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M7 - Naas/Newbridge Bypass Upgrade [Junction 9a now open]

JupiterKid

Following on from the suggestion of a poster, this thread has been set up to discuss the need for widening the M7.

The section of the M7 IMO in immediate need (really a backlog need) for widening is the section from the Maudlins Interchange at Naas to the M9 interchange - basically the original 1983 Naas Bypass and half of the 1993 Newbridge Bypass. Is this likely to proceed in the near future?

Would the central median be wide enough for widening to D3M here? I'm pretty sure it is wide enough on the Newbridge bypass section but I'm not so sure in the case of the Naas Bypass.

Also, what bridges will need to be demolished and rebuilt? Or would it be more practical to drop the hard shoulder through the existing bridges?

What about the proposal a few years back to build a new junction at on the Naas Bypass at Osberstown? Will it still go ahead?

In the longer term, does anyone see a need to widen the M7 to the N7/M8 junction?

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pad199207

Yes it's just desperate now! This project has to be prioritised now by the NRA!

Deedsie

There was a crash at rathcoole I think.

[Deleted User]

Yep crash reported at Rathcoole.

Jesus, is there no end to it, probably some muppet playing with the phone. These days I throw the phone on the back seat and use the bluetooth. I don't want the embarrassment of a crash , probably someone texting their mates to avoid the N7 !

Even before the crash though the Traffic was mental.

NRA website says the 3 lane upgrade from Naas to Newbridge is in "planning" so probably a few years before it's finished.

tomtom traffic live is great to check before you leave work. the M50 is a car park the whole way north !

Dublin seriously needs an underground and a decent rail network, that Luas is crap and too slow !

Middle Man

Deleted User wrote: »

Yep crash reported at Rathcoole.

Jesus, is there no end to it, probably some muppet playing with the phone. These days I throw the phone on the back seat and use the bluetooth. I don't want the embarrassment of a crash , probably someone texting their mates to avoid the N7 !

Even before the crash though the Traffic was mental.

NRA website says the 3 lane upgrade from Naas to Newbridge is in "planning" so probably a few years before it's finished.

tomtom traffic live is great to check before you leave work. the M50 is a car park the whole way north !

Dublin seriously needs an underground and a decent rail network, that Luas is crap and too slow !

...and forget this cycling crap too. Rail is what's needed in Dublin! Now, what about DART Underground for a start?

[Deleted User]

Middle Man wrote: »

...and forget this cycling crap too. Rail is what's needed in Dublin! Now, what about DART Underground for a start?

They won't do it because it will cost many billions but we need to do it and pay it off over 50 years.

it would create a hell of a lot of jobs too.

rameire

there was a 5 car crash at Rathcoole this afternoon , hence the traffic

before this crash the traffic was bad from junction 7 Kill all the way to Naas junction 9 ball.
after the ball, the traffic was heavy but moving well.
m9 was grand no problems on it to Kilcullen as they had two lanes open.

it took me 37 minutes in lane 1 from Newlands to the ball at Naas,
if I was in lane 2 or 3 you could add another 10 minutes.

[Deleted User]

Before the crash it was backed up well past Kill, according to tomtom .

Automatic collision prevention should be standard on every new car sold in Europe that works at all speeds.

I can't understand it at all ? how could you be involved in a pile up ? not always possible but if the 2-3rd car up is breaking then it's only logical to conclude that the others are going to slow down ? it's not rocket science is it ?

AugustusMinimus

I presume this will be quite an easy job. Tarmac over the wide central median and introduce a concrete central median and job done with some tie in work at the end. Should be quite cheap all told ?

JeffK88

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I presume this will be quite an easy job. Tarmac over the wide central median and introduce a concrete central median and job done with some tie in work at the end. Should be quite cheap all told ?

I could be wrong but its alot more than just that. I believe the Newbridge/Naas junction is to be rebuilt and moved further down and a new junction is to be constructed at the new kerry foods plant on the Naas bypass linking the ring road to the sallins bypass ( Not sure if this part is a separate project) but its a pretty significant upgrade overall .

[Deleted User]

probably open 2020 but we still need a decent rail network, imagine Naas with no rail link ?

NedNew2

JeffK88 wrote: »

I could be wrong but its alot more than just that. I believe the Newbridge/Naas junction is to be rebuilt and moved further down and a new junction is to be constructed at the new kerry foods plant on the Naas bypass linking the ring road to the sallins bypass ( Not sure if this part is a separate project) but its a pretty significant upgrade overall .

That's correct, I read the An Bord Pleanala report only last night. A whole new interchange is to be built 700m further west from the existing Naas/Newbridge junction (Jn 10).

[Deleted User]

Is there a map of these proposed works ?

Ren2k7

Deleted User wrote: »

Is there a map of these proposed works ?

Some good designs on the Kildare CoCo NRO site:

http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/NationalRoadsOffice/M7NaastoNewbridgeBy-PassUpgradeScheme2013/EIS-EIA/EISVolume3-Figures/M7%20EIS%20Volume%203%20Chapter%204%20Figures%20Pages%201-8.pdf

http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/NationalRoadsOffice/M7NaastoNewbridgeBy-PassUpgradeScheme2013/EIS-EIA/EISVolume3-Figures/M7%20EIS%20Volume%203%20Chapter%204%20Figures%20Pages%209-16.pdf

http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/NationalRoadsOffice/M7NaastoNewbridgeBy-PassUpgradeScheme2013/EIS-EIA/EISVolume3-Figures/M7%20EIS%20Volume%203%20Chapter%204%20Figures%20Pages%2017-24.pdf

http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/NationalRoadsOffice/M7NaastoNewbridgeBy-PassUpgradeScheme2013/

regedit

It would be great news for everyone if the M7 from the ball in Naas and up to the M9 exit gets upgraded ASAP. More and more people will opt to live in Naas, Newbridge, Kildare etc. than in Dublin owing to the price difference. Therefore the congestion will only increase. In addition, this is the most convenient route to get from Dublin to the West and even South of the country. Therefore, not only are people in Kildare affected but the sub-optimal traffic infrastructure is creating issues for all other traffic users.
I am sure when Kerry Group open up their doors in the Millenium Pk, they wont be thrilled with the prospect of very heavy traffic

[Deleted User]

So they plan 3 lanes only to The m7 m9 split ?

there's more than enough traffic for 3 lanes all the way to the Newbridge exit 12 or the Kildare exit ?

pad199207

It makes sense does it not to drop/gain the third lane at the M9? It wouldn't really at a minor junction eg Newbridge, Kildare...

AugustusMinimus

NedNew2 wrote: »

That's correct, I read the An Bord Pleanala report only last night. A whole new interchange is to be built 700m further west from the existing Naas/Newbridge junction (Jn 10).

This pdf gives a good view of the proposed new junction.

http://kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/NationalRoadsOffice/M7NaastoNewbridgeBy-PassUpgradeScheme2013/EmergingPreferredRoute/PublicConsultation/M7%20Naas%20to%20Newbridge%20By-Pass%20Upgrade%20Scheme%20DRAWING.pdf

Is there really a new to build and move J10 ? Appears they simply want to move the junction so it will be in line with the old N7.

While I want to see this scheme go ahead, I think more Garda presence on the Naas dual carriageway would be most welcome. The de facto capacity of this road would be raised significantly if Garda would come down hard on people with more lane discipline.

MLMs reduce this section of road effectively from 3 lane down to 2 lane with their antics. Very frustrating and for the most part, this behaviour is allowed to continue by the Gardaí who care for nothing less than doing speed checks.

regedit

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

While I want to see this scheme go ahead, I think more Garda presence on the Naas dual carriageway would be most welcome. The de facto capacity of this road would be raised significantly if Garda would come down hard on people with more lane discipline.

MLMs reduce this section of road effectively from 3 lane down to 2 lane with their antics. Very frustrating and for the most part, this behaviour is allowed to continue by the Gardaí who care for nothing less than doing speed checks.

I disagree that more Gardai on N7 would reduce the congestion, I drive from Newbridge to Dublin 5-6 days a week. Anytime there's a garda car on the N7, traffic slows down further as drivers sometimes slow down to 60 km/h (just in case) so they can try to ID the Garda sitting in the Avensis and drinking coffee

medoc

I know its not a major consideration but I think they need to make the M7/M9 junction full movement if not full free flow. If it's supposed to be a motorway network rather than a " getting to Dublin network" then movements like these should be catered for. Something like the M4/M6 would be better than nothing

BmCon

I wonder will the speed limit stay as is on the n7

to Dublin because it's not the M7; it's only a motorway to naas.

NedNew2

Having read the An Bord Pleanala report, it is planned to keep the speed limit at 120 km/h on the M7, and 100 km/h on the N7, i.e. no change.

Also the new J10 interchange is being constructed because there are long delays at the current one - currently each side consists of a small roundabout which contain many exits (5).

regedit

Does anyone know what the timeliness are for the widening of the M7? I hope it does not take KCC/NRA 3 years to get their act together. It's a pity that the tarmac/asphalt will have to be destroyed when work is started as it is definitively in very good nick.
There should be no limitations on the M7 with houses nearby etc so they might be able to work round the clock and get it finished fast

Deedsie

No press releases or comments in the media by politicians since Newlands opened is kind of worrying. I had hoped funding for this would be top priority.

regedit

Exactly. I thought they would make some announcement during in the budget but no.
Kerry Group must have opened their doors as a large flotilla of all sorts of cars can be sen in their car park from the M7. That could also be causing the traffic delays. But more important is that the M7 urgently needs upgrading.

This is what I found on wikipedia (nothing new).

It is proposed to widen 13 km of the existing two-lane dual carriageway to D3M standard between the Maudlin's interchange (J9) and the M7/M9 junction (J11).[19] The upgrade would include widening the existing carriageways to three lanes in each direction and modifying bridges and junctions on the route to accommodate the extra lane.

Timeliness would be very important to have

tonc76

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/bailout-sought-for-five-government-agencies-30800696.html

taken from ^^^

Funding appears to be an issue so hopefully it will be made available for this asap

"It's been confirmed that the Department of Agriculture is seeking an additional €177m, while the Department of Transport is to receive a further €162m.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said he will be bringing the reasons for the supplementary budget to the Oireachtas Committee for Transport and Communications next week".

[Deleted User]

The traffic today was a disgrace, started crawling at Kingswood, backed all the way to Kilcullen, that's some serious traffic.

I diverted through Blessington, waste of time. Stuck in Blessington and behind assholes who won't (can't) drive above 50-60 Kph in the dark, absolutely sick of the traffic problem.

We need public transport badly, not buses !!!

We need more people to car pool.

regedit

I will be sending the Transport Minister an email. If anyone wants:
Paschal Donohoe
TD for Dublin Central & Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport
Phone: 01 618 3689
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie
or
Constituency Office:
Open 9.30 to 12.30 Monday to Friday
344 North Circular Road
Phibsborough
Dublin 7 (near St. Peter’s Church)

Ministerial Office:
Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport
44 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
Phone: 01 670 7444
Email: minister@dttas.ie

nlgbbbblth

Agreed, awful again today. Finglas to Newbridge took 100 minutes, this morning's commute was 85 minutes due to incident near J5 Finglas exit.

This evening three Garda vehicles passed me on the N7 around J6 Castlewarden, sirens blaring. A crawl the whole way to J10. No sign of any accident.

AugustusMinimus

Just a thought, but when the road network was being built day 1, the M9 should have been diverted to the N81 and dualled all the way into Dublin.

Having 3 national routes to regional cities all starting off on the N7 was madness in retrospect.

[Deleted User]

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Just a thought, but when the road network was being built day 1, the M9 should have been diverted to the N81 and dualled all the way into Dublin.

Having 3 national routes to regional cities all starting off on the N7 was madness in retrospect.

Only creating jobs in Dublin was even crazier, the boom forced a lot of people out of Dublin and their only option was to drive back up to work, even crazier again.