M1 an excellent road

darkman2

Fool 5000 wrote:

Its be the same standard apart from Naas to Dublin
Glanmire bypass = HQDC
Watergrashill bypass = HQDC
Fermoy bypass = Motorway (toll)
Mitcheltown/Cashel = HQDC
Cashel/Urlingford = HQDC
Urlingford/Naas= Motorway (toll)
Naas/Red Cow = DC

HQDC = Motorway effectively. I cant see them not naming the whole thing M8tbh eventually. It makes more sense:cool:

nordydan

darkman2 wrote:

HQDC = Motorway effectively. I cant see them not naming the whole thing M8tbh eventually. It makes more sense:cool:

I reckon its just a way to avoid paying more money to farmers. It will all be motorway inside 10 years, mark my words.

Victor

darkman2 wrote:

If they dont label the entire route to Cork motorway you will have the M8 fermoy bypass in the middle. Surely were beyond that?

Fermoy bypass will be the only motorway outside Leinster.

icdg wrote:

On the other hand this involves having to revoke a motorway order (yet to ever be done)

Not a revocation as such (merely overtaken by subsequent orders), but both end of the Balbriggan bypass are no longer motorway.

ardmacha

It seems there won;t be an R177 (Dundalk - Newtownhamilton Rd) junction on the M1. People in Silverbridge and Forkhill won't agree with that!

from Unison.ie Irish Independent

PLANS by Louth County Council to build a new link road on to the M1 motorway from Dublin to Belfast have been shot down by An Bord Pleanala in a landmark decision.

The board ruled the plan would lead to high-speed traffic "weaving" on to the motorway and was no substitute for proper local roads to service development in the area.

The ruling is highly significant as it is unusual for the board to turn down major road proposals. The council had proposed a link road from the Armagh road to facilitate local access in the area west of Dundalk.

The plans included a new junction, two roundabouts, realignment of the regional Armagh road, two new slip-roads and a range of associated works.

Refusing permission against the advice of its own planning inspector, the board said the M1 motorway was a Euroroute and a road of the highest national strategic importance linking the cities of Dublin and Belfast.

The motorway as designed and approved provides for three access points to the town of Dundalk via junctions with national routes.

"It is considered that the provision of a further access by way of retrofitting a junction with a regional road, to primarily accommodate traffic to be generated by proposed local development, would be contrary to the principles of good road design."

Notwithstanding the specific objective in the Dundalk and Environs Development Plan 2003-2008 the proposed road would adversely affect the carrying capacity of the national primary route.

The new road would also be contrary to national policy to protect public investment in such roads.

"Furthermore, the proposal would create a highly undesirable precedent for the provision of junctions on motorways and national routes to facilitate local traffic."

The board said the distance of the regional road to the proposed junction with the M1 and the huge numbers of motorists wanting to get onto the motorway would lead to "weaving of high-speed traffic on the motorway".

This would result in a reduction in the level of service for which the motorway was designed and would impact adversely on road users.

The board ruled the proposed junction could be seen as "a substitute for the provision of an adequate local road infrastructure to service proposed development in the general area".

Bogger77

Can they not join the road at the Cooley road roundabout?

pleba

Victor wrote:

No, on the surface it is one lane northbound, two lanes southbound. In the tunnel its two lanes either way.

the point is that it is now and will always only be one lane northbound up as far as the mouth of the tunnel. This used to be a Motorway (remember the old M1, which began at Whitehall church?). Whilst it's still called the M1, can they really still classify this section as Motorway? Or should the M1 now begin at the mouth of the tunnel?

Also, it's 50kmph from Whitehall church up to the tunnel entrance (northbound) after which it increases to 80kmph up to beyond the airport exit. Can they class this as Motorway?

I remember the sign that went up in August 2001 at the beginning of the old M1 northbound which read 'roadworks starting here September 23rd for 2 years'. Almost 5 years later and there is still no clear end in sight. An Irish joke?

And finally, does anyone else think that the outer slip road from the M50 onto the M1 northbound is a hazard?

Pfungstadter

Saw a new gantry up on the M50 slip road to the M1 south bound, it's not even on the slip road, it's beside it. Has anyone seen it.

darkman2

Pfungstadter wrote:

Saw a new gantry up on the M50 slip road to the M1 south bound, it's not even on the slip road, it's beside it. Has anyone seen it.

Yes ive seen it and referred to it earlier. They must be realigning the slip. Can someone please clarify this for us

icdg

pleba wrote:

the point is that it is now and will always only be one lane northbound up as far as the mouth of the tunnel. This used to be a Motorway (remember the old M1, which began at Whitehall church?). Whilst it's still called the M1, can they really still classify this section as Motorway?

They can and with good reason - it leads inescably to the M1 (soon to be M50). If a road leads to a motorway with no escape route it is also classified as a motorway (although obviously not to the full standard). Best example is the M6, pretty much an overlong slip road onto the M4 eastbound at J11. Its the only one to get its own number, there's also the N32 section under motorway regulations (between the M1/M50 junction and first roundabout), the M1 airport spur, and if one wants to really start counting, the M9 (though that's actually a motorway standard road, albeit one without any intermediate junctions).

Or should the M1 now begin at the mouth of the tunnel?

It'll now begin at M50 J3. Befween that and the mouth of the tunnel will reclassified as M50 - that's now basically been confirmed by planning officials in the newspapers.

mackerski

icdg wrote:

They can and with good reason - it leads inescably to the M1 (soon to be M50).

It's escapable by leaving at Coolock - which is right about where you would join tunnel traffic anyway.

Dermot

Victor

icdg wrote:

the M9 (though that's actually a motorway standard road, albeit one without any intermediate junctions).

Indeed where the M9 merges with the M7 (through the tunnel), it only has one lane. Its not like this doesn't have a precedent.

mackerski wrote:

It's escapable by leaving at Coolock

You mean Coolock Lane? Two very different places.

mackerski

Victor wrote:

Indeed where the M9 merges with the M7 (through the tunnel), it only has one lane. Its not like this doesn't have a precedent.

You mean Coolock Lane? Two very different places.

I do indeed. "Coolock" in this context was intended as a shorthand for "the junction you might use to access Coolock". Apologies to anybody I confused.

Dermot

spacetweek

icdg wrote:

It'll now begin at M50 J3. Befween that and the mouth of the tunnel will reclassified as M50 - that's now basically been confirmed by planning officials in the newspapers.

Have they made any decision on what the status is with the N1 - from O'Connell Street to the M50/M1 junction?

Pfungstadter

Was on the M1 today,

When did CRG ppp get control of the M1 between the Dundalk and Drogheda bypasses, they have stuck signs at all the junctions welcoming people to their motorway.

As I understand these two bypasses were built with state and EU money and not private, only the Drogheda and Dundalk bypasses are private.


Also, the west link is about two 200m to 250m long and is 1.80€ but the M1 toll is 1.60€ and includes about 20km of road, what gives there.

murphaph

Pfungstadter wrote:

Was on the M1 today,

When did CRG ppp get control of the M1 between the Dundalk and Drogheda bypasses, they have stuck signs at all the junctions welcoming people to their motorway.

As I understand these two bypasses were built with state and EU money and not private, only the Drogheda and Dundalk bypasses are private.

CRG have to maintain that entire stretch wherever you see signposts. This is a GOOD thing as it saves the exchequer money. None of them are 'private' per-se. The road is owned by the state. CRG have a concession period to toll the road to recoup what they spent building the bridges, laying the asphalt etc. but they do not 'own' the road. These PPPs always begin with the state buying the land under CPO and letting the PPP consortium build upon it if you like. Overall I am in favour of tolling but not private tolling. i'd rather the govt. built everything and tolled it if needs be, thereby funding other national interest objectives and not just adding to NTRs/CRGs/Eurolink's/etc bottom lines.

Pfungstadter wrote:

Also, the west link is about two 200m to 250m long and is 1.80€ but the M1 toll is 1.60€ and includes about 20km of road, what gives there.

Very bad value for money it would seem.

Anyone see FG's promise not to allow any further "private tolling deals" mentioned during their Ard Fheis today?

Pfungstadter

When I lived in Ukland I saw that the Higway Agency there contracted out certain roads to private firms.

The gov should have got it's thinking cap on and set up a semi state company to build certain pieces of infrastructure. They would be non profit and give value for money to the tax payer. USe the money generated to build new projects.

icdg

spacetweek wrote:

Have they made any decision on what the status is with the N1 - from O'Connell Street to the M50/M1 junction?

Dublin City Council are trying to get O'Connell Street detrunked, apparently without success. From their until the Beaumount interchange will prob remain N1 for the moment, but couldn't tell you what the section between there and the merge with the tunnel traffic will be - it may continue to be M1. From there until the current M1/M50 junction (M50 J3) will become M50 (or possibly M50 (M1), a la the M7 (M9)).

Re those signs on the M1, they're similar to signs on the M4, "Welcome to Eurolink M4/M6 PPP Motorway". There's also signs saying "End of Eurolink M4/M6 PPP Motorway", in some cases without the obligtory "End of Motorway Regulations" (crossed-out chopsticks) sign which is supposed to appear at the top of m-way slips, but which seems to be missing at some M4 junctions.