N18 - Limerick Tunnel & South Ring Road Phase II

Tech3

sonyair wrote: »

activity on the main line at the crescent shopping centre going west, looks like the final layer going down

Interesting I thought they were starting that the a few days ago alright. I see there is signage up now on the mainline near st nessans overbridge, I know the project is the N7 but are the NRA thinking of renaming it the N18 from Rossbrien? Could someone confirm the route number up on the gantry?

Chris_5339762

According to the junction maps on the NRA website, its N18 from Rossbrien west. Which also explains why it isnt M, as a short bit of M18 would be a bit daft.

Carawaystick

I see the *draft* byelaw would if passed ban animals drawing carriages but there doesn't seem to be a ban on riding a pieball into the tunnel planned...

fresca

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

According to the junction maps on the NRA website, its N18 from Rossbrien west. Which also explains why it isnt M, as a short bit of M18 would be a bit daft.

is there a valid reason why it shall remain N18 from Rossbrien to the Shannon Interchange?
I would have thought that this section would be upgraded (even in name only) to M18.

it would seem a little strange to have a large "U" in the country ... dublin - nenagh - limerick - gort - galway - athlone - dublin, with a short section of N and the rest of M.
this, of course, when crusheen to tuam is completed...

Chris_5339762

Yes. From Shannon to the SRR #2 terminus is low grade DC with sub-par junctions, bad curvature and lots of direct housing access. It needs replacing completely but there are other priorities.

I'm guessing from Rossbrien to SRR#2 terminus will be N because there isnt much point having 5km of M, then 20km of N, then back to M again.

-Corkie-

Deedsie wrote: »

You would probably get a hammer through your back window.

Does anyone know when the emergency services simulation emergency is going ahead?

I would be thinking so and maybe a stanley through one of your bodily parts. It would be easier to dial 999 i think.

Carawaystick

fresca wrote: »

it would seem a little strange to have a large "U" in the country ... dublin - nenagh - limerick - gort - galway - athlone - dublin, with a short section of N and the rest of M.

The M7 only starts in Naas, not Dublin.

There is precedent for short stretches of Motorway, the originals of the M1 and M11 were less than 5km.

It's madness not to make roads that are high quality and have alternative routes Motorways, especially ones that have a 120 limit or are downright dangerous for non-motorised traffic - N22/N25 at Cork, N25 at Waterford etc.

etchyed

tech2 wrote: »

Interesting I thought they were starting that the a few days ago alright. I see there is signage up now on the mainline near st nessans overbridge, I know the project is the N7 but are the NRA thinking of renaming it the N18 from Rossbrien? Could someone confirm the route number up on the gantry?

In addition to the junction diagrams on the NRA website, as Chris pointed out above, there's also the fact that the junction numbers on the Ennis bypass start so high, the N19 junction being J9. This would also point to this scheme being named N18.

Tech3

etchyed wrote: »

In addition to the junction diagrams on the NRA website, as Chris pointed out above, there's also the fact that the junction numbers on the Ennis bypass start so high, the N19 junction being J9. This would also point to this scheme being named N18.

Thats a good point, we originally thought it may have been down to an N18 northern bypass of the city in the future but it seems that this scheme is going to open N18 which makes more sense than having it as the N7.

sonyair

lines in place on westbound

lukejr

sonyair wrote: »

lines in place on westbound

Great photos, where are they taken from, what overpass?

sonyair

I think its ballykeefe not sure but the road links fr russell rd to the dock rd

Chris_5339762

First pic has a blue sign in the (far) background I think?

marmurr1916

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

First pic has a blue sign in the (far) background I think?

Looks like a patched (i.e last signpost) motorway sign.

Tech3

Great photos may take a few not far from where I live anyway, I didnt realise it was lined and studded on one carriageway already! I see there is two lanes on the off ramp!!

The westbound photo is hard to take as you have to hop over a large gate to get near the overbridge. The hardshoulder looks like its not broken yellow although I know it may be continuous towards the exit.

First pic has a blue sign in the (far) background I think?

This is for the mainline approaching the M7 SRR phase 1. There is a sign at the other side of the bridge in the background facing the other way with green national primary route ADS. I'll check to see if it is labelled N7 or N18.

emfifty

sonyair wrote: »

lines in place on westbound

i thought this was the rossbrien interchange with 2 slip lanes going to m20? if not, it seems identical!:)

Tech3

emfifty wrote: »

i thought this was the rossbrien interchange with 2 slip lanes going to m20? if not, it seems identical!:)

Nope this is approaching the N69 Dock rd interchange westbound

lukejr

No this is the Dock Road interchange, see the map on the Limerick Tunnel website:
http://www.limericktunnel.com/RouteMap_N69Interchange.html

Tech3

I had a look over the Ballykeefe overbridge today, some wearing course is now being laid down on the eastbound carrigeway. The HS is also broken and not continuous further up from the N69 interchange on the westbound carriageway. I wonder is two lanes diverging off the mainline really necessary for the N69 interchange given that it approaches two roundabouts which would make it pointless.

fresca

Passed through limerick again on sat last.
Disappointed with the progress at the bottom of the dock road...
i thought roundabout would have progressed a bit more in the last 2 weeks...

kiwipower

tech2 wrote: »

I had a look over the Ballykeefe overbridge today, some wearing course is now being laid down on the eastbound carrigeway. The HS is also broken and not continuous further up from the N69 interchange on the westbound carriageway. I wonder is two lanes diverging off the mainline really necessary for the N69 interchange given that it approaches two roundabouts which would make it pointless.

I would think that as they will be closing the Rossbrien Inbound City traffic access from the M20 and jWest bound traffic on the M7 that they will need these two lanes for traffic entering the city during high traffic times.

mysterious

kiwipower wrote: »

I would think that as they will be closing the Rossbrien Inbound City traffic access from the M20 and jWest bound traffic on the M7 that they will need these two lanes for traffic entering the city during high traffic times.

Dock road is congested as it is. Its absaloutely ridiculous to push all the city bound traffic onto the Dock road. They should put an extral lane and slip off the M20 going north that joins to the Tunnel wesbound and let it branch off to the side and string along the greenhils road. Upgrade the Greenhills road to the Childers road then.

kiwipower

mysterious wrote: »

Dock road is congested as it is. Its absaloutely ridiculous to push all the city bound traffic onto the Dock road. They should put an extral lane and slip off the M20 going north that joins to the Tunnel wesbound and let it branch off to the side and string along the greenhils road. Upgrade the Greenhills road to the Childers road then.

I agree there should be access to the city from the Rosbrien interchange. I would not agree with putting all that traffic down the Greenhills road. I often cycle this road to get from Dooradoyle to the city, and this is already a very busy rat run, and is only going to be more so once the tunnel opens. It also goes down a very narrow road in the middle of a residential estate which is not ideal.
Personally I think there is plenty of room under the present by pass bridge to add an extra lane to the M20 northbound and have this come onto the small roundabout that traffic coming off the M7 Eastbound will use for city access. The support roads for this are already in place.
I suppose what is happening with the Dock road is that the powers that be are hoping that the Tunnel itself will take alot of the traiffic off the Dock Road as traffic not actually accessing the city centre will be able to avoid it all together by using the Tunnel.
As aside conspirisy theory maybe they are doing this on purpose to force more traffic to use the Tolled tunnel!

lukejr

The tunnel should take a lot of the traffic out of the city, which should free up the Dock Road and hopefully the Parkway roundabout too.

I guess we won't really know until the tunnel opens, hopefully the Nenagh to Limerick M7 will be open before it. Once both section are opened it should keep traffic on the motorway all the way around the city and under the Shannon, that's the plan anyway.

I passed the tie-in at the N18 at the weekend, still lots of activity no asphalt down yet from what I could see driving pass.

knipex

sonyair wrote: »

I think its ballykeefe not sure but the road links fr russell rd to the dock rd

Thats Blackberry lane. Turn off the dock road at the Limerick Private Hospital site (what ever happened that anyway) and takes you out on Fr. Russell Rd by Belvedere Court and Belvedere Lawn.

CerebralCortex

fresca wrote: »

Passed through limerick again on sat last.
Disappointed with the progress at the bottom of the dock road...
i thought roundabout would have progressed a bit more in the last 2 weeks...

Work on the Clonmacken road roundabout seems to be going at a terribly slow pace. They did so much now it just seems to have stopped!

Tech3

Wearing course now laid fully on the eastbound carriageway under the ballykeefe overbridge.

I know the gantry has been put up for J30(<M20) westbound for a while now but does anyone else agree on the poor location on where it has been installed. It's just after the R511 overbridge and difficult to see at the moment running around 50km/hr past it, it will be worse when road works have finished as the overbridge completely blocks the sign going 120km/hr.

Goofy

A load of tarmac has been laid at the N18 interchange today. Its only the first course, but still progress.

bacon&cabbage

tech2 wrote: »

Wearing course now laid fully on the eastbound carriageway under the ballykeefe overbridge.

I know the gantry has been put up for J30(<M20) westbound for a while now but does anyone else agree on the poor location on where it has been installed. It's just after the R511 overbridge and difficult to see at the moment running around 50km/hr past it, it will be worse when road works have finished as the overbridge completely blocks the sign going 120km/hr.

Yes I thought that too, terrible location. Though it looks like they are putting down foundations for another gantry before the over bridge at the minute.

As an aside, According to the new OSI Road atlas, the Rossbrien interchange Jn 30 will be M7. It will then be N18 after the last Rossbrien slip (west) all the way through the Shunnel.

Tech3

bacon&cabbage wrote: »

As an aside, According to the new OSI Road atlas, the Rossbrien interchange Jn 30 will be M7. It will then be N18 after the last Rossbrien slip (west) all the way through the Shunnel.

Interesting that it seems it will be named the N18 but it really makes sense to do so, I must get down to the mainline and have a look at that overhead gantry just east of st. nessans road overbridge. I tried looking at it from the Crescent shopping centre but it's pointing too north to see it. I must say from Rossbrien to the dock rd the road is very advanced, I'd hazard a guess of this opening during May surely?