N18 - Limerick Tunnel & South Ring Road Phase II

Txatxu Urki

Passed the clonmacken side about 6.30 pm, no activity and still very much closed up.

swoofer

I must admit I cant wait for that tunnel to open, another bottleneck by passed, oh the joy of motoring gets better and better, ennis gone, loughrea, clarecastle, etc soon crusheen, wont know what to do with myself with all this free time.

gb--

highlydebased

All of the cones where the fly-over at the cratloe roundabout where it merges with the Shannon dual carraigeway have been removed. Has to be soon!

macbog

Neon-Circles wrote: »

All of the cones where the fly-over at the cratloe roundabout where it merges with the Shannon dual carraigeway have been removed. Has to be soon!

Do you think it will open tomorrow . Can't wait

macbog

Does anybody think they might delay the opening of the tunnel until the section of the M7 through the bog is complete ? After paying your €1.80 toll you have to leave the motorway at Anacotty and travel for 10km on a two way road before joining the motorway again . Am I talking through hat ?

TestTransmission

macbog wrote: »

Does anybody think they might delay the opening of the tunnel until the section of the M7 through the bog is complete ? After paying your €1.80 toll you have to leave the motorway at Anacotty and travel for 10km on a two way road before joining the motorway again . Am I talking through hat ?

That could be months away,why would they do that?

brainyneuron

Any change this morning?

Neon-Circles wrote: »

All of the cones where the fly-over at the cratloe roundabout where it merges with the Shannon dual carraigeway have been removed. Has to be soon!

Really? So whats stopping people going up on the flyover?

highlydebased

brainyneuron wrote: »

Any change this morning?



Really? So whats stopping people going up on the flyover?

There are concrete barriers on the start of the flyover now

L1011

macbog wrote: »

Does anybody think they might delay the opening of the tunnel until the section of the M7 through the bog is complete ? After paying your €1.80 toll you have to leave the motorway at Anacotty and travel for 10km on a two way road before joining the motorway again . Am I talking through hat ?

Yes.

The 1.80 is for the tunnel scheme alone. It is none of their concern what is going on at Annaholty.

TestTransmission

Update

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/were-not-delaying-shannon-tunnel-opening-for-ministers-says-company-125420.html

pajoguy

Next friday is so. Cant wait.

Agent_99

I have been working in Shannon and live in East Limerick for the past 2 years, I have had to put up with road works, cones, single lane traffic and drivers who don't know how merging traffic systems work, Traffic lights pedestrians that launch themselves in front of the car trying to cross the road.

I have handed my notice in leaving next month Just when there is light at the end of the tunnel (no pun intended)

phog

TestTransmission wrote: »

Update

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/were-not-delaying-shannon-tunnel-opening-for-ministers-says-company-125420.html

The Irishexaminer also stated that it would open yesterday, so now I'll really wait and see.

ItHurtsWhenIP

Is there some reason why it has to open on a Friday? If the paperwork is done by Wednesday, why not open then? They're obviously not waiting for a Minister:rolleyes:, so what's the problem?

macbog

TestTransmission wrote: »

That could be
months away,why would they do that?

Because it is all the M7 . They were working on that bog section today and there seem's to be a push on to get it finished .

TestTransmission

macbog wrote: »

Because it is all the M7 .

eh,no it's not.
They are 2 completely different schemes,they won't delay the opening of the bypass/tunnel because they are still working on the M7 :rolleyes:

Iamhere

macbog wrote: »

Because it is all the M7 . They were working on that bog section today and there seem's to be a push on to get it finished .

The Tunnel is the N18...

macbog

Iamhere wrote: »

The Tunnel is the N18...

Yes but after the Rosbrien interchange its the M7

macbog

TestTransmission wrote: »

eh,no it's not.
They are 2 completely different schemes,they won't delay the opening of the bypass/tunnel because they are still working on the M7 :rolleyes:

I hope your right , but the N18 tunnel does lead on to the M7 there could be road safety issues here .

Stark

Eh, there are opened sections of M7 on both sides of the bog section. What difference is the N18 going to make?

Jayuu

And M7 > Limerick journeys have to pay the toll at Port Laoise even though they only have a few more miles of motorway at that point. The fact that another section of road is not developed will play no part in the opening decision.

macbog

Stark wrote: »

Eh, there are opened sections of M7 on both sides of the bog section. What difference is the N18 going to make?

Eh, a greater volume of traffic .

swoofer

the latest from Clare People

"he operators of the Shannon tunnel say its opening was not delayed because of the unavailability of Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to perform the ceremony in Limerick yesterday. It was expected that the new €660 road linking Clare to the new M7 motorway would be open for traffic this week-end but this has been delayed for at least a week. According to Tom King of Direct Route, who will operate the tunnel for the next 31 years, the opening was not delayed to facilitate government ministers. "This is the first tunnel to go through the very strict safety regulations now in place and I'm confident this should be completed early next week. In all likelihood, we are looking at opening it on Friday of next week", he said.

SO FRIDAY 23RD IS MY BET

gb--

Amtmann

macbog wrote: »

Eh, a greater volume of traffic .

macbog, the Limerick-Nenagh section of the M7 will have NO bearing whatsoever on the opening of the Shannon Tunnel. Stop trying to argue otherwise; you're wrong, and you're bordering on soapboxing, which is an infractable offense under the forum's charter.

GBCULLEN wrote: »

the latest from Clare People

"he operators of the Shannon tunnel say its opening was not delayed because of the unavailability of Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to perform the ceremony in Limerick yesterday. It was expected that the new €660 road linking Clare to the new M7 motorway would be open for traffic this week-end but this has been delayed for at least a week. According to Tom King of Direct Route, who will operate the tunnel for the next 31 years

That's quite a commitment Tom King has made. :rolleyes:

knipex

macbog wrote: »

Eh, a greater volume of traffic .

How ?

Will traffic passing through the tunnel be cloned or replicated ?

The amount of cars on the M7 will be the same, just because they pass through the tunnel does not suddenly mean the numbers will change.

Deedsie

knipex wrote: »

How ?

Will traffic passing through the tunnel be cloned or replicated ?

The amount of cars on the M7 will be the same, just because they pass through the tunnel does not suddenly mean the numbers will change.

I know loads of people from Ennis who use the N6 to travel to Dublin. There reasoning is to avoid Limerick city. That could increase the numbers using the M7.

rainbowdash

Deedsie wrote: »

I know loads of people from Ennis who use the N6 to travel to Dublin. There reasoning is to avoid Limerick city. That could increase the numbers using the M7.

But once Gort is bypassed then the pendulum swings back towards the M6.

veryangryman

rainbowdash wrote: »

But once Gort is bypassed then the pendulum swings back towards the M6.

Not necessarily. Travellers would still need to use the god-awful N66 and Loughrea link road and even then have to endure 2 tolls

A finished M7 would result in 2 tolls BUT with the added advantage of DC all the way from start to finish

That said, the M7 will not be complete for (id imagine) another year - possibly more with that bloody bog near birdhill

serfboard

veryangryman wrote: »

Not necessarily. Travellers would still need to use the god-awful N66 and Loughrea link road and even then have to endure 2 tolls

If you are using the M6 I would have thought N66->Loughrea then (old and presumably now empty N6) R446 to M6/J15 (Ballinalsoe West) would be better - then you'd only have to pay one toll.

I think if I was traveling from Ennis to Dublin though, I'd use the tunnel, and pay the two tolls.

knipex

Deedsie wrote: »

I know loads of people from Ennis who use the N6 to travel to Dublin. There reasoning is to avoid Limerick city. That could increase the numbers using the M7.

I grew up in West Clare and always used the Limerick route (Via Ennis) when travelling to Dublin. In the last few years this has changed (according to family members) as the quality of the road via Galway has improved. Passing through Limerick didn't make a huge difference as outside of rush hour the delay wasn't too bad.

I don't see the tunnel (with the added toll) making a big impact on the decision. If the rest of the M7 was finished then perhaps but not as it stands.