M18 - Gort to Crusheen

Amtmann · 12-08-2010 12:43AM

Ascii wrote: »

Wildlife is not really a factor, in fact the aim is to keep animals off the road as mcuh as possible. Mammal tunnels are placed in various sections of these roads to allow otters/foxes/badgers/rabbits/hares etc access from left to right without the interference of traffic. All the timber fencing alonf the roadside is covered with a 50mm wire mesh to prevent animals from climbing through the timber rails and onto the road.

These tunnels work too. I looked at one under the M8 the other day and the amount of wild animal footprints leading to it was unreal. Might take a photo some time.

glineli · 12-08-2010 01:45PM

tech2 wrote: »

Excellent newsletter. Wearing course to start during this month is brilliant news. I really can't wait for those stretch to open. It will make a trip from Galway to Limerick that much easier. The N18 has made massive strides over the last 10 years when you consider the days of being stuck in Newmarket-on-Fergus and Ennis.

I used to live in Newmarket, then it got bypassed, then i moved to Crusheen and that is getting bypassed, Clarinbridge next me thinks

12-08-2010 02:53PM

Im counting the days until this is opened

I'm bruised from going through gort

bacon&cabbage · 12-08-2010 05:03PM

Ascii wrote: »

As regards the concrete versus steel, should you have a minor accident, its easy to do slight damage to the steel barrier, which when it leads to repairing it, can be very expensive due to the costs of getting temporary traffic management in place to carry out such works. (closing one lane for a day etc...) In a year you could have loads of fender benders against the steel and when this crash barrier has recieved the slightest tip, its integrity is called into question and it needs to be replaced. Could add up to a sizeable sum over the space of a year. These minor tips will have flip all effect on the concrete barrier.

Sorry If this is a stupid question, but for the engineers/people in the know...

How come the Concrete barrier is built directly on to the asphalt/tarmac ?

I would've thought it would require it's own concrete foundation etc ?

rainbowdash · 12-08-2010 05:39PM

bacon&cabbage wrote: »

Sorry If this is a stupid question, but for the engineers/people in the know...

How come the Concrete barrier is built directly on to the asphalt/tarmac ?

I would've thought it would require it's own concrete foundation etc ?

I don't know the correct answer but I would imagine its maybe 2 feet wide at the bottom, reinforced with steel and extremely long - its not going to move too easily!

Also it wouldn't need a foundation as the road own foundation is more than enough.

Ascii · 12-08-2010 09:51PM

bacon&cabbage wrote: »

Sorry If this is a stupid question, but for the engineers/people in the know...

How come the Concrete barrier is built directly on to the asphalt/tarmac ?

I would've thought it would require it's own concrete foundation etc ?

Foundations in their typical sense is to transmit a load downwards, e.g. strip foundation of a house or wall. In this instance their is no requirment because any force on the CMB is sidewards and not downward. As the following poster said, its strength is in its size and the 2 lengths of steel rope pre-tensioning it.

cremeegg · 16-08-2010 09:58AM

tech2 wrote: »

Excellent newsletter. Wearing course to start during this month is brilliant news. I really can't wait for those stretch to open. It will make a trip from Galway to Limerick that much easier. The N18 has made massive strides over the last 10 years when you consider the days of being stuck in Newmarket-on-Fergus and Ennis.

Just cannot wait... It will make my life 5 times easier.... I will never go into GORT again. Ever.

MarsOM · 16-08-2010 08:15PM

:rolleyes:totally agree, will never do the bumpy ride through Gort, have earned this bypass, does anyone know the opening date! dare I ask, hoping before end of October::

cremeegg wrote: »

Just cannot wait... It will make my life 5 times easier.... I will never go into GORT again. Ever.

wes31 · 17-08-2010 07:59AM

ya will miss gort tell the truth ya will probably have to come in to gort at some stage to get fuel. for the next six weeks they are laying new mains pipes at night on that stretch of road through the town. rumour has it they are to resurface the entire road from the entrance to town to the ennis road when this work is complete.

veryangryman · 17-08-2010 08:01AM

Never happens (resurfacing of the old roads after bypasses open). Think Enfield.

Also think the Simpsons after the Monorail is built

Marge: But main streets still all cracked and broken

wes31 · 17-08-2010 08:18AM

time will tell i like the simpsons pun. i had to laugh the other morning when i was driving on it they had dug up the road the night before to lay a section of mains pipe and then filled it back in and put down tarmac they must have beaten it down with the back of shovels it was worse than the road surface they dug up

Amtmann · 17-08-2010 09:33AM

veryangryman wrote: »

Never happens (resurfacing of the old roads after bypasses open). Think Enfield.

The Main Street of Urlingford was resurfaced about 17 months after it was bypassed.

18-08-2010 11:49AM

All the roads around Athenry were resurfaced and quite brilliantly I might add, once the M6 finished.

It did take the locals banding together and blocking trucks coming in and out of a few quarries though, before the developers agreed to fix them

topper75 · 18-08-2010 11:55AM

Deleted User wrote: »

All the roads around Athenry were resurfaced and quite brilliantly I might add, once the M6 finished.

It did take the locals banding together and blocking trucks coming in and out of a few quarries though, before the developers agreed to fix them

The atrocious state of roads in Gort accumulated in its own right. It is not resulting from M18 construction or direct action of Wills Bros.

Developers won't be fixing Gort. It is up to Galway County Council to find funds for this.

veryangryman · 18-08-2010 12:37PM

Deleted User wrote: »

All the roads around Athenry were resurfaced and quite brilliantly I might add, once the M6 finished.

It did take the locals banding together and blocking trucks coming in and out of a few quarries though, before the developers agreed to fix them

Sake why didnt i think about doing the same around the Tuam road (R362) where it meets the M6. Craters of the moon is no exxageration from the roundabout to Super Valu there

KevR · 18-08-2010 12:46PM

veryangryman wrote: »

Sake why didnt i think about doing the same around the Tuam road (R362) where it meets the M6. Craters of the moon is no exxageration from the roundabout to Super Valu there

The roads around Athenry were resurfaced by the people who built the M6 (Galway-Ballinasloe) because their construction trucks damaged the roads (i.e. - the roads were in reasonably good condition before construction started).

In the case of the existing N18 through Gort, that road has been in very poor condition for a long time and the people building the M18 Gort-Crusheen can't be held responsible for it.

I'm not too familiar with the R362 near Athlone - was it always bad or was it damaged by construction traffic from the M6 (Athlone-Ballinasloe)?

veryangryman · 18-08-2010 12:48PM

KevR wrote: »

The roads around Athenry were resurfaced by the people who built the M6 (Galway-Ballinasloe) because their construction trucks damaged the roads (i.e. - the roads were in reasonably good condition before construction started).

In the case of the existing N18 through Gort, that road has been in very poor condition for a long time and the people building the M18 Gort-Crusheen can't be held responsible for it.

I'm not too familiar with the R362 near Athlone - was it always bad or was it damaged by construction traffic from the M6 (Athlone-Ballinasloe)?

Nah its been in bits as long as i can remember. Was just thinking maybe the construction team could have stretched the project another 100M.

Of course why would they at their own cost

Tech3 · 22-08-2010 10:46AM

August updates (and testing my new smartphone camera

):

Looking south from the Crusheen-Tubber local rd overbridge

Looking north from the Crusheen-Tubber local road overbridge

Looking south from Gortavoher overbridge

Looking north from the Gortaoher overbridge

Lookin north from Rathwilladoon overbridge

Looking south from Rathwilladoon overbridge

Looking south from the Shanaglish overbridge

Looking north from the Shanaglish overbridge

Mainline looking south at the Gort-Tubber overbridge

Looking northbound with some verge crash barrier errected

Looking north toward the Gort junction from the R460 overbridge, no concrete barrier laid here just yet.

Looking south from the R460 overbridge, concrete barrier ends just south of the overpass

Amtmann · 22-08-2010 10:50AM

Some signs that the project is entering the final stages of construction there alright: landscaping, crash barriers as well as some wearing course down.

Tech3 · 22-08-2010 10:52AM

And finally: (couldnt upload 16 photos into one post)

Tie in at the Cragard overbridge in the distance.

Overall it was a pleasant morning to check out the progress. Concrete barrier is only missing on small sections of the scheme now. It's looking good to be finished this year probably October or even November. Camera not so good probably down to quality settings!!!

Tech3 · 22-08-2010 11:01AM

Furet wrote: »

Some signs that the project is entering the final stages of construction there alright: landscaping, crash barriers as well as some wearing course down.

Yeah it's looking on target to be finished this year at the very least. There was some landscaping carried out on the verge below the Gort-Tubber overpass which I may have walked over to access the mainline.

It has to be said it's one of the most eagerly awaited projects to be completed. The main reason would be that it bypasses on of the worst sections of national primary road in the entire country. Also it will shorten journey times between Limerick and Galway by a considerable amount.

topper75 · 23-08-2010 10:19AM

tech2 wrote: »

It has to be said it's one of the most eagerly awaited projects to be completed.

You are right. It also makes Ennis, the West Clare resorts, and Shannon airport (and its industrial parks) much more accessible for Galwegians.

I observed them working on landscaping at the Ennis Bypass tie-in this morning (digger at a precarious angle!).

They were also setting up cable/cable posts to be set into the soon-to-be-laid concrete barrier on this tie-in stretch.

Lots of vehicles buzzing along the stretch up to Crusheen visible from the current N18. Can't say they are slacking now!

Nath · 23-08-2010 09:42PM

topper75 wrote: »

I observed them working on landscaping at the Ennis Bypass tie-in this morning (digger at a precarious angle!).

I passed by there yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, there was some activity going on near the tie between the Cragard and Curraderra overbridges, seen a tractor/trailer moving south toward the tie in and some sort of machine following it, looks like the final push is starting.

cremeegg · 24-08-2010 09:04AM

tech2 wrote: »

Yeah it's looking on target to be finished this year at the very least. There was some landscaping carried out on the verge below the Gort-Tubber overpass which I may have walked over to access the mainline.

It has to be said it's one of the most eagerly awaited projects to be completed. The main reason would be that it bypasses on of the worst sections of national primary road in the entire country. Also it will shorten journey times between Limerick and Galway by a considerable amount.

Thanks tech2 for the pictures. it gives me hope! .. great to see the landscaping and crash barriers. Sept should most of it done.

ForiegnNational · 24-08-2010 12:24PM

Went past on Friday and they were landscaping at the Cappa end of the route, where the old road will pass over the new. There was also single track traffic whilst they laid a new surface to join to the old road.

On Sunday on the way back, the landscaping and surfacing were complete and they were working at the Crusheen section.

As for worst road contest, which wins, N18 Crusheen bridge or the M20 Buttevant bends?

brainyneuron · 24-08-2010 01:00PM

ForiegnNational wrote: »

Went past on Friday and they were landscaping at the Cappa end of the route, where the old road will pass over the new. There was also single track traffic whilst they laid a new surface to join to the old road.

On Sunday on the way back, the landscaping and surfacing were complete and they were working at the Crusheen section.

As for worst road contest, which wins, N18 Crusheen bridge or the M20 Buttevant bends?

N20 wins hands down, both roads/bends are bad but the buttevant bends last longer. You have to slow down at the crusheen bridge, most people don't at buttevant which makes the road way more lethal IMO

Chris_5339762 · 24-08-2010 05:46PM

At least the N20 buttevant is along a section of awful road. I think the N18 at Crusheen is worse, simply because you go from a 120kmh motorway to this within about a mile or two.

KevR · 24-08-2010 09:08PM

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

At least the N20 buttevant is along a section of awful road. I think the N18 at Crusheen is worse, simply because you go from a 120kmh motorway to this within about a mile or two.

When heading NB on the M18 and approaching the last few km of motorway: if I see any lorries or slow moving vehicles up ahead I put the boot down and try to get ahead of them before reaching the single carriageway section (you could easily be stuck behind them until Oranmore!!).

Sponge Bob · 25-08-2010 12:06AM

KevR wrote: »

(you could easily be stuck behind them until Oranmore!!).

:eek:

Lordy Kev is that a Micra you are driving

KevR · 25-08-2010 10:48AM

Sponge Bob wrote: »

:eek:

Lordy Kev is that a Micra you are driving

Thankfully not! But if traffic is heavy (in addition to the road being shit for overtaking) you could be stuck for ages. And if ever a lorry/slow vehicle turns off or pulls over, there is nearly always another one not too far in the distance. A lot of the time you would probably be lucky to get an average speed of 80kmh between Crusheen and Oranmore because of the 50kmh limit in towns/villages, the bad road and slow vehicles.

M18 - Gort to Crusheen

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