N18 - Limerick Tunnel & South Ring Road Phase II

The Word Is Bor

No HS in the tunnel itself.

The section from Rossbrien to Dooradoyle (and probably Dock Road) will be surfaced by June but I'm not sure that it will be open to traffic.

Tech3

The Word Is Bor wrote: »

No HS in the tunnel itself.

The section from Rossbrien to Dooradoyle (and probably Dock Road) will be surfaced by June but I'm not sure that it will be open to traffic.

The new road wont be accessable until the whole road from the dock road junction to rossbrien is completely built as there is no junction between these.

Limerick- Nenagh tie in with phase 1 of the bypass seems to be taking ages to completed. Was passing the junction a few days ago and not much progress have been made from a few months ago.

mysterious

It's not acceptable for the contractos at this stage to go at that pace. It's absurd.


You wanna know who signed this contractor. Martin Cullen, the tool of all problems. Martin Cullen is literally a joke wherever he goes and whatever he does..

But can't the government sack this contractor and actually get a contractor that will finish this route in this decade. It's really not acceptable. This start way back in 2006 ffs. When all schemes were been built fast and on time if not way ahead of time.

Irish and Proud

tech2 wrote: »

Btw anyone around the Limerick area can find this as a pullout on the free limerickindependent.

Looking inside the tunnel it doesnt look as if there is enough space for dual carriageway?

I will try and get a few photos of the scheme in the next few weeks hopefully.

AFAIK, that's just one bore!

Regards!

Irish and Proud

The Word Is Bor wrote: »

No HS in the tunnel itself.

I'm not sure if it was the EIS, but I read that the tunnel was to be capable of accommodating 3 lanes each way when required. Like the M1 Boyne Bridge, that would be provision for 2 lanes + H/S each way initially.

Regards!

Zoney

Some photos of the bridge over the SRR at Dooradoyle for the R526 St. Nessan's Road. Traffic will be using this shortly - the final surface has been applied to the bridge, and the tie-ins either side are nearly (half) complete. Once traffic is on the bridge, the remaining existing road can be dug up to construct the remain half of the ramps either side.

Apologies for the poor cameraphone quality and JPEG compression. Also two crude photo edits to judiciously remove middle-of-frame poles.

View from Dooradoyle Road roundabout (Crescent shopping centre to the right):


View from Dooradoyle Road side of rbout (Dooradoyle Road has a link to N20 junction 1):


View of bridge from shopping centre car park, note the railway locomotive emerging from under the bridge - this is the Mungret line which has a level crossing on the existing St. Nessan's Road (such as remains for the next couple of days). Nice timing There is a slip off the ramp into the shopping centre carpark - just off frame to the left.


View of the southwest ramp. There is a bus bay just to the right, and the aforementioned slip is where the red car is. The dooradoyle roundabout is behind the vantage point of the photo. Note the temporary lane markings and studs for diverting both lanes of traffic over the complete half of the ramp. The work on the right of the frame appears to be a hatch that was installed at an incorrect level (the supports and so on were built before the surface) and is now being re-installed. This would be utilities previously under the footpath of the old road - not sure why they weren't fully diverted.


View on existing St. Nessan's Road of the bridge and diversion under. The northeastern bridge ramp sits right where the old road used to be - until last week the traffic was diverted to the left of this in the photo (while the initial diverting of Ballinacurra Creek and construction of the bridge took place). The diversion is now replaced by the embankment beside the bridge ramp. The track further left is the new works access for SRR at this point (SRR still to be built under bridge once the traffic is diverted over it).


View of the SRR mainline taking form to the west - the Ballinacurra Creek is just on the left edge of the frame.


View of the Ballinacurra Creek to the east - it was diverted further south, just at the point seen just below the orange mesh in the frame. It's a bit of a sorrier sight than it even was before.


View of the bridge from the east, and the traffic diversion beneath - where the SRR mainline will be constructed. Mungret railway line is under the furthest span in the frame, the creek is in a culvert.


View of SRR mainline to the east.


Northeastern end of the bridge - there is a junction with the South Circular Road immediately left of the frame - complicating matters just a tad! The surface and pavement is pretty much entirely tied in on the northern side of the ramp - just left of frame.

mysterious

Could they not put a slip here from the ring road to the Crescent? which ever section of access road closed at Rossbrien, could be put here. This would ease the Dock and Rossbrien road slightly. Also it ease the amount of traffic currently using the Dooradoyle road as a rat run to get to The Crescent and Hospital from the existing interchange on the SRR to St. nessans road at present.

Zoney

Traffic can access the Crescent via N20 junction 1 (next junction after SRR) and the R926 (N20 link road and Dooradoyle Road). This has worked very well with the present roads - the R926 outside the shopping centre is four lanes wide with cycle lanes. Providing slips at the R526 St. Nessan's Road would simply bog up the southern ring road - which is designed to bypass the city - not facilitate people hopping around doing their shopping.

However, to directly answer the question - it isn't really feasible due to the creek and the railway. You'd have to place the slip on top of a lengthy culvert for the creek, and there would be the cost, messiness and impracticality of a level crossing over the railway. If it were to link into the R526 rather than just the car park, you'd also have to mess around with more embankments and in that case, some kind of flyover contraption over the railway - with who knows what over the creek to bring the slip back down to SRR mainline level.

Thank goodness for the impracticality. National routes are not access routes for developments - that's what a comprehensive network of R and L roads should be for! Admittedly we are lacking in such regional arteries in many cities and towns around the country - but as I pointed out, the R926, being partly a new N20 link and partly a substantially upgraded road, plays this role reasonably in this case.


Google maps link to the area in question.

Tech3

I cant wait until traffic can cross that bridge. The new traffic layout has caused a lot of congestion lately in the raheen area. I guess work on the mainline should start once traffic can cross over. Btw theres no room whatsoever for a slip road near the crescent well on the northbound carriageway at least.

Chris_533976

I cant wait until traffic can bypass Limerick altogether

Amtmann

Realistically, when will all this be complete? Looking forward to using the tunnel and the M18 to Gort. Q2 2010 for the tunnel and Q3 2010 for the G-C scheme?

Tech3

It really is hard to judge when N7 tunnel phase 2 will be completed. Very hard to access any of the mainline to see what progress is being actually done on it. Wouldnt be far off the original Q4 2010 in my opinion. There is a lot of visible work to do yet ie. tie in with current N18, rossbrien free flow, dock road junction still has a lot of work to be done. G-C might even finish before it as the pace of constuction on that scheme is incredible at the moment.

Amtmann

tech2 wrote: »

G-C might even finish before it as the pace of constuction on that scheme is incredible at the moment.

Based on what we've seen so far, I wouldn't be surprised if G-C was finished by June 2010. It would be great if the two schemes opened around the same time, but obviously the sooner the tunnel is completed the better.

Tech3

Furet wrote: »

Based on what we've seen so far, I wouldn't be surprised if G-C was finished by June 2010. It would be great if the two schemes opened around the same time, but obviously the sooner the tunnel is completed the better.

It wouldnt be a suprise to me if they did finish the same quarter judging on the progress of both schemes. Also if the gort-tuam PPP was funded for around that same period there would be a few happy people around this forum

mysterious

Zoney wrote: »

Traffic can access the Crescent via N20 junction 1 (next junction after SRR) and the R926 (N20 link road and Dooradoyle Road). This has worked very well with the present roads - the R926 outside the shopping centre is four lanes wide with cycle lanes. Providing slips at the R526 St. Nessan's Road would simply bog up the southern ring road - which is designed to bypass the city - not facilitate people hopping around doing their shopping.

However, to directly answer the question - it isn't really feasible due to the creek and the railway. You'd have to place the slip on top of a lengthy culvert for the creek, and there would be the cost, messiness and impracticality of a level crossing over the railway. If it were to link into the R526 rather than just the car park, you'd also have to mess around with more embankments and in that case, some kind of flyover contraption over the railway - with who knows what over the creek to bring the slip back down to SRR mainline level.

Thank goodness for the impracticality. National routes are not access routes for developments - that's what a comprehensive network of R and L roads should be for! Admittedly we are lacking in such regional arteries in many cities and towns around the country - but as I pointed out, the R926, being partly a new N20 link and partly a substantially upgraded road, plays this role reasonably in this case.


Google maps link to the area in question.

Well I understand that, It just that I was hoping for more direct access to surrounding roads, since MandS are going ahead and the crescent is expanding. I think An bord plenala gave it permission. I'm ok with the crescent gaining expansion since it attracts shoppers from all over Munstter and MandS is needed. I don't the crescent expansion is a problem, just the traffic it generates. Could they build a road from the Dooradoyle RO and behind the existing Dooradoyle estates to the back of the Shopping centre as a dedicated road only for the S.C?? There is plenty of land to do it.

mysterious

tech2 wrote: »

I cant wait until traffic can cross that bridge. The new traffic layout has caused a lot of congestion lately in the raheen area. I guess work on the mainline should start once traffic can cross over. Btw theres no room whatsoever for a slip road near the crescent well on the northbound carriageway at least.

I was just wondering, I wasn't hopiing for an interchange here, I was just thinking could they allow inbound access from DC to St Nessans road only, where traffic from the current N20 will be now stopped into town. So all the current traffic that comes up from the N20 wont all jam at that horrible interchange at Dock road.

Poxyshamrock

Anyone know if the new flyover is open yet?

Zoney

Apparently it is: AA roadwatch post.

Amtmann

Will the tunnel be renamed closer to opening (much like the Jack Lynch Tunnel was)?

Zoney

Views of the SRR phase 2 mainline from the top of the St. Nessan's Road (R526) bridge (sorry for the poor quality - mobile phone):

View to the west (Cement Works in the distance, and yet again, photo just as a cement train was going under the bridge - you can just about spot the orange of the IÉ loco).


View to the east (Ballinacurra Creek on the right - the entire straight bank on the left is new - the water course followed the line of the part of the creek seen further back).

The Word Is Bor

mysterious wrote: »

Well I understand that, It just that I was hoping for more direct access to surrounding roads, since MandS are going ahead and the crescent is expanding. I think An bord plenala gave it permission. I'm ok with the crescent gaining expansion since it attracts shoppers from all over Munstter and MandS is needed. I don't the crescent expansion is a problem, just the traffic it generates. Could they build a road from the Dooradoyle RO and behind the existing Dooradoyle estates to the back of the Shopping centre as a dedicated road only for the S.C?? There is plenty of land to do it.

Traffic in the area is already very bad with the current shopping centre layout. Expansion will create further headaches. But then again it's not like Limerick Co Co did a deal with the CSC to build anything, is it? I don't think planning is going to be too much hassle.

BTW there is no room to build a road from the existing RAB off N20/N21 junction to the CSC without incurring significant costs and planning/environmental issues. The railway line runs parallel with the shopping centre and Kilteragh housing estate until it almost reaches the Rosbrien Road to the north of the entrance to Old Crescent RFC. The only available space would be between the railway line and the creek which would terminate onto Rosbrien which has about 10-15 houses fronting directly onto it. See attached.

Carawaystick

Furet wrote: »

Will the tunnel be renamed closer to opening (much like the Jack Lynch Tunnel was)?

There was talk some time ( 2 or 3 or so years if I remember correctly) about calling it after Dev by a FF councillor while some less partisan commentator reckoned Richard Harris should get his name on it

T'd be hard to see a non-confrontational politician name for the tunnel, Jack Lynch may have been a FF Toiseach but was a Cork Legend and dual AI medal winner before hand.

You'ld have to satisfy the banner and treaty boys. The M1 Bridge is just the Boyne Bridge.(Louth/Meath) I'd put my notional money on
"The Shannon Tunnel"

mysterious

My drawing of a new dooradoyle road that will give direct access to the Cresencent. This would also relieve the Doordoyle housing areas. It will also relieve much congestion at the Crescent entrance and the roundabout on St. Nessans road.

The Blue is the motorway.
The red is my proposed road
The Red dotted line, future possible connections to other arteries.
The red/beige dotted line is the city link off the N20, that will be serrogated off the Existing Rossbrien interchange. going NB.

My route allows the N20 to access the city directly and not have to naviagate to the Dock road. Which is a mess.

Zoney

mysterious:

First off - your route merely duplicates the existing route in yellow - the R926 (note, not just a local road, but a bona-fide R road, and of a proper urban arterial route standard).

Second - the aerial photos are out of date. The Ballinacurra Creek has been diverted further south, as I previously pointed out. There is not any room between it and the railway for a road - so your dotted route is absolutely not possible (nevermind that it finished at a point where the R526 is up on a bridge).

Third - the land you have drawn the route on is at or below the water level - just as with the SRR, you would have to have earthworks first, and that would increase the cross-section width of the route. This would make it a far more expensive proposition.

Fourth - you have three railway crossings. None of these would be in a situation where a level crossing would be very feasible (due to road elevation and corners). Even as level crossings though there would be significant expense and planning/consultation involved.

Fifth - the red route begins on the playing fields of Old Crescent. Just a slight little situation to be resolved there - might cause controversy and cost a little money to move an established club!

Sixth - what purpose does the beige/red dotted line serve that the Greenfields Road doesn't?

Final conclusions - an absolutely barmy piece of map drawing with no grounding whatsoever in reality! With the existing R926 road, there is absolutely *ZERO* point to any other road connection between N20 J1 and the Crescent/R526!

Chris_533976

Heres some apalling pics taken out of the bus window the other day -

N18 tie in



Clonmacken link (blurred )



Rossbrien from afar -



Looking towards Rossbrien from the south -

Chris_533976

Got the bus back today

South part of Rossbrien ->



North part of Rossbrien ->



(Impossible to take good pics from a bus window)


Clonmacken link road ->



Approaching N18 tie-in



N18 tie-in

smashingred

Is it just me or do the photographs on the limericktunnel website need to be updated?
Sure they provide the newsletter @ quarterly intervals but alot of the photographs look a year or two old.

Tech3

Heres an update on the mainline of the N7 southern ring road. Its basically the most advanced section of mainline I've seen of the route thus far. The bridge in the background is the loopy crescent overbridge. Im looking eastbound. I have others but there really crap. Will get better ones in a few days.

Zoney

That bridge at the Crescent looks nice from far back, and it does the job, but walking across it on a windy day recently it was very serious effort involved. It seems the wind flies straight up over it and down again the other side - it's like walking up a wind tunnel. And that's with half of it not yet completed - it will surely be worse once the ramp is finished and the other solid barrier put up.

Not to mention the veritable mountain it presents for anyone who has a buggy, is elderly, etc.

I'm not at all sure there won't be trouble over this bridge.

Also it's very dodgy crossing the off-ramp for the Crescent - coming down from the bridge if you go to the crossing position, you can't see traffic behind you (that may or may not be turning) due to the crash barrier. Not to mention that with the steep decline and sharp turn, there should be a barrier between traffic and pedestrians on the footpath on the outer curve of the off-ramp, in case someone hits it too fast and flies off onto the pavement.

Tech3

Zoney wrote: »

Also it's very dodgy crossing the off-ramp for the Crescent - coming down from the bridge if you go to the crossing position, you can't see traffic behind you (that may or may not be turning) due to the crash barrier. Not to mention that with the steep decline and sharp turn, there should be a barrier between traffic and pedestrians on the footpath on the outer curve of the off-ramp, in case someone hits it too fast and flies off onto the pavement.

Exactly . It will looks great on the mainline same could be said while actually driving across the bridge. A lad at work at work thought it was a temporary job until I told him its going to be like that permanently! He still thought I was joking.

Btw the bridge I took the pic is on the road turnoff for the private hospital on the dock road and you come across the bridge. It takes you to father russell road. Strange that little road isint on google maps!