N18 - Limerick Tunnel & South Ring Road Phase II

Chris_533976 · 16-09-2007 7:18pm #1

Just a quick little update - Limerick Tunnel has updated with an Autumn newsletter.

http://www.limericktunnel.com/Downloads.html

Yes they're well ahead of schedule!

Zoney · 16-09-2007 10:56pm

Good stuff. By the way, the bridge over the N69 Dock Road is 5.3 m which seems a tad low considering there's trucks of all sorts have to access Limerick port and various warehouses etc. along the Dock Road.

Victor · 18-09-2007 3:54pm

Zoney wrote:

Good stuff. By the way, the bridge over the N69 Dock Road is 5.3 m which seems a tad low considering there's trucks of all sorts have to access Limerick port and various warehouses etc. along the Dock Road.

The tunnel itself will only be 4.65m which is what is / will be the national limit. Outsized loads. :shrug:

The port company is proposing to move.

spacetweek · 19-09-2007 12:46pm

This one slipped by me. I hadn't checked their progress in ages. Good to see they're getting along with it.

Victor wrote:

The port company is proposing to move.

Victor do you mean they're moving so as to avoid the tunnel as a result of the height issue?? In which case the tunnel would largely be pointless?

Zoney · 19-09-2007 2:42pm

spacetweek:
The port company (Shannon Foynes Port Company) would like to close Limerick Port and just use Foynes, selling the valuable land bank of the Limerick Docks. Yes, this does lessen the need for a tunnel. However, it's probably still preferable to a low bridge on environmental grounds - and while the tunnel is expensive, a bridge there would have cost a lot too (there's not much to build on!)

As an aside, now that this is split to its own thread, can the title be changed to N7 Limerick Tunnel. It will be part of that route rather than the N18 when completed.

highlydebased · 19-09-2007 7:48pm

Good to see its progressing well. The website has lots of useful info, thanks for link!

Victor · 20-09-2007 2:37am

So where will the N18 start?

corktina · 20-09-2007 7:45am

in Galway....:)

it will finish at the N20/N7 donut I would guess.....

Zoney · 20-09-2007 10:41pm

corktina wrote:

it will finish at the N20/N7 donut I would guess.....

No, it'll most likely finish at the end of the Southern Ring Road (which will be N7 all the way including phase 2) on the Ennis Road unless it remains N18 into the city centre.

Chris_533976 · 19-12-2007 8:43pm

I'll pop all updates on this in here from now on, as its polluting my nice N18 thread with its N7-ness.

Winter newsletters have been posted here -

http://www.limericktunnel.com/Downloads.html

Good progress by the looks of it. Get this damn thing finished and get rid of the Limerick drivethrough bottleneck!

1huge1 · 19-12-2007 11:05pm

Yes im sure the Limerick tunnel will have a big effect on traffic in the city, only problem I have with it is that there cutting off the road beside the quality hotel once it opens.

Zoney · 20-12-2007 2:02am

That's going to be a barrel of laughs, having to access the city centre solely via Dock Road or Tipp Road if you approach the city from the N20 dual carriageway.

Dock Road is going to be pretty awful too with people accessing the ring road via the cheap and nasty junction they are planning (i.e. just a second roundabout on the other side of the ring road from the Cement Factory roundabout, and the slips either side down to those two roundabouts).

Any extra traffic on the Tipp Road junction will also be a disaster seeing as it's the most basic grade separated junction you can build - simply two staggered crossroads on top. The lights they're installing will at least let people safely make turns to/from Tipp Road, but they'll probably only increase jams on the Tipp Road itself.

Amtmann · 09-12-2008 2:27pm

Autumn 2008 newsletter here: http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/ContractorsNewsletters/file,15764,en.pdf

gjim · 09-12-2008 9:26pm

This project is a typical example of the sort of wasteful strategic stupidity that we see often in Ireland.

The tunnel will have cost approximately 200million more than a high span bridge according to the initial estimates. The extra money was justified by the insistence that the Limerick docks should continue to operate as a port. In a remarkably short period of time there's been a change of mind and the port company has decided they want to sell the docks. So in effect we've spent 200 million on a feature of the bypass which offers practically no utility. In fact a well designed high span bridge like the Boyne bridge could have provided an icon for the city.

Imagine what that extra 200million could have been used for? Perhaps build an eastern bypass of the town or else make the western bypass toll-free. Even 40 or 50 million would have meant no penny pinching and corner cutting when it came to designing the junctions.

Of course nobody really gives a sh*te because they think someone else is paying for it. There's very little appreciation that public funds are OUR money and should not be p*ssed away by making basic strategic errors like this.

weehamster · 09-12-2008 10:17pm

The tunnel will have cost approximately 200million more than a high span bridge according to the initial estimates.

Where have you found this because according to midwestroads.ie, the high span bridge was the most expensive option.

Zoney · 09-12-2008 10:59pm

Yes, the land either side is almost below the river level already, so a high-span bridge would have been quite expensive!

Now a multi-span low-level bridge would indeed have been cheaper, but it would have had serious environmental impact, even if navigation on the river to Limerick is no longer a concern.

Anyway, the money will not be coming from the taxpayer per se, but from the users of the tunnel, as it is tolled.

gjim · 10-12-2008 2:48am

Fair enough. I've did a quick google to see where it was I heard that figure and couldn't find it so I can't back it up. I should have gotten a reference before posting but I had a clear memory of hearing the 200 million figure.

So please ignore that post.

(I know I could edit the post but I'd rather leave it as doing so often means the subsequent posts make no sense without the context.)

Carawaystick · 10-12-2008 6:13pm

your point makes sense in the context of a low level bridge.
I'd imagine it'd be cheaper to build than a high span cable stayed or suspension bridge.

I vaguely remember the options and this was one, high level bridge and tunnel. high level cost most, low level blocked the now closing port....

Amtmann · 16-02-2009 1:20am

Any news on this? Was it listed on the NRA's schedule for projects to be completed in 2009?

Zoney · 16-02-2009 10:38am

Well, I can tell you that there is plenty of work to be observed going on again. Recently there was work starting again at the N20/N7 junction, and they're now working on the ramp in front of Crescent Shopping Centre up to the R526 (former N20) bridge for St. Nessan's Road (my guess is just a couple of months left for this to be finished off). Construction vehicles along the mainline also observed from these points and from below on the Greenfield's Road.

I haven't been out the Ennis Road way in a while, and there still wasn't any sign of more work at the N69 Dock Road junction last time I was there - but that was before the recent flurry of work, so maybe they are working there again too.

Irish and Proud · 16-02-2009 12:07pm

Chris_533976 wrote: »

I'll pop all updates on this in here from now on, as its polluting my nice N18 thread with its N7-ness.

Winter newsletters have been posted here -

http://www.limericktunnel.com/Downloads.html

Good progress by the looks of it. Get this damn thing finished and get rid of the Limerick drivethrough bottleneck!

...yeah, the Limerick Tunnel should do a good job when it's finished. However, the daily capacity is stated on the website as 40k - is this enough??? - like for the design year? IMO, the engineers should provide for another twin tube structure alongside the one currently under construction. If for example, additional capacity was required within 15 years, then I doubt that providing for 80k AADT between 4 cells would be unrealistic for a new design year (35 years from now). Remember, this link is doing several jobs - bypassing Limerick, carrying the AWC under the Shannon, linking much of Limerick to the Shannon Industrial complex etc.

Regards!

Zoney · 16-02-2009 12:45pm

Although it seems inconceivable in the current fiscal climate, we will be in a position to build roads again in the future (unless it really is endgame for Ireland). I would think that by the time the tunnel capacity is reached, we will be looking at a Northern bypass of Limerick anyway, thus taking away a fair bit of traffic from the SRR and tunnel.

Chris_533976 · 16-02-2009 6:54pm

Furet wrote: »

Any news on this? Was it listed on the NRA's schedule for projects to be completed in 2009?

September 2010 is the official line for this. With the tunnel, its very hard to open early with all the safety/fitting/etc that has to be done.

Amtmann · 24-02-2009 12:11am

Update on this on the DoT website: http://www.transport.ie/pressRelease.aspx?Id=55

rekrow · 24-02-2009 10:38am

Furet wrote: »

Update on this on the DoT website: http://www.transport.ie/pressRelease.aspx?Id=55

This is an impressive piece of reporting by the DoT. The piece is entitled "Limerick Tunnel Progress Report". I could see very little regarding the progress. I hope they had more info the Minister other than what was published on the website. It was more like a rehash of the existing info. Even the completion date of 2010 is very vague. At this stage in the project you would think they'd be able to project to the month it would be completed.

The last time I passed the Ennis road end they seemed to be making good progress on the bridge but they have not started any work tying into the existing road. Not sure how long that will take.

I am surprised that they are not able to open the southern section of the road earlier than the tunnel. Taking the Cork/Kerry traffic directly off the Dock road would be a big time saving.

Chris_533976 · 24-02-2009 6:08pm

Absolutely dismal report by the DOT. Due a Spring 09 newsletter soon, and the Limerick Tunnels newsletters are the best out there - informative, easy reading and lots of nice pictures

Zoney · 12-03-2009 11:54pm

Traffic on the R526 St. Nessan's Road (old N20) was rearranged on a new layout this week to facilitate the connection of the new R526 bridge (over the N7 SRR under construction) to the existing R526. When heading towards Raheen you now veer to the left of the old road and the new bridge, and twist around under the bridge (where the N7 SRR will eventually be) back to the right-hand side of the bridge (the diversion was previously entirely on the right-hand side of the bridge). The diversion is not some dirt-track either - due to the route being a main ambulance route presumably - just like the earlier diversion it's a proper road surface with kerb and pavement.

Kerbing is on place on the Crescent shopping centre side of the bridge, and They've completely dug up the old road to tie in the northern end of the bridge. It looks like it might only be a couple of weeks till traffic is brought over the new bridge.

Despite no plans for a junction here - it looks like there is land available for a slip on the northern corner (N7E->R526E) and the diversion on the west/northwest side could be amended to be a R526W->N7E slip (although presumably it will just be dug up).

Fortunately due to the Mungret railway line and Ballinacurra Creek there isn't any means of providing access to/from the N7 on the southern side (where the Crescent Shopping Centre is). Although the creek could of course be further culverted and the infrequently used railway having level crossing on slips... that would be fairly crazy though - I bet the shopping centre would like it of course, and possibly even the County Council!

Cool Mo D · 13-03-2009 12:08am

The county council would definitely love it! They treat their outlying areas of Limerick City as a cash cow to be milked for all the rates they can get, while providing a minimum of decent planning. If that means enormous outlets and inappropriate development, they want in.

clon · 25-03-2009 10:13am

March 09 newsletter out on the Limerick tunnel and the good news is that it now looks likely that 5km of the road from Rosbrien to Dock road will open this year, see news letter

http://www.limericktunnel.com/Downloads/Spring%202009.pdf

Zoney · 25-03-2009 11:07am

I expect the R526 (old N20) to be very busy once that section of SRR opens - no more city centre access from the N20 dual carriageway (the freeflow junction near the Maldron Hotel will be missing two city-bound links), and the Dock road will be *even more* horrendous to use once the SRR opens onto it (and that's hard to imagine with the current state of the Dock Road). The Tipp Road (next junction after N20 on existing SRR) isn't a viable alternative either - it's also a mess, nevermind having to drive 2km or so around the city and then back in again on the Tipp Road.

The good news is that the bridge across the SRR mainline for the R526 (St. Nessan's Road) is having its final surface applied atm and streetlamps going up - looks like traffic might be using it within the week (allowing construction of SRR mainline beneath it), with even an operational bus bay and entrance into the shopping centre just after it. This is quite an interesting bridge, as it takes a grand curve horizontally, as well as being the modern equivalent of a humpback bridge (quite steep ramps either side). It looks quite elegant from below or back from it in the shopping centre car park.

Tech3 · 26-03-2009 1:04am

clon wrote: »

March 09 newsletter out on the Limerick tunnel and the good news is that it now looks likely that 5km of the road from Rosbrien to Dock road will open this year, see news letter

http://www.limericktunnel.com/Downloads/Spring%202009.pdf

Btw anyone around the Limerick area can find this as a pullout on the free limerickindependent.

Looking inside the tunnel it doesnt look as if there is enough space for dual carriageway?

I will try and get a few photos of the scheme in the next few weeks hopefully.

N18 - Limerick Tunnel & South Ring Road Phase II

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