Irl: Road Widening schemes

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odlum
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Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by odlum »

Widening schemes to add new lanes and road layout upgrades will be taking place over the next 2 or 3 years.

These are not really worthy of their own threads so we should maybe put them in here?

The ones I know about are focused on the radial routes in to Dublin.

M1 - Lissenhall to Balbriggan - 3rd lane. This will bring 6 lanes from exit 4 to Balbriggan.

M11 - 3rd lane and aux lane + upgrade of mainline through the Downs valley in Wicklow which will allow the gap be designated as motorway thereby the M11 will be uninterrupted.

M4 - Leixlip to Kilcock. 3rd lane, junction upgrades.

M3 - Clonee to M50 - 3rd land (+ Aux?), bring mway status to M50 interchange

M50 exit 13 to 17 - extra lanes each way.

M7 @ Naas to the M9 - 3rd lane + new junction (under construction).
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bothar
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by bothar »

These wide central divide routes can mostly be upgraded without too much disruption. I presume the M1 project is from J4 to J5.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Berk »

Never mind all that... (welcome though it probably is).

Some of those secondary N-roads are like boreens. I’m thinking maybe where there’s a TOTSO, and the ‘connecting bit’ isn’t up to the same standard as the road either side. The N71 from Ballydehob on the way to Bantry, or bits of the N67 would be good examples.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by odlum »

Bantry is about as far flung as they come. I've never been on those roads so can't comment. Hopefully though these roads will be upgraded as more funding becomes available again for secondary roads.

@bothar, I think with the M1 it's to J5.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by dantheman »

M11 very badly needed its like a car park from Kilpedder to Shankill
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Bryn666 »

Connecting the radial motorways with the M50 would be nice, at the moment it is daft on a map that motorways stop outside of Dublin.

Now Newlands Cross is gone there surely isn't much preventing the Naas Road becoming M7 either is there?
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Johnathan404 »

The N11 really sticks out like a sore thumb, especially climbing the hill north of Kilmacanogue.

However, I really wish there was a way to reduce the overall journey time on the Bray Road/Stillorgan Road. It's terrible when it's queuing, but in some ways that's less frustrating than when it's free-flowing but with frequent red lights! Maybe improve the N31 if it's easier?
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by c2R »

I occasionally hit the n11 at Dublin rush hour when getting the early boat into rosslare. I'd agree that it is the weakest link in the network in the south with substandard entries and exits and no lar provision it can be stop start for miles.
Its all in all a good lot of investment.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by odlum »

Bryn666 wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:40 Connecting the radial motorways with the M50 would be nice, at the moment it is daft on a map that motorways stop outside of Dublin.

Now Newlands Cross is gone there surely isn't much preventing the Naas Road becoming M7 either is there?


A tender was put out to cost precisely this in 2015. I have not heard about it since but i'm not even sure it is the preferred option.

Another option could be to merge the M4 and M7 in to one motorway that connects to the M50 killing two birds with one stone.

The M3 and M2 are very easy to connect in comparison.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by bothar »

c2R wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 19:30 I occasionally hit the n11 at Dublin rush hour when getting the early boat into rosslare. I'd agree that it is the weakest link in the network in the south with substandard entries and exits and no lar provision it can be stop start for miles.
Its all in all a good lot of investment.
Because of topography, there isn't a good parallel route to the N11. Perhaps we need an Italian style approach and a tunnel somewhere.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by odlum »

bothar wrote: Tue Jun 12, 2018 00:56
c2R wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 19:30 I occasionally hit the n11 at Dublin rush hour when getting the early boat into rosslare. I'd agree that it is the weakest link in the network in the south with substandard entries and exits and no lar provision it can be stop start for miles.
Its all in all a good lot of investment.
Because of topography, there isn't a good parallel route to the N11. Perhaps we need an Italian style approach and a tunnel somewhere.
It's tight but the plan is to put extra lane through here and provide parallel roads.

I think construction of a new parallel road has already begun...
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Owain »

bothar wrote: Tue Jun 12, 2018 00:56
c2R wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 19:30 I occasionally hit the n11 at Dublin rush hour when getting the early boat into rosslare. I'd agree that it is the weakest link in the network in the south with substandard entries and exits and no lar provision it can be stop start for miles.
Its all in all a good lot of investment.
Because of topography, there isn't a good parallel route to the N11. Perhaps we need an Italian style approach and a tunnel somewhere.
A full Italian job would be tunnel-flyover-tunnel-flyover-tunnel-flyover-tunnel-flyover ... *repeat for 100km*.
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bothar
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by bothar »

Owain wrote: Wed Jun 13, 2018 22:31
bothar wrote: Tue Jun 12, 2018 00:56
c2R wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 19:30 I occasionally hit the n11 at Dublin rush hour when getting the early boat into rosslare. I'd agree that it is the weakest link in the network in the south with substandard entries and exits and no lar provision it can be stop start for miles.
Its all in all a good lot of investment.
Because of topography, there isn't a good parallel route to the N11. Perhaps we need an Italian style approach and a tunnel somewhere.
A full Italian job would be tunnel-flyover-tunnel-flyover-tunnel-flyover-tunnel-flyover ... *repeat for 100km*.
Well, they have been practising since the aqueducts.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by odlum »

M7 widening - concrete barrier installation

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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Enceladus »

I was watching a programme on RTÉ which featured the anti road protest in the 1990s that took place at the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow over the N11 dualling and the clearance of a very small part of (admittedly) old growth deciduous forest.

There is just no way - no way - the N11 will be widened through/that spot. The best that can be hoped for is a partial tunnel option but given its huge costs I suspect that’s a non-runner...
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Euan »

Enceladus wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 02:52 I was watching a programme on RTÉ which featured the anti road protest in the 1990s that took place at the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow over the N11 dualling and the clearance of a very small part of (admittedly) old growth deciduous forest.

There is just no way - no way - the N11 will be widened through/that spot. The best that can be hoped for is a partial tunnel option but given its huge costs I suspect that’s a non-runner...
The environmental challenges and concerns at Glen of the Downs might be the reason the N11 has not been designated as motorway (M11) between Bray and Coynes Cross. This will end up as the only gap in the M11 all the way to beyond Enniscorthy once the new motorway is complete.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Viator »

c2R wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 19:30 I occasionally hit the n11 at Dublin rush hour when getting the early boat into rosslare. I'd agree that it is the weakest link in the network in the south with substandard entries and exits and no lar provision it can be stop start for miles.
Its all in all a good lot of investment.
Forgive the ignorance, but "lar provision" = ? (I only know an lár = the (city) centre!)
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by nowster »

Local Access Road
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by Chris_533976 »

Euan wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 06:39
Enceladus wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 02:52 I was watching a programme on RTÉ which featured the anti road protest in the 1990s that took place at the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow over the N11 dualling and the clearance of a very small part of (admittedly) old growth deciduous forest.

There is just no way - no way - the N11 will be widened through/that spot. The best that can be hoped for is a partial tunnel option but given its huge costs I suspect that’s a non-runner...
The environmental challenges and concerns at Glen of the Downs might be the reason the N11 has not been designated as motorway (M11) between Bray and Coynes Cross. This will end up as the only gap in the M11 all the way to beyond Enniscorthy once the new motorway is complete.
Nah, from driving it many many times, that entire N11 section is way below motorway spec. Poor sightlines, poor vertical alignment, junctions everywhere and lots of local access.
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Re: Irl: Road Widening schemes

Post by c2R »

Chris_533976 wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 21:23
Euan wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 06:39
Enceladus wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 02:52 I was watching a programme on RTÉ which featured the anti road protest in the 1990s that took place at the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow over the N11 dualling and the clearance of a very small part of (admittedly) old growth deciduous forest.

There is just no way - no way - the N11 will be widened through/that spot. The best that can be hoped for is a partial tunnel option but given its huge costs I suspect that’s a non-runner...
The environmental challenges and concerns at Glen of the Downs might be the reason the N11 has not been designated as motorway (M11) between Bray and Coynes Cross. This will end up as the only gap in the M11 all the way to beyond Enniscorthy once the new motorway is complete.
Nah, from driving it many many times, that entire N11 section is way below motorway spec. Poor sightlines, poor vertical alignment, junctions everywhere and lots of local access.

I must admit I'd always been fascinated that the N11 route down the coast was being upgraded and converted to motorway, despite the difficulties through Wicklow, when it surely would be easier to link the Rosslare to dublin by improving the N80 to motorway standard and push more money at Naas to Dublin, or perhaps invest in the far outer orbital motorway instead...
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