Irl: 12.5km M7 opens near Limerick (28th September 2010)

[odlum]

Completes the Nenagh to Limerick section.


There are no intermediate junctions except 2 tie in ones. You can see the bog which the road goes through on this map that caused alot of problems.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=52.71 ... 3&layers=M

[401Guy]

That is almost it then. Only one more bit to open, and then the entire Dublin to the cities interurban network will be done.

[bothar]

from RTE, video here

An estimated 20,000 cars and trucks will bypass a number of well-known accident blackspots as a result of the opening of the Birdhill to Limerick section of the M7 motorway.

The section between Nenagh and Limerick was originally due to open last year, but the project was delayed because of subsidence on a stretch of road through Annaholty bog.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said the opening of the new section at Birdhill will remove high volumes of traffic from serious accident locations like Daly's Cross and Yellow Bridge and improve road safety for all motorists.

It is expected that journey times between Nenagh and Limerick will be reduced by ten minutes initially.

Journey times to Dublin will be reduced further when the final section of the M7 from Castletown in Co Laois to Nenagh, which will bypass Roscrea, Moneygall and Toomevara, will be completed by the end of the year.

Work started on the 12.5km section in 2006. It was originally scheduled to open in May 2009.

The problem was caused by the failure of supports driven into the bog on which the road was constructed.

As a result, a 100m section had to be excavated and rebuilt from scratch.

Extensive load testing has been carried out in recent months to ensure the road is fit for purpose.

The final section of the motorway between Castletown and Nenagh will be finished by the end of the yea

[Bryn666]

That is almost it then. Only one more bit to open, and then the entire Dublin to the cities interurban network will be done.

Not quite, surely - Sligo needs the M4! And no ROI M5 yet either...

[Truvelo]

Is there anything stopping the western side of the Limerick Bypass from being a motorway?

[odlum]

No, not the new section. It is built to motorway standard but it runs into the N18 which has private accesses along it. Hopefully when the M18 is finished the sense will be seen in a small enough upgrade for the N18 - thus you could have a big continuos ring motorway from Dublin - Limerick - Galway and would also link nicely into the M20 aswell. That would be my ideal take on it.

[si404]

but the southern bypass (which was planned as N7) is perfectly able to be motorway (which is what Truvelo is getting at, I think) - the problem is the N18 between there and Shannon.

The M11 is in sections, why not the M18?

[odlum]

but the southern bypass (which was planned as N7) is perfectly able to be motorway (which is what Truvelo is getting at, I think) - the problem is the N18 between there and Shannon.

The M11 is in sections, why not the M18?

The Southern bypass was built well up to motorway standard - no issue at all with redesignating that motorway.

However I think the western side with tunnel is more complex with the toll. The toll operator may think they will lose income if they change it to motorway? That's just my opinion. The sections of the M11 that are motorway are also full motorway standard anyway - the N18 from Shannon to the Tunnel scheme is not motorway standard although dualled.

But it would not take much to upgrade that small section of the road. I think when the rest of the M18 is completed they will have a better case but the M18 is still relatively short (at least till the end of the year when a new section will open).

Right now it's probrably seen as too small and insignificant to make a fuss about in the light of other needs on the road network.

[dantheman]

but the southern bypass (which was planned as N7) is perfectly able to be motorway (which is what Truvelo is getting at, I think) - the problem is the N18 between there and Shannon.

The M11 is in sections, why not the M18?

Why not indeed if it keeps the cyclists off this road?

This N18 spur would be about 10km, at the end of what will soon be the 180km long M7.

As regards the N18 15km gap, the most western 4km could be upgraded quite easily, the remaining 11km would require work.

[si404]

The sections of the M11 that are motorway are also full motorway standard anyway - the N18 from Shannon to the Tunnel scheme is not motorway standard although dualled.

That was exactly my point. With the N11, the bits that are motorway standard are motorway, the bits that aren't aren't. This leaves the M11 in pieces - so why not allow the same with the M18.

Likewise M6, with the Athlone bypass between two sections.