N21 Castleisland Bypass Thread

carchaeologist wrote: »

There will be a computer simulation of the new bypass running on a screen in Tomo Burkes old window in castleisland town.Must try and get a look at this.

Bypass computer simulation set to go on public display

I WENT on a Computer Simulated Drive Through of the N21 Castleisland Bypass on Monday afternoon with the newly elected Mayor of Kerry Cllr. Bobby O'Connell, Paul Curry, project manager and Frank Guerineau, deputy project manager. We shared the experience at the Kerry National Roads Design Office on the third floor of the Island Centre building here on Main Street.

The purpose of my presence there was to convey to readers in the locality that they will be able to view the simulation at a window near them later this week.

Bypass campaigner, Jeremy Burke has offered the window of the old Tomo Burke Electrical shop at Lower Main Street as a viewing station for the amazingly accurate simulation.

The journey takes the virtual passenger on the 5.4km stretch of the bypass from the roundabout on the Killarney Road to the end at the Dooneen Roundabout and back again.

On the way it documents every bridge, river, drain and ditch. Even the areas which have undergone archaeological surveys can be seen on the sides of the road as you're 'driven' along. Based on ordinance survey maps and projected work planning, the simulation takes you through the style and width of road with all the markings, warnings and signposts.

A flyover or over-bridge in the Portdubh / Mullaghmarkey area leads the viewers into an area of carriageway with eight metre high embankments as they head towards the Dooneen Roundabout.

The need for extra heavy excavation here has led to the closure of the road from Ballinaboul Cross to the Dulague North T Junction with effect from Monday last and gates were expected to be erected there this week. This stretch is expected to remain closed to through traffic until at least Christmas while the overall project is scheduled to be complete and open for business for the Christmas of 2010. On the journey from Dooneen to the Knocknagore Roudnabout I noticed a vista similar to that which delights the eye at Glounsharoon - when you get your first glimpse of the valley and hills below you. As drivers will be coming downhill from the over-bridge near Paddy Flynn's they will hit the brow of a hill there to be presented with a view of Maine Valley below with the Killarney mountains as a backdrop.

That's in the future. Bring your mind back to the coming Thursday – if you'll pardon my mangled sense of time. Roundabout areas are being marked on both the Tralee and Killarney roads at present and signs will be erected tomorrow to warn drivers of new speed restrictions in these zones.

These are not temporary measures and the areas will have statutory status. That means that gardai will have the powers to prosecute any driver who exceeds the applied speed limit there and that will apply from tomorrow morning.

With so much uncertainty over the past few years about the prospects of the bypass this concrete evidence before us is the most welcome sight in years.

In the course of the preparatory work 84 acres of land was acquired through negotiations with a total of 32 landowners and extensive archaeological surveys were carried out over that area.

There is no doubt that the economic difficulties we're going through at present has lightened traffic considerably at strange times of the day here. And yet the town and its approach roads can be thrown into the most appalling tangle of traffic at what grown-ups call 'rush-hour.' Our little rush hours can be 'held' at anytime of the day and are known to be woefully unpredictable both in density and duration. Our notoriety on that front has spread far and wide.

On the notorious Limerick Road corner here a football club from Roscommon spent a day collecting funds one Saturday last year – and others from equally distant places do likewise as our infamy continues to spread.

The Christmas of 2010 should provide the business community of Castleisland with an unprecedented opportunity for self promotion and a shopping festival shouldn't be ruled out. The town has a time honoured reputation for good value and the planning for an event to coincide with the opening of the bypass should be put in place without delay.

In the meantime, keep an eye on Tomo Burke's window this weekend for the computer simulation and on your speedometer in the new roundabout areas - if you're a driver.

CASTLEISLAND: Speed of progress should see bypass finish ahead of schedule

THE sheer volume of work completed on the bypass project to date, the understated presence of men and machinery on all fronts, has really impressed the hard pressed motorists and commentators on hill and valley around here.

The contracting company, BAM are the ones in charge and the work here is now well into its third month.

Work began on the Killarney Road-based compound in late April and office, engineering and canteen facilities were put in place.

Heavy machinery marched in before the June local and European election and we all wondered if they'd be marched back up the hill after. Oh we of little political faith!

I was invited a couple of weeks ago to a local briefing on the progress of the project to date.

There I met Brian Cunningham – a Monaghan man and chartered engineer and head of BAM Civil Ltd with its base in Kill, Co. Kildare. BAM project manager, Donal O'Shea and Kerry County Council project manager, Paul Curry. The briefing was facilitated by Kerry County Council representative, Padraig Corkery.

We looked at the wall-mounted maps detailing every twist and turn from the Killarney Road roundabout off up through the fields to the Dooneen exit on the Limerick Road.

As you can imagine, the top table team at the compound agreed that the progress to date has been to their satisfaction. This is a state they intend to continue throughout the autumn and winter months.

On asking, I got a brief history of the archaeology of the route and learned that nothing of great importance was unearthed in the exhaustive and compulsory pre-construction assessment. There were traces of fulachta fiadh and farming practices here and there and some evidence of long gone inhabitants – including an axe-head.

The co-operation the work and its agents have received from the locals and landowners along the route has been a matter of great encouragement for the project team.

On a tour of the foundation of the route later in the morning with Waterville native, Donal O'Shea I encountered this at first hand.

Knocknagore-based farmer, Willie Reidy had a couple of minor issues: There was a pool of trapped water from an inadvertently blocked drain; a cattle-crossing gap which had been buried in earth needed to be cleared and resurfaced with pencil. This request was immediately passed on to the area foreman and with an emphasis of urgency placed on it.

There is little or no contact between the commuting public here and the project team workers or machinery. This is because of the company policy of working 'off-line' – in other words: the office, machinery yards and service areas are all within the route of the soon –to-be bypass.

The current road building process employs up to 40 locals and material and plant hire from the area is being used in the construction.

Many of the construction crew come into the town for lunch - either in the local restaurants or to the delicounters of the supermarkets.

At the rate of current progress the projected finishing time of Christmas 2010 could easily slide towards us by a couple of months at least.

The project team are in agreement with that assessment too. They're cautious of unpredictable weather conditions over the winter months and any predictions on an early opening time are shaded in that caution.

Work on the Castleisland Bypass is clearly etching its way into the landscape from Killarney Road on the bottom right of the picture to the Limerick Road. Insets: BAM project manager, Donal O'Shea pictured at the Tralee Road roundabout. The foundation... Credit: photographs courtesy of Kerry County Council. Photo by John Reidy / Aerial

fresca wrote: »

you would imagine that the n21-n23 section could open relatively quickly.
this would take the killarney/farranfore traffic round to enter castleisland from the western side. it might ease the congestion at the n21/n23 junction somewhat. though i admit that the limerick bound traffic would still need to move through the centre of castleisland...

fresca wrote: »

when you think about it, the main limerick to tralee road, comes to a T-junction with traffic lights at castleisland. seems like madness?

anyway, 1 more year to go and it will be bypassed!!!

CantonaDieu wrote: »

The overbridge on the Pound Rd is progressing and has some of the structure in place, it is supposed to be finished before Xmas according to reports.

This is been given priority due to Curranes National School being effectively cut off from Castleisland town and pupils/parents having to go through town up the Limerick Rd, past McAuliffe trucking etc down the maum to the school...a right pain!