N22 - Macroom to Ballyvourney (Macroom Bypass) [open to traffic]

marno21 · 15-05-2022 8:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119067870#Comment_119067870

It does indeed.

FreedomOfSpeechAndChoice · 15-05-2022 9:45pm

Great. Although OSM currently shows it as a roundabout under construction.

yerwanthere123 · 15-05-2022 9:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119067325#Comment_119067325

Thanks Marno. So unless I'm misunderstanding you, that's three exits for 22 kilometres of road? Tbh I assumed there'd be a lot more.

marno21 · 15-05-2022 11:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068303#Comment_119068303

OSM is incorrect here; the underbridge part of the grade separated junction is already built.

marno21 · 15-05-2022 11:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068331#Comment_119068331

Two exits really as the western junction is really a terminal junction connecting the old N22 through Ballyvourney to the new route. The only other junction you could argue for would be a Macroom West junction at Carrigaphooca but the terrain around here is tricky for one.

marno21 · 17-05-2022 10:46am

Western junction diagram

marno21 · 17-05-2022 11:08am

Some detail on the new Toonlane junction east of Ballyvourney

http://www.n22bbm.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Toonlane-Junction-Website-Update-English.pdf

Roundabout interface with the existing N22 to be built in Q3.

dmeehan · 17-05-2022 7:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074284#Comment_119074284

Where did you get this diagram from, I'd like to see this detail for the other junctions

marno21 · 17-05-2022 8:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119077487#Comment_119077487

https://www.corkrdo.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/N22-Baile-Bhuirne-to-Macroom_EIS_Volume-3-Part1-Pages-7-31-Fig-5.pdf

Chris_5339762 · 17-05-2022 8:36pm

Thats handy, thanks. I thought I looked for an EIS ages ago but couldn't find one. That detail is something thats been missing from this scheme.

serfboard · 18-05-2022 2:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074284#Comment_119074284

That's great, thanks very much for posting that. I too had assumed that OSM was correct.

When you combine the Western end with the existing 2-3km of dual carriageway that's already there, it means that travelling West, after Coolcower, you'll have, what, 25km of dual carriageway? At a constant 100km, that's a 15 minute journey. Probably halving the time it takes now. Fantastic.

FreedomOfSpeechAndChoice · 18-05-2022 4:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080902#Comment_119080902

Wheres the bit of DC that's already there?

marno21 · 18-05-2022 5:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119081344#Comment_119081344

2 lanes of road rather than dual carriageway, technically

There’s approx 3km of climbing lane between the western terminus and the Kerry/Cork border near Christy Lucey Transport at the top of the hill. Add this to the scheme and you have 25km of twin lane road between Coolcower and Kerry, ideal for overtaking trucks, tractors, and trundlers. You can do this at the speed limit in 15 mins

Chris_5339762 · 18-05-2022 9:07pm

The only thing we urgently need is a 3 lane motorway (has to be motorway) bypass of Glenflesk. Its unfair to expect drivers to slow down to 60kmh for all of a few hundred meters. We need a motorway there and a trumpet junction AT THE VERY LEAST.

https://goo.gl/maps/Ti2GRbCJPi2cYZyk8

confidentjosh · 19-05-2022 1:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082581#Comment_119082581

🤣 You're hilarious Chris. A 3 lane motorway bypass for Glenflesk???? I'd love to know what you're smoking? 😂

marno21 · 19-05-2022 12:29pm

Tarmac down on both sides of the road now as far as the Coolyhane Rd underbridge. That’s 2.3km of the route tarmaced now. It’s about 5.5km from Coolcower to Millstreet Road.

marno21 · 19-05-2022 7:09pm

Corrected my earlier post, it's actually 5.5km from the eastern end to Millstreet Road. 2.3km of this has tarmac down, they are getting ready to lay the tarmac at Coolyhane Upper which is 3km from the eastern end and the concrete gullys are down at Kilnagurteen which is 4.8km from the eastern end. They're also flat out at the westbound on/off slips at Millstreet Road.

Nearly time to start taking guesses on when Millstreet Rd-Coolcower will open at this rate

(For reference, last week tarmac was down on both sides of the route for 800m and on the left hand part of the route for a total of 2.3km - its now fully tarmaced for 2.3km).

yerwanthere123 · 19-05-2022 7:24pm

Thanks for all the updates Marno, very interesting to read. Do you reckon they'd really open Millstreet Road - Coolcower first? Would that not cause huge backlogs back the Millstreet Road with all the people coming off the new road?

bypasser · 19-05-2022 9:09pm

The pavement layer being laid at the moment is called CBGM (cement bound granular material) and is now complete from Coolcour to Coolyhane Underbridge - this layer has to "cure" for 7 days before the blacktop layers of road base and binder course can be laid on it. The pavement makeup consists of 5 different layers = 150mm thick layer of Clause 808 stone, 170mm layer of CBGM, 85mm layer of road base tar, 55mm layer of binder course tar with the last layer being a 30mm thick layer of SMA wearing course tar. The laying of blacktop will commence from Coolcour heading west from late next week with the crew continuing to lay CL808 and CBGM from Coolyhane Underbridge to Ballyveerane and onwards.

peter.teahan · 24-05-2022 12:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119086685#Comment_119086685

As far as Millstreet / Rathmore traffic coming from Coolcour would be concerned this would be their new road complete as they would just head off to the right and only what's left for say Ballyvourney bound would head left back onto the existing N22.

KrisW1001 · 24-05-2022 1:43pm

As most traffic between Rathmore/Millstreet to Cork already uses a rat-run via Masseytown Rd and the Mill Road to avoid Macroom town centre, this will have an additional benefit for people living along the northern edge of the town.

I really don't think that bringing N22 traffic as far as the Millstreet Rd junction will cause any significant backlogs on the Millstreet Road itself: Joining N22 from the Millstreet Road right now, your biggest delaying factor is the long wait for a space in the stream of traffic coming from Macroom itself. Opening the new road will dramatically reduce that stream, and make that right-turn (for Kerry) much quicker it is at present. Coming the other way, it's a simple left turn.

In any case, whatever traffic there it does cause would be a temporary situation, lasting for a year at most – and as compensation, the town itself will be freed from its appalling traffic problems a little earlier.

kub · 28-05-2022 11:18pm

I have just seen a post by the Principal contractor of this project in LinkedIn

There is a picture of the road with very long section of it already with a layer of tarmac on it.

What I am wondering is, is there not a concrete barrier going along the middle of that road ?

Or does that get put on after the tarmac, just I would have assumed the concrete barrier would go first due to it needing a solid grounding

DumbBrunette · 29-05-2022 12:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128543#Comment_119128543

No, the N5 is the exact same, barrier to go down after:

Chris_5339762 · 29-05-2022 9:38am

2+2 roads like this have a wire barrier, not a concrete one. That gets drilled into the tarmac layer afterwards.

KrisW1001 · 29-05-2022 11:26am

Here's an example:

kub · 29-05-2022 8:52pm

So more of The Mallow Road cheese graters, is this just a cheap alternative to the proper concrete ones on Motorways ?

highwaymaniac · 29-05-2022 10:34pm

The wire rope has been replaced by a steel barrier - see example picture from N4 Collooney Castlebaldwin.

marno21 · 31-05-2022 8:14pm

Tarmac down now as far as the eye can see past the Coolyhane Overbridge, which is 3.4km from Coolcower by my estimate. That leaves 2.1km to go to Millstreet Road.

The next overbridge for visibility is Kilnagurteen which is 4.7km from Coolcower and 800m from Millstreet Road. At this rate they’ll have gone past that bridge within 2 weeks.

They are absolutely motoring.

marno21 · 03-06-2022 7:21pm

Notice from the contractors about works at Coolcower:

From now until June 24th: works continuing offline with minor traffic management required

From June 27th for 2 week: traffic restricted to one way flow controlled by flag men and traffic lights 24/7 5 days per week

From July 11th til October: daytime stop go systems in place.

That 2 week period from June 27th on will be absolute Armageddon at peak times.

KrisW1001 · 04-06-2022 10:46am

The tie-in works on this were always going to cause total mayhem at Macroom, two weeks isn’t so bad. I notice an advance warning sign has been set up on N25 advising people to divert via N20 if possible, but it gets a bit lost in amongst all the other signage for the Dunkettle upgrade.

But, I wonder is that schedule also a hint that the Eastern section will open in October..?

N22 - Macroom to Ballyvourney (Macroom Bypass) [open to traffic]

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