As I said above, a Contour map explains a lot about this part of Cork.
Here's your proposed routing (red) and the actual (black) on a contour map - each line is 20m. I've put a green blob for every +20 m of altitude gained, and a blue one for every 20 m lost. Look how high your road goes compared to the actual design. And look how rarely the actual design changes altitude. That’s the key to keeping costs reasonable.
Even if you avoid changes in altitude, height itself is bad because it increases risk of fog, and cold weather in general. Also, your eastern leg would need a huge dig to stay within the 5% gradient limit for this type of road.
There was no option but to do a deep cut north of Baile Mhic Íre, but everywhere else, the designers kept the amount of cutting and embankment needed to a minimum.
peter.teahan
I think the answer to why they couldn't do the red line. It's on higher ground and is prone to fogs. Alot more houses etc. And plus there would be alot of work and cost more to go through the big hills.
KrisW1001
Just wanted to say, thanks for the link for the road plan on An Bord Pleanala. This surely clear it up about the junctions st Carrigaphooka. The proof is there.
Water John
Yesterday was chaos, traffic jam all the way back beyond the Auld Triangle. Alot of them went through Macroom Town when they could have turn left at Millstreet Cross to go to Millstreet roundabout and onto Cork. No one was directing nor was there signs to go that way. Coming from Cork was fine.
Today way less traffic. I believe traffic has been diverted to Rathmore (big funeral in Ballyvourney) or Clondrohid
Carrigaphooka
As you can see there are roads on either side of the bypass. They could have easily put junctions/sliproads if planned right
The bypass will be a fabulous road when finish, it was badly wanted. But it was badly planned. No hard shoulders, no merging lanes at Millstreet, Tun lane and Silieveragh. Also no junctions at Carrigaphooka and none at Silieveragh for west of Ballyvourney/Coolea. People won't be able to get on/get off at the west end. They will have to get on/get off at Tun lane and go through Ballyvourney. They can get on/get off for Killarney
Cos of no merging lanes at Millstreet Cross, there has been a few accidents. People assumed there are merging lanes despite stop signs. More will happen at Tun lane and Silieveragh.
Ideally I think the bypass should have been built like Mitchestown bypass. It's a great road.
People assumed there are merging lanes despite stop signs. More will happen at Tun lane and Silieveragh.
Ah now... anyone who does not know what to do at a STOP sign needs to hand back their keys. And it’s not just a stop sign: there’s a fat white line across the way, the word "STOP" painted on the road, and a big red stop-sign: at some point, you have to rely on a bit of cop-on from drivers too. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dual carriageway or a back-road, running stop-signs is the fastest way to get yourself killed in a car, or to kill someone else.
Hard shoulders are not needed, because there’s always a passing lane... If you break down, pull in, people behind you will overtake you. The road is so straight, with such good sightlines, that someone would have to deliberately want to hit you do do it. If you need to stop for any other reason, there are laybys every 2 km on both sides.
The Mitchelstown bypass isn’t bad, but it’s a single carriageway: this road is far safer. People do crazy things after being behind a tractor or lorry for a while - this type of road lets them pass without risking a head-on collision.
Road development is proportionate to traffic volumes:
Well the only one who can really answer it is ClmAlfie but my assumption is that they were talking about the M8 to the east of Michelstown. The relief road to the west of the town is a much lesser road than the Macroom Bypass.
Play nice Salad Fingers. No one here owes you an audience.
Is this still on track to open tomorrow at 11?
Looked ready when I passed it earlier, they were putting the lines down.
with the distance between junctions it’s going to be a drag strip. I wonder will they look at average speed cameras on it eventually.
Are we getting another opening ceremony? The second coming of Michael Martin.
cantalach
It wasn't about the volume of traffic. Just the way the bypass is built. For example, there's no merging lanes on Macroom bypass but is on Mitchelstown Bypass or any other bypasses that I know of in Ireland.
On the N73 bypass, you're right about the single lane and there are also dual lanes on hills
But I can tell you, it's going to be a great road for boy racers on the Macroom bypass!
I can’t make head nor tail of your post. You’re comparing a motorway to a 2+2 scheme. There are other 2+2 schemes in Ireland which do not have merging lanes.
I don’t get the bit racer comment. Is this a slight on the road design?
With respect, you’ve completely missed my point. The Macroom Bypass is built to a significantly lower specification than full motorway bypasses because it has a lower volume of traffic. The projected traffic volume determines what gets built. That’s how engineering works.
Sorry I should have said the N73
I get what you're saying about the volume of traffic. I was only just saying Macroom bypass should have been built like Mitchelstown Bypass (N73). It's going to be a long straight road from Coolcower to Ballyvourney, (22km). The speed limit is 100km but alot of drivers are doing 120km or more.
Also I said any bypasses I know of. I don't know any other bypass that does not have merging lanes
There are very few roads of this type in the country. The 3 big ones developed in the last few years, this one, the N5 in Mayo and the N4 in Sligo do not have merging lanes either.
Much of the 2+2 developed before this has roundabouts (New Ross, Dromod/Roosky, north of Kells). The Tuam bypass does have merging lanes as a rare example
What time is opening? I hope to never have to drive that section of road between Ballyvourney and Macroom ever again. It says a lot that it was even worse before 2006 when they did some improvement works on that section.
To be clear, are you saying that it should have been a 1+1 with climbing lanes, and roundabouts for junctions and private property directly accessing it and no slip lanes like the Mitchelstown N73 bypass? I don't follow you fully but I'm very glad that wasn't done.
Weirdly, I’ll still be using that section of road from time to time…but on my bicycle. It’s going to be much safer and more enjoyable with all the traffic removed.
Okay, now I’m confused. The Mitchelstown bypass part of R639/N73 has no private entrances on it - there’s a couple of gates for farmland access, but that’s all. It also has no hard shoulders, because it’s three lanes for its whole length (with the climbing lane swapping sides). There is one side junction along its length, but that is a straight T-junction with no merging or run-off lanes, because the main road has no hard shoulders.
Here’s a typical section: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2601953,-8.2929964,3a,75y,150.53h,75.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7fPqSoK7743z7UkILLgixQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
So, basically, that road has all the “downsides” of N22 (no access, no merging lanes, no hard shoulders), plus it doesn’t have two lanes each way for its whole length, plus it doesn’t have a divider to stop traffic crossing over to the wrong side of the road.
I don’t know how this would be a “better” road.
Ok, fair enough, you're right. I actually didn't realise it was that bad. Thanks for explaining the difference
We are live in Waze since an hour or so:
I'm going to drive it Westbound in about an hour and will report back.
I got the eastern section this morning around 9.30 from the Milstreet junction.
A car and a truck ahead of me and neither stopped. That was all well and good this morning because there was no eastbound traffic, but it's lethal because the sightline isn't good as you approach. A little more digging would have helped or at least a short hard shoulder if not a merging lane.
A bit early for videos from the new section yet, but Aindrias Moynihan TD posted this a few days ago (I'm guessing these are made by DroneHawk)
Just for clarity, the "private entrances" I was were referring to were the farm gates.
Yeah I avoid the area on the bike at the moment but for the first time (probably ever) I'll probably cycle on that road. The route West for me up to now was N72, which wasn't a great option either. Now it'll be R618 and the old N22!
All that's needed now is a segregated cycle track running next to the N22 west of Ballyvourney, over the County Bounds, and on to Killarney.
Just got a message, 10 minutes to go from Cork side of Ballyvourney to the end of Macroom.
It's impressive. Feels very like driving in a field in the bottom of the valley. There's a good pull up out of it then, will be interesting in a fully laden bus or truck.
A very beautiful section with the best still to come.
Macroom to Ovens feels like a goats path already...
I'd imagine there will be big pressure for the Macroom - Ovens section to be pushed on now when this road fully opens. Years away we all know but perhaps it can be proritised.
I imagine the Killarney-Farranfore bypass will be prioritised first, and how long away are we even from that?
Hopefully we won't be waiting decades for Macroom-Ovens either way.
