M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

BluntGuy · 05-10-2008 10:44pm

I'm afraid there is still major work to be done near Mullinavat...

But from what I can see, the section will be finished by August 2009...

road_high · 07-10-2008 9:42pm

BluntGuy wrote: »

I'm afraid there is still major work to be done near Mullinavat...

But from what I can see, the section will be finished by August 2009...

Thats pretty slow compared to sections of the N8/6/7 and even the Carlow bypass all opened ahead of time.

spacetweek · 21-10-2008 5:30pm

Chris_533976 wrote: »

An absolutely shameful, idiotic and disgraceful piece of short-sightness. The whole N25/N9/N24 junction should be freeflow and will have to be revisited in 10 years for a big, expensive, disruptive upgrade.

*vomit*
Totally agree. And what's worse, is that the current layout is such a dog's dinner that the upgrade would probably have to bypass the whole lot on a new alignment to the east. How would you make the M25/M9 junction freeflow? The new section would probably need to interface with the M25 at an all-new junction.

Again: *vom*

BluntGuy · 23-10-2008 2:51pm

spacetweek wrote: »

*vomit*
Totally agree. And what's worse, is that the current layout is such a dog's dinner that the upgrade would probably have to bypass the whole lot on a new alignment to the east. How would you make the M25/M9 junction freeflow? The new section would probably need to interface with the M25 at an all-new junction.

Again: *vom*

Hmmm... we've all complained about the M25/M9 junction and yet none of us have come up with a solution.

I can see why!

It's such a mess...

Anyway, I gave it a go (in a very bored moment):

Basically, the first pic is the existing layout (drawn by me), and the second is what I would do to fix it. Basically all the M25/M9 movements are free-flow. But there is no feasible way to have the N24 movements free-flow too, so there are still two roundabouts...

All I can say is if they ever tried to build this it would be one hell of a complicated junction!

fricatus · 23-10-2008 7:53pm

BluntGuy wrote: »

Hmmm... we've all complained about the M25/M9 junction and yet none of us have come up with a solution.

I think the best thing would be to have the M9 just terminate at the M25 using the grade-separated roundabout that's already planned. If the N24 could join the M9 at another grade-separated junction further out, I'm sure that would solve most or all the potential problems.

N24 non-motorway traffic could use the existing routes (which are currently in use), and while I'm all for getting the very best of facilities for my city, even I realise that it's Waterford we're talking about, not Atlanta!

BluntGuy · 23-10-2008 10:35pm

fricatus wrote: »

I think the best thing would be to have the M9 just terminate at the M25 using the grade-separated roundabout that's already planned. If the N24 could join the M9 at another grade-separated junction further out, I'm sure that would solve most or all the potential problems.

N24 non-motorway traffic could use the existing routes (which are currently in use), and while I'm all for getting the very best of facilities for my city, even I realise that it's Waterford we're talking about, not Atlanta!

I know, my idea is a tad overkill...

But I still think they could've done something better than those roundabouts. I really think they could've had a few free-flow slips from the M9 to M25 at the very least.

johnbk · 24-10-2008 10:09am

The old (Granagh) Granny junction was a roundabout between the N9 and the N24 and it was mayhem. The new Granny junction after millions being spent is a roundabout between the M9 and the N24?? To further complicate it, we now have the Cork and the Rosslare traffic joining the party.

I know that the junction capacity will be huge compared to the old roads but what ever happened to future proofing?

If you look at a map I think the N24 could become more important than the N25. With a motorway from Cork to Cahir, Cork traffic could easily go via the N24 to Waterford plus the N24 catches all west of Ireland traffic.

I aggree that a better job should have been done merging the M9 and N24 and then used a junction similar to the proposed M18/M17-M6 in Athenry between the combined M9/N24 and the M25.

fricatus · 24-10-2008 12:41pm

All very true...

At least the roundabout joining the N9, M9 and N24 is nice and big, so it will be able to handle way more traffic than the current arrangement. By the way, this roundabout is actually in use now as part of a temporary diversion (for all those who haven't been in Waterford lately).

By the way, the new section from Sallypark to the Newrath roundabout (behind the Autoboland garage) is now half open. It will be a dual carriageway when it's completed, but for now, one side has been opened, and no doubt the other side will be built and opened in the next few months.

I must say, it looks really good. You're higher up and the view is a lot more open as you come into the city. The old road was very ugly and grotty. This one will certainly give a better first impression to people arriving. When those horrible pylons are removed, the place will look better again. Happy days!

johnbk · 24-10-2008 1:30pm

I agree the upgrade work around Waterford will really help Waterford's appearance. The new Suir bridge itself will be an attaction and a landmark when approching Waterford. The roads will make Waterford look completly different.

Kilkenny on the other hand will now have its main road (M9 link -M10??) coming into Kilkennys uglier side (The Hebron Industrial estate). I wonder will they singpost the city centre as staight on or tell visitors to to turn left??

road_high · 24-10-2008 1:43pm

johnbk wrote: »

Kilkenny on the other hand will now have its main road (M9 link -M10??) coming into Kilkennys uglier side (The Hebron Industrial estate). I wonder will they singpost the city centre as staight on or tell visitors to to turn left??

Raised that exact point on the KK forum a while back. Hebron on one side and a halting site on the other. Medieval city indeed :rolleyes:.
They should upgrade the ring road perhaps to better accomodate the traffic

road_high · 24-10-2008 1:52pm

BluntGuy wrote: »

I'm afraid there is still major work to be done near Mullinavat...

But from what I can see, the section will be finished by August 2009...

They are laying the road (tarmac) in much of it. Saw it going on near Hugginstown the other evening. Just seems to be around the junctions work remains. I would hope Spring 2009 is on track.
And what an improvement from the current road it will be

Road-Hog · 24-10-2008 2:04pm

BluntGuy wrote: »

Hmmm... we've all complained about the M25/M9 junction and yet none of us have come up with a solution.

I can see why!

It's such a mess...

Anyway, I gave it a go (in a very bored moment):

Basically, the first pic is the existing layout (drawn by me), and the second is what I would do to fix it. Basically all the M25/M9 movements are free-flow. But there is no feasible way to have the N24 movements free-flow too, so there are still two roundabouts...

All I can say is if they ever tried to build this it would be one hell of a complicated junction!

I think you should get yourself into road design, I think the Tramore House Regional Design office of the NRA are presently looking for suitably qualified individuals at the moment, you seem to have the talent.

With regard to your suggestion I think if you queried it with the NRA you would be told that the perdicted future traffic volumes would not justify the N24/M9/N25 roundabout to be grade seperated. I would think we are lucky that the waterford bypass itself is dual carraigeway.

road_high · 24-10-2008 2:12pm

Road-Hog wrote: »

I would think we are lucky that the waterford bypass itself is dual carraigeway.

I don't. It's completely neccessary to be dual carriageway/motorway. Anything less would have been completely inadequate and shortsighted in the extreme.

BluntGuy · 24-10-2008 2:20pm

Road-Hog wrote: »

I think you should get yourself into road design, I think the Tramore House Regional Design office of the NRA are presently looking for suitably qualified individuals at the moment, you seem to have the talent.

With regard to your suggestion I think if you queried it with the NRA you would be told that the perdicted future traffic volumes would not justify the N24/M9/N25 roundabout to be grade seperated. I would think we are lucky that the waterford bypass itself is dual carraigeway.

Sadly, e-mailing the NRA is an exercise in futility.

I e-mailed them about several issues regarding the N25 and they weren't able to give me any concrete answers. They just handed me back the same vague, uninformative information I found on their website.

As regard to traffic volumes... it is impossible to tell yet at this stage whether or not the design will turn out to be a total failure. All I know is that from looking at the design, bottlenecks are very likely on the link road between the two motorways.

I don't know how they could've fixed the design cheaply. They could've had the M9 merging onto the M25 (M4/M6-style) and then have the junction with N24 immediately after. But I hate restricted-access junctions, and it would just transfer the bottleneck to the N24/M25 junction.

Chris_533976 · 24-10-2008 3:09pm

Send everything a half mile to the east, N24 joins with M9 via a trumpet interchange, M9 is three lanes from here to a freeflow junction with the M25 to the south.

johnbk · 25-10-2008 9:39am

A simple addition, which shoud have been included, is a slip off the M9 onto the short link road bypassing the first roundabout. The short link road is two lanes anyway so only use the inside lane off the roundabout for N24 traffic and keep the outside lane exclusively for the M9.

Sully · 26-10-2008 6:01pm

Whats the situation when leaving Waterford, past Swan Plastics the road has changed yet again. The older road is closed, and you seem to use the new road that was being made to the far right. Will these eventually be a dual carriageway off the main road connecting to the already exisiting one leading up to the bridge?

BluntGuy · 26-10-2008 6:07pm

mfitzy wrote: »

I don't. It's completely neccessary to be dual carriageway/motorway. Anything less would have been completely inadequate and shortsighted in the extreme.

Yes, especially considering there's a bridge.

I think the amount of traffic justifies it anyway. The Rice Bridge has an AADT of 40,000. I reckon half of that will use the bypass which easily justifies the D2AP the bypass is being built as. (That's right, it isn't a motorway according to their website).

I wish the Clonmel bypass had been dual-carriageway... too many damn roundabouts! Makes travelling to Waterford from Limerick a pain...

BluntGuy · 28-10-2008 8:09pm

I hope this stretch gets redesignated in a third tranche of motorway designations. If it opens with green signs I'm going to puke...

I hate it when a great new road is spoiled by the lower speed limit and the presense of tractors, cyclists etc.

road_high · 28-10-2008 11:46pm

BluntGuy wrote: »

I hope this stretch gets redesignated in a third tranche of motorway designations. If it opens with green signs I'm going to puke...

I hate it when a great new road is spoiled by the lower speed limit and the presense of tractors, cyclists etc.

I would reckon so. Would be stupidity not to. Ala the Carlow bypass. If anything else it's ahuge waste of money on signage not to do it right from the start.

BluntGuy · 29-10-2008 12:05am

mfitzy wrote: »

I would reckon so. Would be stupidity not to. Ala the Carlow bypass. If anything else it's ahuge waste of money on signage not to do it right from the start.

Definately.

The Cashel-Mitchelstown stretch is a great example of this. The Cashel-Cahir section opened early with green signs and within LESS THAN A YEAR they had to be replaced with blue ones.

Also, the 'motorway end' and 'motorway ahead' signs on the Cahir-Mitchelstown straight were put in place during construction, then REMOVED, then put back only three months later. A waste of manpower, money and time.

Hopefully this won't happen here, but the Waterford-Knocktopher section is scheduled for Q2 2009 completion. The current tranch of redesignations is likely to see the S.I passed in January, coming into effect possibly in April or May. Will there be time to get this section redesignated?

mike65 · 29-10-2008 12:15am

Rennicks doesn't mind these 'errors'

'nuff said.

Mike

BluntGuy · 29-10-2008 12:18am

mike65 wrote: »

The signage company doesn't mind these 'errors'

'nuff said.

Mike

I guess not...

Which is why it's important as many eligible schemes as possible are motorways from the off...

kingjohn · 10-11-2008 1:25pm

Is the Waterford - Knocktopher section the next stretch to open on the M9. I had a look at the progress of some of the sections in the early summer and it appeared to be progressing well. What is the latest news on the opening time?

mike65 · 10-11-2008 1:31pm

Completion is officially due 3rd quarter 2009. I guess conditions this winter could either delay or speed up progress depending.

Mike

BluntGuy · 10-11-2008 8:03pm

I am sure it was Q2 2009...

road_high · 13-11-2008 10:17pm

Knocktopher-Kilkenny section is really taking shape now:

http://www.kilkennycoco.ie/eng/Services/Roads/Roads_General/Road_Closures_and_Road_Works_Information_Notices/TemporaryRoadN10fromDanesfortCrossEnnisnag.html

BluntGuy · 13-11-2008 10:27pm

Does anybody have any of the latest pictures?

cargo · 14-11-2008 11:17am

mfitzy wrote: »

Knocktopher-Kilkenny section is really taking shape now:

http://www.kilkennycoco.ie/eng/Services/Roads/Roads_General/Road_Closures_and_Road_Works_Information_Notices/TemporaryRoadN10fromDanesfortCrossEnnisnag.html

mmmmh did you read the notice? Can you spot any potential problems? I'll give you a hint

all HGV traffic (and most other as well) going / coming to / from Waterford now HAS to go through Thomastown

spot anything yet

Notice is Hereby Given of the decision of Kilkenny County Council to close to Public Traffic, the following road to facilitate essential roadworks at the tie-in of the N10 to the new Danesfort interchange.

Road to be Closed
N10, from Danesfort Cross to Ennisnag.

Alternative Routes
Dublin traffic travelling towards Waterford
to take N9 at Paulstown via Thomastown and Ballyhale.

Waterford traffic travelling towards Dublin
to take N9 at Ballyhale via Thomastown and Paulstown.

Kilkenny traffic travelling towards Waterford
to take R700 via Bennettsbridge and Thomastown and then N9 to Ballyhale. Local traffic, not including HGV's turn left at Danesfort Cross for Bennettsbridge, then take R700 to Thomastown and then N9 to Ballyhale.

Waterford traffic travelling towards Kilkenny
to take N9 at Ballyhale to Thomastown and R700 to Kilkenny via Bennettsbridge. Local traffic, not including HGV's turn left at Stoneyford for Kells, then take R697 to Kilkenny, turn right at Sevenhouses Cross for Danesfort,Or proceed on R67 to Kilkenny

Duration of Closure
From: 08.00 am on Monday 17th November 2008
For two weeks

This is going to be painful for the 2 weeks but still it'll be great to see it opening...

road_high · 14-11-2008 8:11pm

Short term pain, long term gain I guess. Personally if I was using that road I would head down cross country via Hugginstown or else down to Piltown and across to Fiddown. Going via Thomastown is asking for trouble..

M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

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