Underpasses in Ireland

johnbk

On the N25 outside Wexford beside Mother Hubbards

GerardKeating

Prof_V wrote: »

I believe there was one on Kilbarrack Road towards the fire station end - I've no idea if it's still there, though it doesn't seem to appear on maps any more.

I think that one is long long gone.

strassenwolf

Victor wrote: »

Much more interesting are 19th century fly-overs, e.g. where Carrigaline road cross over Church Road in Douglas. http://www.corkcity.ie/maps/maps/58.html

And another at Glounthaune.

And another, not sure if it dates from the 19th century though, beside Jack Mead's pub just outside Waterford City.

gabigeist

The new Dun laoghaire golf club have one linking the middle nine with the back nine. Under the Ballyman road I think. It might cater for the odd golf buggy though so don;t know if it counts as pedestrian.

Also I spotted a girl having a pee in the one behind Bank of ireland Dundrum, going under the luas track. Part of the old harcourt line. The reason there are so few is prob cos we are fond of pissing in them.

MrPudding

OTK wrote: »

World's most unsuccessful urban design element. Watch a film called Irréversible to learn everything you need to know about underpasses.

Wow. I thought that movie was a work of fiction rather than a documentary to tell me everything I need to know about underpasses. I guess I will have to watch it again.

murphaph wrote: »

They are all over Europe, I suppose we never had the money to build them and they're out of fashion nowadays with many in the UK being filled in due to anti-social behaviour.

There are dozens of them in Milton Keynes, possibly hundreds. Every road in the grid has under or over passes or indeed both. Great system. It is possible to get from anywhere in the city to anywhere else on foot, on a bike or on a horse without having to cross a road. Still very much in fashion here.

MrP

paulm17781

MrPudding wrote: »

There are dozens of them in Milton Keynes, possibly hundreds. Every road in the grid has under or over passes or indeed both. Great system. It is possible to get from anywhere in the city to anywhere else on foot, on a bike or on a horse without having to cross a road. Still very much in fashion here.

That's the thing. Where they work they're excellent. Sadly they are most people's last choice.

Montreal city centre is entirely connected underground via malls and underpasses. Everything has a shop and a purpose. If we could make more pedestrian thoroughfares underground like that here, they could be a great Example. If I may take my crayons out for a moment. Fleet st - Westmorlan st - D'Olier st. - O'connell st. Busy road junction slow to cross, if there were a large amount under that, it could be very handy. Maybe metro will help but I hate trying to cross that road in morning or evening rush hours. I missed many buses as I couldn't cross the road.

Pgibson

OTK wrote: »

World's most unsuccessful urban design element. Watch a film called Irréversible to learn everything you need to know about underpasses.

When I was in London I never felt comfortable walking through them.
Especially in the evening.
Menace in the air.
(I used to think it was all in my head.)


.

Victor

paulm17781 wrote: »

If I may take my crayons out for a moment. Fleet st - Westmorlan st - D'Olier st. - O'connell st. Busy road junction slow to cross, if there were a large amount under that, it could be very handy. Maybe metro will help but I hate trying to cross that road in morning or evening rush hours. I missed many buses as I couldn't cross the road.

**cough** Liffey **cough**

Makes it difficult, although not necessarily impossible.

serfboard

paulm17781 wrote: »

Montreal city centre is entirely connected underground via malls and underpasses. Everything has a shop and a purpose. If we could make more pedestrian thoroughfares underground like that here, they could be a great

Toronto has them as well, and they're great. But, they're such a completely different concept, they're hardly like underpasses - more like an underground street.

I think what people have in mind here are things like underpasses at dual carriageways where you wouldn't have the volumes for that kind of system.

paulm17781

serfboard wrote: »

I think what people have in mind here are things like underpasses at dual carriageways where you wouldn't have the volumes for that kind of system.

I'm living in fantasy land at the minute but if they could be made safe they are so much better than lights. I think it is terrible the amount of traffic that gets disrupted by people at corssings, the N7 just past the Red cow had traffic lights right by the bridge, this continues through out the N11 too.

Underpasses would get rid of the need for traffic lights but I don't even like them much as a precaution, I can't see most people wanting to use them.

Victor

I mentioned this above, but I'm surprised that (a) this one was built (b) it hasn't been closed.

I can't imagine any self-respecting gurrier hanging out around it when people can easily bypass it.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=snjqkbg8v9vj&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=27175144&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

tubedude

MrPudding wrote: »

Wow. I thought that movie was a work of fiction rather than a documentary to tell me everything I need to know about underpasses. I guess I will have to watch it again.

MrP

Yeah, because everyone knows there's no such thing as rape in real life.
Underpasses are for cockroaches.

It's different though when it's part of some kind of monitored complex.
All the public ones I've known, after a certain time you'd be mad to go through them on your own.

Wild Bill

This thread started with a mention of the underpass in Blackrock. There are actually two, built with the original Blackrock "half-bypass" in the late 1960s or early 1970s. One is at the bottom of Mount Merrion Avenue and the other at Carysfort Avenue, about 300m respectively north and south of the place where two shopping centres are separate by a major road, the N31, which connects Dun Laoghaire Port to the M50!

I think they are sealed off now - not sure. But from the start they had surface level signalised pedestrian crossing right above them, were prone to flooding and nobody bar the odd hooligan used them.

They could, like that blue overbridge on the Portlaoise inner-bypass, be classified as the very definition of "white elephants" !

L1011

ah, I remember those underpasses now come to think of it.

Google Maps makes it look like the Carysfort one may be open but I can't see the eastern portal to the Mount Merrion one now; area is a bit of a building site when the Google imagery was taken.

L1011

dcr22B wrote: »

No. it's Hammill's Esso in Mullingar.

This is blocked off. It was also wide enough for a car when it was open.


Is this: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.395292,-6.21408&spn=0.000494,0.001725&t=h&z=19 a pedestrian underpass in to the Northside Shopping Centre?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=patrician+villas+stillorgan&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=7.347033,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Patrician+Villas,+Stillorgan,+County+Dun+Laoghaire-Rathdown,+Ireland&ll=53.290221,-6.196563&spn=0.000454,0.001725&t=h&z=19 one under the N11 there, just found it while googling to see if those Blackrock ones were open.

rainbowdash

Theres one, possibly Irelands newest at the hurlers cross under the Limerick - Ennis dualcarraigeway. It was put in as an afterthought during the recent upgrade AFAIK and I doubt it gets many people under it (nobody lives nearby)

It probably cost a fortune, a complete white elephant.

It comes out near the dairygold COOP if anybody knows it.

larryone

Topsoil is owned by the state if it's a public road. I believe there is a specified depth in the regs. If you have road frontage, you own the subsoil to the halfway point of the road. If you own property either side, then you are free to tunnel under the road, as the subsoil is all yours. These regulations have allowed some of these underpasses to be installed.

DundalkDuffman

larryone wrote: »

If you own property either side, then you are free to tunnel under the road, as the subsoil is all yours. These regulations have allowed some of these underpasses to be installed.

Which sounds like the Carrickdale Hotel in Ravensdale Louth managed to do. They have had an underpass under the old Dundalk/Newry N1 main road for years now. It links their leisure centre and car park with the hotel on the opposite side of the road

encryptix

one in leixlip/lucan beside the dam / weston. Goes under the m4.

Victor

Wild Bill wrote: »

This thread started with a mention of the underpass in Blackrock. There are actually two, built with the original Blackrock "half-bypass" in the late 1960s or early 1970s. One is at the bottom of Mount Merrion Avenue and the other at Carysfort Avenue, about 300m respectively north and south of the place where two shopping centres are separate by a major road, the N31, which connects Dun Laoghaire Port to the M50!

I think they are sealed off now - not sure. But from the start they had surface level signalised pedestrian crossing right above them, were prone to flooding and nobody bar the odd hooligan used them.

They could, like that blue overbridge on the Portlaoise inner-bypass, be classified as the very definition of "white elephants" !

Either side of the truck here: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=swhcd5ggj8m4&scene=29510204&lvl=2&sty=o

From houses to office block: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=swh1x6ggjj7k&scene=29511310&lvl=2&sty=o

Wild Bill

MYOB wrote: »

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=patrician+villas+stillorgan&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=7.347033,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Patrician+Villas,+Stillorgan,+County+Dun+Laoghaire-Rathdown,+Ireland&ll=53.290221,-6.196563&spn=0.000454,0.001725&t=h&z=19 one under the N11 there, just found it while googling to see if those Blackrock ones were open.

Yep - that one is well used AFAIK; it connects to stops on the 46a QBC.

Victor; as we can see the route via the underpasses in Blackrock is about four times as long as the pedestrian crossing up top!

larryone

Underpass at the bridge in Milltown comes to mind.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

There are at least two under the Athlone Bypass linking Coosan to the town centre side of the road. Theres also one at the Ballybrit racecourse in Galway

Wild Bill

tampopo wrote: »

On the N11 bypassing Kisquade, just at the Delgany exit, isn't there an overpass there? I remember it opening in the late 70's/early 80's and when it was new you could see the grilles/air shafts. Used to go down to WX most weekends to de caravan!!! Haven't been on the road much or in a while recently...

I think that is the road underpass that leads under the N11 to the on ramp at the eastern end of the Glen of the Downs. When it was built it was reported as "Ireland's first flyover" - that was about circa 1970 -1972.

There are two private underpasses on the Naas Road; one accessing the CRH complex at Newlands and another at Goffs. Not sure if these count as "underpasses" in the pedestrian sense!

flazio

Athlone Rail station uses an underpass for passengers using Platforms 2 and 3.

larryone

flazio wrote: »

Athlone Rail station uses an underpass for passengers using Platforms 2 and 3.

Alot of railway stations do, Kent Station Cork comes to mind.

number10a

There's one under the Skehard Road in Cork, near Aldi and the CSO. It's horrible. Loads of bonfire patches inside there on the gorund and everything.

L1011

I always thought the Skehard Road was meant to be a nice bit of Cork too? Underpasses in general turn out pretty skanky, though...

Wild Bill

Skehard Road underpass is where the CSO statisticians hang out, light the odd fire to keep warm!
Going off topic now - I sense disapproval and a clip in the ear coming :eek:

crushproof

MYOB wrote: »

ah, I remember those underpasses now come to think of it.

Google Maps makes it look like the Carysfort one may be open but I can't see the eastern portal to the Mount Merrion one now; area is a bit of a building site when the Google imagery was taken.

The Carysfort one is still there but the Mount Merrion was filled in last year.