Major Sandyford link opens

Steve Conway

Two major pieces of road infrastructure opened yesterday afternoon (Wed 2nd June 2004).

The first is the Drummartin Link Road, which provides a direct route into Sandyford Industrial Estate, and transforms the Clonskeagh/Goatstown Road into a corridor that actually goes somewhere. The road essentially continues straight on from Goatstown, crossing Kilmacud Road Upper, crossing the LUAS at Kilmacud Station, through an intersection at the edge of the Industrial estate, and then on to the new M50 junction.

Even more usefully, they also opened at the same time the extended sliproad between Ballinteer & Sandyford M50 junctions, thus providing direct access from the M50 onto the Drummartin link and into the industrial estate. This is a segregated road running alongside the M50 from Ballinteer, whose eventual purpose will be to facilitate eastbound traffic joining the motorway at Ballinteer (which must travel to the next junction in order to gain full access).

Once people get to know about this, it should remove most of the Sandyford bound traffic which currently has to leave the M50, and struggles through Ballinteer Road, Wyckham Way, Sandyford Road, blocking the roundabout at the top of the Dundrum bypass at all hours of the day.


I'm only surprised that it opened with so little fanfare - especially considering its election time.

fjon

I used the Sandyford to the Ballinteer M50 roundabout this morning, and was amazed at how empty it was. Everyone seemed to be using the old road to the M50. As this new road also means a new set of traffic lights there were obviously sizeable tailbacks.
This is one of the best things to come to the industrial estate in a long time - it will really make a difference to the traffic! And with the LUAS opening in a few weeks hopefully there will be even less cars on the road.

Victor

Hmmm, very little PR on it.

http://www.dlrcoco.ie/Roads/update3june04.htm

Ballinteer Interchange / M50

Traffic coming off the M50 at the Ballinteer Interchange and travelling to Sandyford Industrial

Estate is advised to use the new Ballinteer to Sandyford Link Road, which officially opened on Wednesday, 2nd June 2004. To use this new link road from the Ballinteer roundabout, take the exit immediately following the Dundrum exit.

Similarly, traffic from the Sandyford Industrial Estate, travelling to the M50, should use the same link road from Blackthorn Drive to get to the start of the M50 at the Ballinteer Interchange.

Map: http://www.dlrcoco.ie/M50new/MAP1.HTM

Do I have it right in that the pink bits (attachement) are the ones opened today? Is there a direct connection to Brewery Road yet?

PhoenixRising

Yeah that's pretty much spot on, except only the northerly slip road linking sandyford and ballinteer is open. So just erase the lower pink line and you have it. Just drove along it there on my way home. It's pretty impressive - makes you appreciate the scale of the entire M50 project.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/3319574?view=Eircomnet

Brennan opens M50 link road in Dublin
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 3rd June, 2004

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, yesterday officially opened the Drummartin link road, which provides a direct link to the M50 motorway from Sandyford business park and industrial estate.

Mr Brennan said work on the South Eastern motorway was progressing well, apart from the Carrickmines section.

He had been informed by the National Roads Authority that two sections of the road - one leading to the future Sandyford interchange and the other from beyond Carrickmines to the N11 - would be open to traffic before December.

"The completion of the entire motorway route, including the Carrickmines section, is of vital importance to the overall transport strategy for Dublin. It is a key ingredient in the plan to significantly improve conditions for road users and unclog the traffic bottlenecks that ensnare tens of thousands of cars at peak times," he said.

"I am confident that the motorway can be completed by autumn 2005 once the legal issues relating to the archaeological works at Carrickmines are resolved."

He said the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, was "well advanced" in preparing legislation to rectify the Carrickmines issue.

The nine-kilometre South Eastern motorway will complete Dublin's motorway bypass. It will link the M11 and the M1, at an estimated cost of €595 million.

Steve Conway

Victor,

As regards your pink sections, the roundabout is not open, nor the lower pink line - when you reach the top of the Drummartin Link you get funnelled sharp right onto the upper one (the road alongside the eastbound M50) - which is operating temporarily as a two-way road, with an unbroken white line all the way down the centre, and arrows painted on each side to indicate direction at frequent intervals.

I have to say, there is plenty of room for two-way - it must be intended to be a two-lane road once it is properly opened - there is also a verge, a wide two-way cycle-lane, and a footpath.

At the Ballinteer roundabout, there is significant deployment of cones to make safe the entry/exit from this road, bearing in mind that the alignment is designed for one-way off the roundabout traffic.

I see that Mr. Brennan did do the opening - nothing on the RTE 6.1 news that night though, he must be dissapointed!

Andrew Duffy

In the small six-carriageway section to the East of the large roundabout, where all the sliproads overlap, are the sliproads two lanes or one lane each? If they're two lanes each that makes the road twelve lanes wide (!) for a stretch, which just about beats the short ten-lane section of the M1 in Belfast.

Steve Conway

Those ones haven't been built at all, from the point where the Drummartin link curves abruptly to go towards ballinteer, when looking East all you see is a giant quarry!

I'm hoping to get some pics online later tonight.

West Briton

The road is very nice and plugs a major gap. At least the backed up traffic from St. Columbas to Dundrum has another outlet. Interesting to see how traffic will find a level on Tuesday morning.

Still doesn't yet resolve the access to Dun Laoghaire from the M50: following through brings you to a crossroads near Stillorgan Industrial Park and a spin around Sandyford until Leopardstown. The new road must be very near the junction with the Sandyford Village - Leopardstown Road: any idea of an date for opening that link? At least then there would be a logical route to DL with signposting.

Of course the little ferry icons run out before the end of the motorway. Please note DL/Rathdown CC: not everyone using the roads is local and knows where's where.

Borzoi

Used this new link today - while no extra motorway is involved, it does skip that hellish bit of road that is (was ) the Wyckham bypass, and the corresponding route bck up to the S'ford Ind Est.

I'm sure the local residents must be happy to get some of their streets back:D