong.

Not saying he is wrong here but he's probably not got a project based source either (dispite being a local councillor)

From the attached article, a "source" believes KCC should be applauded for their efforts with the M7 widening/Sallins bypass.

NedNew2 wrote: »

A "source" believes KCC should be applauded for their efforts with the M7 widening/Sallins bypass.

A "source" has told me that KCC are absolutely furious with the contractor for making an absolute hash of things and taking so long, so swings and roundabouts...

NedNew2 wrote: »

From the attached article, a "source" believes KCC should be applauded for their efforts with the M7 widening/Sallins bypass.

They spelt appalled wrong

traco wrote: »

Anyone with half a clue could see the original lanes onto teh ring road were too narrow.

The southbound ramps at junction 10 are too narrow and the turn is too tight back onto the R445 for Naas south. Artic trailers are over the lines on the roundabout if heading for Newbridge and the kerbs on the lane for Naas are broken from trailers mounting them yet there is a massive amount of space at the junction.

The link between the bundle of sticks roundabout and the one at sheehys is daft. They should have widened that to two lanes with the left lane as through feed heading east onto the ring road andteh right lane for Naas.

The junction for traffic exiting from southern link business park (power city) is another disaster. Traffice coming out from Naas will usually stop to let cars exit when heavey but there is a rat run directly opposte that cars fly up and merge in like a motorway slip when there is a gap left as they are jumping the main line traffic.

The county coucil and road engineers are appaling in KE

Couple of local issues highlighted here so a little off topic but:

The link between the bundle of sticks roundabout and the one at sheehys is daft.
While I agree there is property on both sides so it would be a struggle to get the width required. The road markings on bundle of sticks need to be addressed so as there is constanding "fighting" for space as people skip traffic on the outside lane and try to merge back in for Naas.

The junction for traffic exiting from southern link business park (power city) is another disaster.
This is ALDIs fault as they were supposed to join the bypass to this location previously as part of construction and did not. They lodged further planning last year and this link has been stipulated as required before construction can begin. This will be addressed. To be clear, Aldi and powercity etc will be accessed from the next roundabout on the bypass, past lidl roundabout in the future. I'm not sure if they will maintain the entrance next to Sheeheys or close it.

I completly agree with the observations on the ramps and would add that singage is awful to at J10. Mentioned many times already that people have come up the ramp from the M7 (N) and turned right at the top (due to badly placed sign) and found themselves going the wrong way around the roundabout. Personally I've had 2 cars come towards me on the wrong side and I don't even use that juntion daily.

traco wrote: »

Fair point being slightly OT bit if they got 9A opened properly it might lessen the traffic at the newbridge end.

However Ithink it serves to highlight the poor performance of those involved. I also see there has been a half hearted effort to burn off teh recently installed pedestrian crossing marks on the roundabout at Lidl / Sheehy roundabout.

Hopefully 9A opens before a full return to work allowing Kerry & Millenium park employees a more direct route to the M7

Some bull**** about not opening 9a until sallins linkup is done. Why can’t the road be opened so you can come off and head towards Kerry or the ring road? Bureaucracy, that’s why. Because builders won’t sign off, won’t get paid, KCC sign off, ESB need to install lights, <insert excuse here> ....

Granted traffic is down now because of restrictions but it’s an absolute travesty that 9a has been completed and idle over a year, given it’s the busiest road in the country and how much of a difference opening 9a would make to reliving traffic around the greater J10 area

KrisW1001 wrote: »

Contracts don't work like that. Final payment doesn't arrive until all work is complete and signed off; so the construction belongs to the contractor until the final payment arrives. If you think about it for more than a minute, you'll see it can't be any other way, unless you like seeing your taxes used to buy barristers nice houses.

Allowing one junction to open independent of the other would have cost more, not just for operational reasons, but because the contractor would see it as posing a higher risk of not being paid fully and on time (e.g., if the council held up handover of half the project because they were strapped for cash or haggling to get extra work done for free).

There is provision for phased handover in the contracts, although that provision may not have been used in this case. The contractor is still entitled to payment for works done even if the contracting authority does not accept project completion. There would be very little difference in payment even if they held up handover, just 50% of the Retention which itself would be a few percent of the overall contract value.

BuzzFish wrote: »

Delay to summer now.


https://www.kildarenow.com/news/home/603563/opening-of-sallins-bypass-and-m7-interchange-may-be-delayed-until-start-of-summer.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

This madness. Anything but the J9A open. Is there no accountability/penalties in this project?

I drove past the J9A from the Kerry group/Millennium Park relief road today and walked there a few times last week and they are definitely widening the slip-roads coming into Naas from the M7/J9A and heading from there to the M7. Road totally dug up there, no asphalt, verges been moved laterally - indicating widening. All done in a very casual way as the entire doomed project hence the massive delays

silver2020 wrote: »

They should have just got all the board's experts to do it.

I find it strange that you forgot to ask me for my competency level/credentials to dare make any comment.
You don't have to be a genius to determine the lack of project management and direction in delivering this nationally important work

regedit wrote: »

I find it strange that you forgot to ask me for my competency level/credentials to dare make any comment.
You don't have to be a genius to determine the lack of project management and direction in delivering this nationally important work

Sallins bypass a nationally important works? Seriously.

Sallins bypass and Jct 9a are a different project to the M7 upgrade, but were joined together as a single tender.

Yep, link roads are narrow, but that was the design. Design team (KCC) obviously went back and changed it.

With most new builds (roads, buildings etc etc,) there will be last minute changes, small improvements, but most projects do not have armchair "experts" watching day in day out and searching for the most minor of flaws and jumping on it (eg - one small blemish on the top coat that was corrected within 24 hours, but boards "experts" STILL harp on about it and claimed it was a "massive pothole" and then there's the imaginary bumpy surface which no-one other than the "experts" here seem to feel)

They kept 2 lanes operational all during the project and worked in a very tight space and delivered the mainline fairly close to the original date (see the early part of this tread for the dates and not what the boards "experts" falsely claimed). I think they did reasonably well.