Kildare Bypass Opening 8th December

WezzyB · 19-11-2003 1:25pm #1

I was listening to the Ray Darcy show on TodayFM this morning, he was broadcasting from his mum's kitchen in Kidare!

He was talking to a spokesperson from Kidare County Council who said that Seamus Brennan is going to be officially opening the bypass on the 8th of December.

Just in time I guess, because the 8th of December is the day that everyone comes up from the country to do their christmas shopping in Dublin.

a_ominous · 19-11-2003 5:03pm

December 8th. What year????

Even the snails that had to be relocated before the construction work started could have done the job quicker.

mike65 · 19-11-2003 6:02pm

Originally posted by WezzyB

Just in time I guess, because the 8th of December is the day that everyone comes up from the country to do their christmas shopping in Dublin.

I know Dubs are shocked to learn that shopping outside the big smoke is now possible but they don't still belive the country bumkins travel up in large numbers do they?

Also the Kildare by-pass while great for Kildare will just move the crush 5 mins down the road to Monisterevan.

Mike.

spudulike · 19-11-2003 6:13pm

while great for Kildare will just move the crush 5 mins down the road to Monisterevan.

I hear you - but I heard the same interview this morning and he said that construction on the monasterevin bypass is well under way (apparently) which will take you beyond the portlaoise bypass then. He said it would be ready by July 2005 - but i'm not holding my breath...

MDR · 19-11-2003 8:14pm

I know Dubs are shocked to learn that shopping outside the big smoke is now possible but they don't still belive the country bumkins travel up in large numbers do they?

My GF and all the girls who share her house near UCD are from the country and they have recentily or will be entertaining relatives from home (Limerick and Wexford) who are coming up over night to shop in Dublin.

So I don't believe anything, I know .....

He said it would be ready by July 2005 - but i'm not holding my breath...

I would love to know the actual percentages on this one, as far as I am aware all parts of the M1 where delievered on time or earily. The NDP in general has the name of being late but I would love to know how much is spin and how much is fact.

rcunning03 · 20-11-2003 10:30am

I would love to know the actual percentages on this one, as far as I am aware all parts of the M1 where delievered on time or earily. The NDP in general has the name of being late but I would love to know how much is spin and how much is fact.

as far as i know as soon as they start constructing the roads they are pretty good at sticking to budget and timetable (N11 Excluded), its just the actual planning process involved to get the road approved that is the lengthy part.

hopefully after numerous consultant reports and hassle from europe they will decide to implement a infrastructure bill that will speed up the process.

WezzyB · 20-11-2003 12:11pm

Originally posted by mike65
I know Dubs are shocked to learn that shopping outside the big smoke is now possible but they don't still belive the country bumkins travel up in large numbers do they?

I didn't mean to offend anyone, I know that the 8th of December is a traditional shopping day, especially for country people to travel to Dublin or wherever to do their shopping. I grew up in Cork County (but live in Dublin now) so I know what I'm talking about.

Originally posted by mike65
Also the Kildare by-pass while great for Kildare will just move the crush 5 mins down the road to Monisterevan.

Mike.

This was especially true when they were doing that pipe laying in Monasterevin in October it was absolutely awful 40 minutes getting through the town, but hopefully it will have some impact, especially for Sunday night traffic.

rcunning03 · 20-11-2003 12:20pm

how did people decide on the 8th december to traditionally travel upto dublin

Victor · 20-11-2003 3:32pm

Originally posted by rcunning03
how did people decide on the 8th december to traditionally travel upto dublin

It's a catholic holy day and traditional "day off".

voodoo · 20-11-2003 6:31pm

True about the pushing of the Kildare traffic onto Monasterevin! It's such a bloody nightmare trying to get in or out of there....at least there are a couple of ways around Monasterevin that we can use

Victor · 20-11-2003 7:01pm

Originally posted by voodoo
....at least there are a couple of ways around Monasterevin that we can use

Real time info http://www.lagis.ie/nra_ke_traffic/

rcunning03 · 21-11-2003 10:21am

It's a catholic holy day and traditional "day off".

suddenly everything becomes clear

FinoBlad · 21-11-2003 1:56pm

The "variable graphics sign" in the top right corner of Victors link is a bloody joke.
Its permanently stuck on Congestion at Kildare Expect Delays or something like that.

Victor · 21-11-2003 10:02pm

Originally posted by FinoBlad
The "variable graphics sign" in the top right corner of Victors link is a bloody joke.
Its permanently stuck on Congestion at Kildare Expect Delays or something like that.

No, it's currently at 2km, it was 1.4km yesterday.

FinoBlad · 22-11-2003 9:39pm

the actual sign on the motorway or the graphic on the web?

I've passed the sign at 4am and its always the same!

Victor · 22-11-2003 10:47pm

Originally posted by FinoBlad
the actual sign on the motorway or the graphic on the web?

I'm in Dublin, so I can only see the web version.

Originally posted by FinoBlad
The "variable graphics sign" in the top right corner of Victors link is a bloody joke.

Do you mean the link on the top left or the actual sign on the road?

FinoBlad · 23-11-2003 10:04pm

the actual sign on the road seems to be stuck on the same message for months!

The website was accurate on friday afternoon anyway, I rang someone approaching Kildare and the tailback was as stated on the web. Good link, cheers!

Genghis · 24-11-2003 3:27pm

I went for a run along this road yesterday - between the Monasterevin terminus and the first Kildare junction (and back again). As far as I can see the road will certainly be ready in time for the 8th December:

1. All road lines are painted
2. The central wiring is complete and in place
3. 90% of the side barriers are installed
4. Some 'pavement' cement work is ongoing to finish off underpasses at kerb level
5. Signage is up for the first mile or two towards Dublin (both sides of road), and is 'laid out, ready to be erected' for other points.
6. Signage is also up on the junctions, even on the existing N7 there are new signs directing you to the M7 to Dublin (though the junctions are blocked off).
7. The footprint of the Mayfield/Heath motorway (Monasterevin by-pass) is clearly visible and well excavated from the end of the Kildare Bypass. I heard that this work is over four months ahead of schedule.

The last 1/2 km (as you rejoin the N7 before Monasterevin) is still incomplete; the surface is laid, but there are no lines as yet, and it needs to be cleared of stones, etc.

The road itself is quite impressive, bridges etc. I didn't see the Curagh end of the Motorway, but I expect there is some alignment work to be completed there, and afaik this part of the road was the last to be constructed.

Interestingly the blue 'Motorway ahead' sign (the one that lists who can't use it, bicycles, under 50cc cars etc) is 'as gaeilge' - I don't think there is an example of this anywhere else in the country?

Victor · 24-11-2003 3:30pm

Originally posted by Genghis
Interestingly the blue 'Motorway ahead' sign (the one that lists who can't use it, bicycles, under 50cc cars etc) is 'as gaeilge' - I don't think there is an example of this anywhere else in the country?

Yeah, strictly speaking every sign should be bi-lingual.

Victor · 07-12-2003 8:08pm

http://www.examiner.ie/breaking/2003/12/07/story124594.html

07/12/2003 - 11:49:24 AM

'Kildare bypass will give the town back to the people'

Commuters can look forward to some long awaited relief in the form of the M7 Kildare bypass route as the road is officially opened by the Minster for Transport, Seamus Brennan, tomorrow.

According to Mr Brennan, the new Kildare bypass will give the town back to its people and allow for faster journey times and safer driving conditions.

At a cost of €160m, the new route hopes to remove up to 20,000 vehicles each day from Kildare town, and it is hoped that it will result in savings of up to 30 minutes on journey times at peak traffic periods on the Dublin/Cork/Limerick routes.

Capt'n Midnight · 07-12-2003 8:33pm

Originally posted by Victor
At a cost of €160m, the new route hopes to remove up to 20,000 vehicles each day from Kildare town

phew - that's €8,000 each - it would have been cheaper to give them all a bus/rail pass for the next 10 years

Victor · 07-12-2003 8:59pm

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
phew - that's €8,000 each - it would have been cheaper to give them all a bus/rail pass for the next 10 years

Nice accounting.

It's not 20,000 unique people and includes trucks, buses etc.

robbie1876 · 07-12-2003 9:01pm

Yeah, strictly speaking every sign should be bi-lingual.

I passed by there a little while ago, and as far as I can remember, that Motorway Ahead sign is in Irish only. Now that's going to be confusing for our tourist friends.

Capt'n Midnight · 07-12-2003 9:41pm

Point was that €160m could be spent in other ways - remember most of the population doesn't own a car (yet). "West on track" have pointed out that a mile of railway is cheaper than a mile of road..

Don't forget that there will be tolls on the finalised route between Dublin and Cork.

Be kinda interesting in seeing the economics of a car carrying train if it was given this sort of subsidy and you took fuel and toll costs into account (ignoring the wear & tear savings on the cars and the possibility of drastically reduced journey times) - it would not be cheap as you would probably need a third track (TGV spec.) to allow for overtaking. Actually thinking about it - our wider gague would make this easier..

Victor · 08-12-2003 12:44am

Originally posted by robbie1876
I passed by there a little while ago, and as far as I can remember, that Motorway Ahead sign is in Irish only. Now that's going to be confusing for our tourist friends.

Ah, it's not that difficult to translate.

Victor · 08-12-2003 2:07pm

Press release and map http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/d1028.HTML.html

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2110781?view=Eircomnet

€160m Kildare town by-pass opens
From:ireland.com
Monday, 8th December, 2003

A decade after it was first proposed, the long-awaited €160 million Kildare town by-pass opens this morning.

The familiar long queues and slow crawl through Kildare - described by the Department of the Environment as one of the State's worst bottlenecks - will become a memory. However, there will still be hold-ups a few miles down the road at Monasterevin until similar works are completed there

The by-pass to the south of Kildare will take up to 20,000 vehicles a day away from the town and result in savings of up to 30 minutes at peak times on the Dublin to Cork and Limerick routes.

The completion of the 13.2km road is a significant step in the upgrading of the whole route from Dublin to the regional cities. It means that there will now be a continuous motorway or high quality dual carriageway from Dundalk in Co Louth to Monasterevin in Co Kildare. Work on a by-pass of Monasterevin is underway and is due to open in late 2004 or early 2005, linking in with the Portlaoise by-pass and giving continuous motorway or high grade dual carriageway for more than 175km.

The current phase of work on the Kildare by-pass began early in 2000 with a deadline of April 2004 allowing Kildare County Council to point out that the road is opening four months ahead of schedule.

The route of the by-pass has been contentious since it was first proposed in 1993. Kildare County Council and the National Roads Authority initially received approval for the EU-funded project in 1996. But when it became evident that the proposed route cut through an area known as the Curragh Aquifer, part of the 550-acre Pollardstown Fen natural habitat, An Taisce made a complaint to the European Commission.

An Taisce said the proposed by-pass - particularly one 3.5km cutting - could result in the dewatering of the Pollardstown Fen. It gave rise to concern for a rare whorl snail, the angistora vertiego, whose home led to it being dubbed the Pollardstown snail.

The name became a by-word for criticism of infrastructural works which were delayed for environmental reasons.

But the snail won and to satisfy environmental concerns, a section of motorway was lined with an impermeable membrane. The feature added another €6.5 million to the overall cost of the project.

The project was given the green light by the then Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, in 1999 with EU blessing and it was envisaged then as a €78 million scheme.

Today's opening by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, is likely to be welcomed by the people of Kildare town as well as by motorists. The existing N7 cuts the town in half, with national schools to the south of the town and residential areas to the north. The new motorway will join the existing Curragh dual carriageway 3km east of Kildare town and will rejoin the existing N7 a little over 1km east of Monasterevin.

mijmu · 09-12-2003 9:54am

Hi

Can someone tell where to get off the Kildare bypass to go around Monasterevin Travelling from Kildare to Monasterevin.

Are any of the bridges that cross the bypass open to get me back on the old road.

Rgds
Michael

Genghis · 09-12-2003 10:43am

I am guessing here, but if you take the very last exit (i.e. at Monasterevin) and follow the signs for local traffic (taking a right at the flyover), you will then hit the old road; take a left and you are heading in the direction of Moanastervin.

However, you will then have to take another right (afaics the end of this road is now closed) and go through the 'residential area' until you get to the centre of the town and resume the N7 from there - it is straightforward, keep left and to the bigger roads and you will emerge in the centre of town. You can also get right past the town, but that involves a lot of back roads, and I'd really have to show you.

Can I ask why you want to bypass Monasterevin? I am guessin because you now fear that there will be 'Kildare like' delays there?

I think there is a great amount of typical Irish negative hype around this - especially in the media, with people rushing to judgement - 'its just moving the bottleneck, etc'. I agree there will be some backlog at peak times, but I think that, on balance and considering all factors, it will not be anything like the notorious Kildare bottleneck, for the following reasons:

1. For a start, with each additional km of motorway, the traffic at the end of the motorway decreases. Kildare town - a major polulation centre now, The Curragh, Suncroft, Nurney, even places like 'East Edenderry' and 'West Athy' 'South Rathangan' all had access roads from the centre of the town and will therefore have generated some level of traffic that would've contributed to delays in Kildare town. I am not saying it would be substantial, but even if 10% of traffic that held up Kildare exits before Monasterevin, then there will be considerably less chance of 'gridlock' happening.

2. Monasterevin has no major junctions - effectively the N7 runs straight through it, and with the exception of the turn right at the Nags Head pub, the small amount of traffic turning off the N7 have a lane for doing so. The only possible delay are the pedestrian crossing lights, which are unlikely to be a major impacting factor - at least in comparison to the lights in the square at Kildare and the lights further on a Modus Media.

3. Monasterevin is a far 'straighter' road - Kildare Town has winding bits at both ends, meaning that the distance cars have to travel at slower speeds is much less - Kildare was practically a 40mph or less zone for up to 4 miles. Monasterevin would be closer to 2 miles.

4. Immediately on exiting Monastervin, you are on a wide hard-shouldered road with a national 60mph speed limit (it was 50mph all the way along the narrow old N7 right to Monasterevin). The opportunity for slow moving and heavy traffic to delay exit from the town is far less - loads of room for overtaking, etc.

5. To a certain extent Monasterevin was only ever really bad when Kildare was disastrous itself*. Travelling that road, I have rearely come across *major delays* at Monasterevin and *none* at Kildare - though the opposite was often the case. Indeed, for certain times - take a Sunday evening heading northbound - the delays in Monasterevin were simply the tail-end of the Kildare problem. (I know this because each week I would pass in the opposite, free-flowing direction).

Although it counters my argument to some extent, I predict one new major problem at Monasterevin which did not happen at Kildare. Travelling from Dublin the last service station is at Kill (Esso). You then have continuous motorway for about 25 miles. The next service station is in Monastervin, the Spar / Texaco place, which is on the wrong side of the road, at one of the major junctions in Monasterevin, and is an absolute bitch to get out of if you want to continue travelling south. There is also a central lane otside it which will be jammed with southbound cars wanting to turn into the garage, and northbound traffic wanting to use the same lane to turn right towards Athy. There is even potential for traffic emerging from the garage and being blind to the moving traffic coming round the bend behind this central lane. How that garage got planning permission, I don't know! (The next garage southbound, by the way, is in Ballybrittas, a further 6 miles or so down the road)

*With the obvious omission of the recent sewerage works, which were a one-off (though sadly the shoddy surface laying that followed it is more permanent).

mijmu · 09-12-2003 11:27am

Hi Ghengis

Thanks for the reply. I know the backroads. I have been going that way for a while now. I just couldnt see this morning if I can take any of the flyovers on the southbound side to take me back onto the old road. Was wondering if anyboby who was on the road yesterday knew the answer.

Rgds
Michael

Genghis · 09-12-2003 12:03pm

Then it is definitely the last exit you are looking for, mimju - marked 'local traffic'.

FinoBlad · 09-12-2003 2:35pm

Off topic but ....

The next service station is in Monastervin, the Spar / Texaco place

is one of the dearest petrol stations around

Victor · 09-12-2003 2:48pm

Press release and map http://www.nra.ie/News/PressReleases/d1028.HTML.html

Will merge with other thread.

Capt'n Midnight · 09-12-2003 3:08pm

Originally posted by Genghis
Can I ask why you want to bypass Monasterevin? I am guessin because you now fear that there will be 'Kildare like' delays there?

Just like to point out that 10% of the population ( 20~30% of drivers ??) are not legally allowed to use the Motorway.
Also before I got my full license I've found myself on a motorway due to bad signing.. Similarly the temptation to use motorways can be high if an alternative route isn't clear. - a safety issue.

Victor · 09-12-2003 3:16pm

Originally posted by FinoBlad
Off topic but .... is one of the dearest petrol stations around

Not for long. See article.

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2117684?view=Eircomnet

Motorway routes to be completed by 2007, says Brennan
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 9th December, 2003

A major revision of the timetable for the building of the motorways from Dublin to Cork and Galway will see both routes "substantially completed" by 2007, the Minister for Transport announced yesterday.

Speaking as he opened the € 160 million Kildare town bypass the Minister said the Government had decided that at least three motorways should be substantially completed by 2007 - just one year off the original target in the National Development Plan 2000-2006.

Mr Brennan said the prioritisation of the three routes over the next five years would not cause other road projects to be delayed. One of them, the Dublin to the Border route, is partially complete.

On the Cork route an additional €300 million is now available following the European Commission's decision last week to designate the scheme under its TENS (Trans European Networks) Programme, he said. Designation automatically brings with it funding of up to 20 percent of the cost, which he put at about € 1.5 billion.

The Dublin to Galway motorway is not as yet a TENS designated route but the Minister said he hoped it would be included within two years.

Whatever the outcome of those negotiations the Minister said he was determined that the Galway motorway, which required about € 1 billion of investment, should be included in roads to be substantially complete by 2007.

Mr Brennan said the Government's decision to guarantee more than € 7 billion, with another € 1 billion likely to come from private financing, had given the National Roads Authority (NRA) the necessary certainty over its allocation to allow it to move ahead with acquiring land and progressing schemes.

Mr Michael Egan, the NRA's corporate affairs spokesman, confirmed the authority would publish its full up-coming roads programme early in the new year. "Certainly in the first quarter we should be able to say with some certainty which schemes would be completed over the next five years as long as we continue to have certainty over the money".

Mr Brennan told the NRA he was confident that the era of cost overruns and delays was over but he warned that the Government was determined to get value for money in all future NRA schemes.

The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, who was also at the Kildare bypass opening, said the Monasterevin bypass was already about four months ahead of schedule. He said the next big project on the Cork road would be the Portlaoise to Cullahill and Cullahill to Cashel sections which should be complete in "about three years or sooner".

The Kildare bypass extends from the western end of the Curragh dual carriageway, which now officially becomes a motorway, to the eastern side of Monasterevin. The road is expected to take about 20,000 vehicles a day out of Kildare town. It is also expected to cut about 30 minutes off peak travel times between the capital and Cork.

Kildare County Council has approved a major motorway services station at Monasterevin.

A decade after it was first planned the road opening was welcomed by the Kildare county manager, Mr Niall Bradley, and the chairman of the NRA, Mr Peter Malone, who praised its environmental features which were designed to protect the Pollardstown aquifer.

Immediately after its opening yesterday afternoon traffic volumes in the town dropped noticeably and the usual northbound backlog of traffic south of Kildare town dissipated.

For motorists travelling in the other direction, however, it will be at least this time next year until the Monasterevin bypass eases the bottlenecks there.

Genghis · 09-12-2003 3:19pm

Just on that alternative route ...

I had assumed that the N7 route from Newbridge to Monasterevin would run adjacent to the Motorway along the Curragh, through Kildare as always, and on up to the final flyover at Monasterevin, from where you would be forced to turn left, pass over the motorway, turn right, down the off ramp and merge with traffic at the end of the motorway.

I notice that the signs up for 'N7 Alternative route' direct traffic at the Newbridge end through the Curragh, but it is not clear where they will then go - possibly over the motorway, into Kildare, and on to Monasterevin, though I am not sure.

Does anyone know if this is the final plan? Perhaps the NRA / Kildare Co. Co. want to upgrade / repair old route now it is quiet?

Also, has anyone worked out what the roadside art is about. Although they aren't actually 'swastikas', that is the first and lasting image I had of them.

Genghis · 09-12-2003 3:24pm

On the service stations ...

1. That Texaco station is moderately expensive. Its predecessor as 'first southbound garage opportunity from Dublin' Statoil in Kildare were much more expensive that these guys, though.

2. The Ballybrittas garage I mentioned (6 miles more up the road) is one of the cheapest in the country, consistently.

3. When we do have '175km of motorway / high quality dual carriageway' stretching from Dundalk to Portlaoise, what will the opportunities for service stops be then. AFAIK there is just one station going north between Monasterevin and Dundalk - again, at Kill. There are more options going south - Cranley Texaco, Rathcoole Texaco, Rathcoole Esso, Kill Statoil, Kill Esso - though all within 25km of each other (what of the other 150km?).

Victor · 09-12-2003 3:29pm

Originally posted by Genghis
When we do have '175km of motorway / high quality dual carriageway' stretching from Dundalk to Portlaoise, what will the opportunities for service stops be then. AFAIK there is just one station going north between Monasterevin and Dundalk - again, at Kill. There are more options going south - Cranley Texaco, Rathcoole Texaco, Rathcoole Esso, Kill Statoil, Kill Esso - though all within 25km of each other (what of the other 150km?).

There are proposals for proper service areas (fuel, shops, food) in Louth, at Swords, Westlink and probably one other in Kildare / West Dublin. I just hope that they insist on multiple suppliers at each.

robbie1876 · 09-12-2003 7:56pm

The M6 toll motorway around Birmingham opened today at a cost of STG£900m for a 27 mile stretch. Out comes me calculator, and I reckon thats about €30m / km to build that road.

Amazing then, that we managed to get the Kildare by-pass built for just over €12m / km. I was expecting to post these stats then go into a rant about contractors ripping us off in Ireland, but not so, for once we seem to have built something cheaper than they could in the UK.

Granted, the Birmingham road is a 3-lane motorway for its entirity, but even allowing 50% on top of the Kildare price it's still not even close to €30m.

Is the Kildare by-pass actually quite a bargain?

Victor · 09-12-2003 8:17pm

Originally posted by robbie1876
Is the Kildare by-pass actually quite a bargain?

I'm not so sure, while I haven't kept up to date the M6/42 is likely to be much more sophisticated (e.g. proper interchanges, full lighting, de-icing heaters, etc.)and in a much more urban environment (even though it is through countryside), with higher land values. More comparable to the M6/42 is spending €500m to upgrade 15km of the M50.

robbie1876 · 09-12-2003 9:01pm

More comparable to the M6/42 is spending €500m to upgrade 15km of the M50.

Good point. It's always bad value for money to upgrade motorways after they have been constructed.

Genghis · 15-12-2003 10:56am

I have travelled the new road a few times now, and have made the following observations:

1. The new stretch of road has no telephone SOS service - where the old M9 has an emergency phone every 1km in both directions, I could not see any on the Kildare bypass part of the road. Can anyone explain why? (side note: I often wondered if those things worked anyway?).

2. The Gardai are out in serious force in the general Monasterevin area, looking for speeding. On three occasssions in the past week I passed Gardai checking for speed - once on the motorway itself approximately half-way between Kildare and Monasterevin; once at the Athy road junction (across from the Texaco garage) in Monasterevin itself; once about 3 miles beyond Monasterevin in the 60 mile zone before Ballybrittas. It seems that they are serious about catching drivers excited by the new road, so be warned!

3. Monasterevin is apparently not the new Kildare in terms of traffic gridlock. I have experienced no delays in either direction to date.

4. No, those are not Swastikas. They are unfinished windmills.

BuffyBot · 15-12-2003 11:33am

The new stretch of road has no telephone SOS service - where the old M9 has an emergency phone every 1km in both directions, I could not see any on the Kildare bypass part of the road. Can anyone explain why? (side note: I often wondered if those things worked anyway?).

Someone will undoubtedly come and correct me, but I thought that these had been scrapped for future projects?

Genghis · 13-09-2004 4:20pm

I notice these are now going in on the opened extension of the M7 (Kildare bypass), and presumably will be on the new stretch when it opens too (Monasterevin bypass). They are covered over at the moment, over the weekend a technician was installing the equipment in them.

Kildare Bypass Opening 8th December

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