N8/N25/N40 - Dunkettle Interchange [under construction]

Screening off places of interest is quite common in Europe, it removes the temptation for drivers to be distracted or engage in rubbernecking which does slow traffic and also increases the probability of wandering out of lane and crashes.

I don't disagree with that assumption, it certainly would be one of the contributing factors given the incompetence of so many drivers to manage their vehicles.

The standard of driving is so bad in this country, particularly when it comes to using the full potential of a vehicle. One sees so many drivers concentrating on the road a few meters ahead of the vehicle and holding the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip instead of sitting relaxed, letting the vehicle do the work and scanning the road ahead for potential challenges.

I know it's a little off-topic.

Why are the road surfaces of the northbound and southbound carriageways of the M8 at junctions 17 and 18 marked N8 while all roadside signs say M8? The road markings are fresh so do not predate the upgrading of the road to motorway status in 2009

The road opened as N8, and was re-classified as a motorway afterwards, so the original lane markings said N8. When it came to renovate the lining on the road the crew just went over the existing markings: to change them would mean burning off the original "N" on each lane and replacing it with new paint, which takes much longer than just touching up what’s there already.

Anyone know what the final layout will be for traffic exiting the tunnel northbound?

I'd estimate 80÷ of the traffic is using the left hand lane (town and east cork) in the existing layout which causes the left hand lane to back up and the right hand lane to flow well, even during peak hours. In theory this shouldn't be an issue if the interchange is really free flow but allowing the right hand lane to head to East Cork would make sense.

Will they keep the existing lane layout once the work on the interchange has been fully completed?

Latest Newsletter stating that overall works to be complete by Feb 24.

Id image this year, especially over the summer that the majority of the links to be finished and open to traffic.

The final layout looks like traffic heading for the M8 will have to be in the correct lane before the south entrance to the tunnel as it looks like there will be little or no opportunity to lane change between the exit of the tunnel and the interchange.

I see the whole interchange working very well once drivers get used to it and negotiate it with confidence at the appropriate speed. Last-minute lane jumping is unlikely to be a profitable exercise.

Interesting looking at the camera pointing towards the tunnel. They have built up a large bank of rubble to the right of the south bound carriageway before the tunnel entrance.

I cannot understand what its purpose is. Is it just temporary housing?

Map showing road links below.

By saying link A, I assume that it will be Q3 for fully free flow?

Yeah sorry was in work when did earlier post. All those will be free flow at that point according to email, but not necessarily the final alignment be it vertical or horizontal. No idea how it works out in practice, no doubt it'll be fairly simple in the end

Looks to me (on the south facing cameras) that they are going to move the southern part of the roundabout north a little bit, and then build the rest of the embankment for the N25W to M8N movement.

It was constant changes and openings there for a few months. Just the minor openings next month now. After that, it looks like one Big Bang opening of everything then. I reckon there’ll be problems with m8s traffic heading for Lr Glanmire Road thinking they still have a roundabout instead of heading East.

Is there any talk of any monitoring the tunnel/after the tunnel northbound by AGS?

Nearly had an incident this morning with a van that had traveled up the right lane but was intent on going to Little Island/Midleton but not willing to wait the 30s as the rest do, he hit the indicator but there wasn't sufficient space to get into the gap but he turned in anyway, I was fortunate the driver behind me was paying attention and had slowed enough that when I hit the brakes he didn't rear end me.

To the driver behind, thanks for better driving ability than the driver in front!

A solid line or something should happen. At the moment it is completely legal (albeit immoral) to do last minute lane barging to skip the queue.

Interesting: I never realised that the southern roundabout would have two different arms/exits off it, for Tunnel and M8 respectively. I always assumed it was two routes originating from the one shared roundabout exit. I wonder why they did it this way, but possibly to allow for easier diversions in future, in times of tunnel maintenance!