M17/M18 - Gort to Tuam [open to traffic]

antoobrien wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance, LILO?

Left in left out junction.

All motorway slips are actually lilos, it's used however to describe the almost T junction like ones on the M18. These are standard on German Autobahns though and I see no problem with them on lightly trafficked motorways like the M18. Better to have the motorway with LILOs than no motorway at all.

So long as the signage reflects the junction, all should be well.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/13030-july-deadline-two-bidders-gort-tuam-motorway

The final bids from the two building firms battling to win the Gort to Tuam road contract are due in July.

The National Roads Authority has confirmed the bids from BAM Balfour Beatty and Direct Route are expected in July and a decision will be made by September.

The contract award is still on track to be made in the autumn for work to begin very early in 2011.

westtip wrote: »

If this actually does go ahead it will be fantastic. I can't wait to be be able to drive from Sligo to Shannon airport in a predictable time - Tuam - Shannon is about 70 miles and on seamless DC motorway will take about an hour will make such a huge difference for taking flights from Shannon. To be able to predict the journey whatever time of day it is taken will be such a relief.... roll on.

Mind you what will Gort Tuam do for the Western Rail Corridor - kill it off I reckon

Not if WOT have their way. Looks like WRC could beat could beat Gort/Tuam motorway into Tuam in terms of completion date

See attached link http://www.westontrack.com/news235.htm

ei.sdraob wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is going to be access from r339 onto the motorway? or anywhere in vicinity for that matter

Haven't seen the maps/plans but looking at the other m/ways that have been built, it's highly unlikely that there will be anything between the M6 - M17/18 junction (at Rathmoriisy I think) and Tuam.

ei.sdraob wrote: »

there is a junction at Annagh Hill planed according to map

There is indeed. An intersection with the N63 which is logical enough.

ForiegnNational wrote: »

I love the fact that:
a) The motorway is shown as complete all the way to North of the M6
b) It is shown as ending in a booreen in the middle of the countryside (no offense to anybody living there)!

My guess is the spur the north of the M6 would not be opened even if built until the road drops down from the north to connect with it. It would great if they could start both projects simultaneously to (a) get the economy moving in the west with the construction jobs it would bring (b) to knock on the head the northern Western Rail Corridor (c) to speed up the whole bloody process of completing the much needed ARC.

Now here's a thought can you imagine if Irish Rail and Bus Eirrean got together and insisted on a bus rail interchange station and service station at one of the points at which the new m17/18 crosses the rail line????

In the link posted above http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,546487,725385,5


Which shows the proposed N17 extension north of the Gort bypass scheme.

The proposed M17 crosses the Dublin – Galway rail line in the townland of Derry donnel Moor

Would this not be a good opportunity to have an integrated – small and modest – bus/rail interchange to be built at the same time as the bridge is built over the rail line. I know it would add to the cost but think about the opportunity it would present for integrated bus/rail transport planning (now there’s a novel thought).



Actually looking at the map this could have been done on the M6 either at the point the WRC south is crossed by the M6 or at the point the Athenry Galway line is crossed by the M6, which probably would have been better – and made this a new site for an Athenry/Rail/Bus interchange.
In fact looking at the map, had the WRC southern section had a small spur built at Gorthanown, the issue of turning drivers round at Athenry would not have arisen, the WRC south would have had better service, there could have been a bus/rail interchange at a new Athenry station at the site of the M6/Rail crossing (which is where the interchange at Newford clearly could have been built) and instead of all this fuss about the WRC northern line –, and who knows the alignment of the M17/18 could have been designed to come in on this interchange.

If this had been planned the need (which is highly questionable anyway) for the WRC north is gone – with good fast bus services focusing on this interchange.
Then if all coaches granted a licence to the Dublin –Galway route had to stop at this interchange – my god what kind of integrated public rail and road transport could we have had.

Look at the map and consider the area just west of Athenry, in the townlands of Newford, Ballygaurin West, and Rathmorrisey – we have two new motorways, a reopened rail line and a pre-existing rail line from Galway to Dublin all running within the space of less than two miles of each other – and absolutely no integration or linkages between any of them - What on earth is going on with integrated public transport planning – people won’t switch to use public transport unless you make the infrastructure user friendly for them to do so.

@ westtip,

IMO, any integrated Bus and Rail Park and Ride should go in Oranmore. There is a new (badly planned) station being built there soon anyway; they should should redesign/upscale it. An integrated Rail and Bus P&R in Oranmore has huge potential - it would serve Oranmore town (population 3,000+); serve Oranmore Business Park; act as a proper Park & Ride for Galway City (the M6 West of Rathmorrissey will be really busy once the M17/M18 is built and Oranmore station will be easily accessible from the M6 via an existing interchange); there are already 28 trains (14 e/w) passing through the Oranmore area everyday with plenty of spare capacity.

People would park and use the trains to get to Galway City Centre and use buses to get to the industrial estates and business parks on the East side of Galway City. And with proper integrated ticketing you could, for example, get the train from Athenry to Oranmore and then change onto a bus there for East Galway City with just the one ticket.