N2 - Ashbourne to Kilmoon Cross [route options published]

loyatemu wrote: »

still can't see the justification for this - if Eamonn Ryan had misgivings about the M20, he'll definitely try to avoid funding this if it's still on his watch.

It's already jusified by the delays and problems with rat runs on unsuitable roads that are happening now, even with reduced traffic flows, and with the already published expansion plans for Tayto Park, it will be hard to argue against it, as the additional problems that will result from the expansion at Tayto will be more than the tipping point for some of the local infrastructure.

Some of the problems could be solved by removing tolls on the M1 and M3, so that there's no reason for trucks to avoid those routes, but we all know that won't be happening any time soon.

Unfortunately, the planning of this upgrade is being dealt with in isolation, as a local resident in the affected area, with others, we've suggested ways of upgrading the route that would involve less disruption and cost, and improve other facilities in the Ashbourne area, but (as usual), they're not listening, which is the same as it was when the M2 was first being discussed, the lack of a wider vision at that time has resulted in all manner of problems now, and it looks like we're fated to make the same myopic short sighted decisions again, and in a few years time, it will have to be revisited to resolve the things that were missed or got wrong this time round.

As usual, the people that are supposed to know and understand these things pay scant attention to what's happening in the real world. Tayto park have already got significant approvals for expansion, and are looking for more, yet the ability to get in and out of the place will still be using poor quality roads, as the opportunity to put in a sensible access directly off the new road seems to be being ignored, which will eventually come back to haunt them, much as has the poor decision making about the way that Ashbourne South was connected to the old road, which has resulted in the Ratoath road from 9 Mile stone becoming a dangerous rat run for significant periods every day, when it would have been very simple and easy to have had a suitable junction structure where the Ratoath road and the M2 cross, and a feeder into Ashbourne would also have been possible.

Short sighted and poor infrastructure that again ends up with more problems as a result.

As for the chaos that will ensue during the construction phase at the Pillo, that's going to be a complete nightmare, the road is already capacity constrained, and if even less capacity as short term consequence of construction work, that's going to be another total pain for local residents. Suggestions were put forward on how to mitigate that issue, by splitting the M2 south of the Pillo, and leaving the Pillo area as it is, but that seems to have been completely ignored, and would have been a LOT simpler.

I've first hand experience of just how badly state run projects go, we're still in the midst, literally, of a job that was started in 2016, and was supposed to take 12 months. If we're lucky, and nothing else goes wrong, they might finish later this year, but the last 3 years has been a nightmare, and the costs have gone through the roof as a result.