N18 - Limerick Tunnel & South Ring Road Phase II

brainyneuron

Agent_99 wrote: »

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)

Haha I'm pretty much the same (though don't drive the road as much as you). Come from Cork and have been living in Galway nearly 3 years so drive the road about every 2 weeks. Has been great to see the progress of both road schemes (Limerick tunnel and Ennis bypass to Gort). Moving back to Cork in August/September though so won't be travelling the road very often after that! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

E10sr

In response to Veryangryman regarding bog between birdhill and limerick, they seem to be finally be making good progress on that section, even working sundays,photos can be seen elsewhere on tis website. indications are it will open this side of christmas

flyingsnail

I am not sure if this belongs in this thread or is already here, sorry if it is. I just got this letter.

Dear XXXX

Many residents in your area have complained to me about the severe traffic congestion on the Greenfield / Rossbrien road.

I have made strong representations to the National Roads Authority and they have agreed to provide €7 million to construct an exit off the M7 east of the intersection of the motorways near Carew park. This will allow traffic from Cork and Clare to enter the city on the Kilmallock Road and therefore, will alleviate the traffic flow on the Greenfields / Rossbrien Road.

Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further assistance with this or any other matter.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

Willie O'Dea TD

Zoney

That's a bit surprising and seems like NRA just throwing a bone to local complaints. Kilmallock road is almost at the Tipp Road and even more so than the Carew Park link, it doesn't go anywhere (the opposite side of the roundabout that the Kilmallock Road joins the Childers road at, is one way only *from* Mulgrave St.)

Really what was needed, even originally, was the Carew Park link to swing in behind what was Krups, behind the business park (i.e. in front of the houses that you see coming in that way) and join directly onto the Roxborough Roundabout (offering access either way along Childers Road or directly into city centre via Roxborough Road).

Tragedy

Kilmallock Road Junction? That's actually retarded, spending millions on a junction that leaves you 400m from the existing Junction.

Carew Park Links Rd should be the junction, no and's if's or but's. I used it for a year to access Mary I from the M/N7 and never had problems at any time of day.

limklad

flyingsnail wrote: »

I am not sure if this belongs in this thread or is already here, sorry if it is. I just got this letter.

Willie O' Dea wrote:

Dear XXXX

Many residents in your area have complained to me about the severe traffic congestion on the Greenfield / Rossbrien road.

I have made strong representations to the National Roads Authority and they have agreed to provide €7 million to construct an exit off the M7 east of the intersection of the motorways near Carew park. This will allow traffic from Cork and Clare to enter the city on the Kilmallock Road and therefore, will alleviate the traffic flow on the Greenfields / Rossbrien Road.

Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further assistance with this or any other matter.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

Willie O'Dea TD

Ever since they close off that access to Childers road. There is lots of Taxi's speeding down that road double the speed limit) at night. I was at the Old Crescent Club last Friday evening and could not believe the amount of Taxi's using that route at speed. I am surprise that there was no accidents as people leaving the old crescent club by the old road, as you have poor visibility of Traffic going towards Greenfields direction travelling at dangerous speed.

I am annoy that the Traffic Corps for not enforcing speed limits here. It is not a primary road or route.

rainbowdash

If it was upto me I would have built a road in roughly a straight line from Dublin to Ennis and when I got ~4/5's of the way I would have forked left and right in a Y shape and go straight to Limerick and Galway respectively, thus completing the Limerick-Galway, Limerick-Dublin and Galway-Dublin roads in one go.

I would also have avoided the bog of doom / mire of gloom and the need for a hugely costly tunnel under the Shannon.

Cookiemunster

Somebody should tell Willie that traffic coming from Clare will still be able to use the Carew Pk Link Rd when the tunnel opens. Talking through his ass again me thinks.
Personally I'm against this junction because traffic on this road is already crazy during the morning and evening rush hours. If you live in the Georgian Village area its hard enough to get onto the road as it is. With the kind of traffic that comes from the M20 it'll be impossible.

topper75

rainbowdash wrote: »

a road in roughly a straight line from Dublin to Ennis

Two words:

Lough
Derg

Carawaystick

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Somebody should tell Willie that traffic coming from Clare will still be able to use the Carew Pk Link Rd when the tunnel opens. Talking through his ass again me thinks.

I thought it's been widely reported that WIllie's memory is poor..... don't blame him. between forgetting to renew his license from the back of his ministerial limo to that other thing....

clon

Tunnel to open next Tuesday by Cowen 27th July.link to report in Limerick Leader.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/660m-Limerick-Tunnel-to-be.6428549.jp

Jayuu

clon wrote: »

Tunnel to open next Tuesday by Cowen 27th July.link to report in Limerick Leader.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/660m-Limerick-Tunnel-to-be.6428549.jp

Aren't we lucky he was available next Tuesday! God knows how long we would have had to wait otherwise. :rolleyes:

brainyneuron

clon wrote: »

Tunnel to open next Tuesday by Cowen 27th July.link to report in Limerick Leader.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/660m-Limerick-Tunnel-to-be.6428549.jp

Finally, a proper date! Thanks clon

veryangryman

brainyneuron wrote: »

Finally, a proper date! Thanks clon

Just in time for...drumroll...the races

Shades of M6 Kilb-Ath (2008) and M6 Ath-Balinasloe (2009)

I guess next year well have Gort-Tuam ready or one of the M20 schemes

The world still revolves around the Galway tent

Zoney

The fixed VMS was being tested today on the M20 and the Carew Park link (presume on the M7 also) - something along the line of "Traffic Queues at Tunnel".

munchkin_utd

veryangryman wrote: »

Just in time for...drumroll...the races

actually,
just in time for Cork playing Limerick in the Hurling championship in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening!

It'll be a good test of the capacity of the toll booths on its first full day of being open.

sonyair

So its the final countdown

danielmcinerney

why do we have to wait for cowen :mad: just open the thing now!

CerebralCortex

danielmcinerney wrote: »

why do we have to wait for cowen :mad: just open the thing now!

What does it say about FF voters?

kilburn

about time no start on the northern ring quick!

Cookiemunster

munchkin_utd wrote: »

actually,
just in time for Cork playing Limerick in the Hurling championship in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening!

Afraid not. Tunnel doesn't open till the 27th. Saturday's only the 24th.

limklad

munchkin_utd wrote: »

actually,
just in time for Cork playing Limerick in the Hurling championship in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening!

It'll be a good test of the capacity of the toll booths on its first full day of being open.

Limerick is already out of the Hurling Championship. Offaly beat the them the other week.
I am assuming you meant Football Qualifiers Round 4 match.
http://www.gaa.ie/fixtures-and-results/2170/fixtures/341/Cork/

Even if the Tunnel was open it still be traffic through the City as there seem to be alot of people already saying they are going to avoid the Toll.

Deedsie

limklad wrote: »

Limerick is already out of the Hurling Championship. Offaly beat the them the other week.
I am assuming you meant Football Qualifiers Round 4 match.
http://www.gaa.ie/fixtures-and-results/2170/fixtures/341/Cork/

Even if the Tunnel was open it still be traffic through the City as there seem to be alot of people already saying they are going to avoid the Toll.

On a match day? You'd be fair tight if you wouldn't pay the toll to avoid a traffic jam that could be avoided for €1.80. I understand people will avoid it 90% of the time but no one is going to boycott it completely

limklad

Deedsie wrote: »

On a match day? You'd be fair tight if you wouldn't pay the toll to avoid a traffic jam that could be avoided for €1.80. I understand people will avoid it 90% of the time but no one is going to boycott it completely

Nobody will be paying the Toll next Saturday. It now not officially open until Tuesday.
http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/660m-Limerick-Tunnel-to-be.6428549.jp

I never said they will completely boycott it.

Deedsie

Deedsie wrote: »

On a match day? You'd be fair tight if you wouldn't pay the toll to avoid a traffic jam that could be avoided for €1.80. I understand people will avoid it 90% of the time but no one is going to boycott it completely

limklad wrote: »

Nobody will be paying the Toll next Saturday. It now not officially open until Tuesday.
http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/660m-Limerick-Tunnel-to-be.6428549.jp

I never said they will completely boycott it.

I never said it was open on Saturday either. I am just making the point as much as people say they will avoid using it to escape the toll, it is almost impossible to know untill it is a part of the cities active infrastructure.

Bards

Looks like mid afternoon next Tuesday for traffic to start rolling beneath the Shannon

http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/shannon-tunnel-to-save-half-hour-travel-time-after-tuesday-opening-125625.html

extract from above "The plan is the Taoiseach Brian Cowen will open the new roadway next Tuesday at 1pm and we hope that traffic will begin to flow by mid-afternoon"

munchkin_utd

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Afraid not. Tunnel doesn't open till the 27th. Saturday's only the 24th.

woops.
Somehow i read it as opening on Friday next.

Agh well. My mistake.

topper75

Avoid the toll?!!

Time is money brothers and sisters!

If you are happy to give away a half hour (or hour both ways) of your life sitting in traffic to save €1.80 (€3.60), then your time is ridiculously cheap.

You can come work for me! I'll pay €3.60 per hour (well below min wage but that's our little secret).

Between time and fuel, you don't have to be a genius economist to see value in the toll.

rainbowdash

topper75 wrote: »

Avoid the toll?!!

Time is money brothers and sisters!

If you are happy to give away a half hour (or hour both ways) of your life sitting in traffic to save €1.80 (€3.60), then your time is ridiculously cheap.

You can come work for me! I'll pay €3.60 per hour (well below min wage but that's our little secret).

Between time and fuel, you don't have to be a genius economist to see value in the toll.

I travelled Dock Road - 2 Mile Inn in about 10 minutes recently during the middle of the day, at a time when there were roadworks ongoing and 100% of traffic was travelling the old route.

Lets say it would take 2 minutes to travell the section via the tunnel anyway and when the roadworks are gone (and traffic reduced due to some people using the tunnel) the time along the existing route would be ~8 minutes, then the tunnel saves about 6 minutes and even allowing for slightly heavier traffic say the tunnel saves 9 minutes. So thats €1.80 x 7 = €12.60 per hour and to take home €12.60 an hour you would need to earn about €16-€18 an hour.

Obviously at peak times if the old road is 20-30 minutes then yes use the tunnel, but late at night etc. I can't see the value of it.

Also bear in mind almost the entire Northside of Limerick (people working in Raheen and UL etc.) will have even smaller time savings as they will need to detour in the wrong direction to get to the tunnel entrance.

topper75

rainbowdash wrote: »

I travelled Dock Road - 2 Mile Inn in about 10 minutes recently during the middle of the day, at a time when there were roadworks ongoing and 100% of traffic was travelling the old route.

Lets say it would take 2 minutes to travell the section via the tunnel anyway and when the roadworks are gone (and traffic reduced due to some people using the tunnel) the time along the existing route would be ~8 minutes, then the tunnel saves about 6 minutes and even allowing for slightly heavier traffic say the tunnel saves 9 minutes. So thats €1.80 x 7 = €12.60 per hour and to take home €12.60 an hour you would need to earn about €16-€18 an hour.

Obviously at peak times if the old road is 20-30 minutes then yes use the tunnel, but late at night etc. I can't see the value of it.

Also bear in mind almost the entire Northside of Limerick (people working in Raheen and UL etc.) will have even smaller time savings as they will need to detour in the wrong direction to get to the tunnel entrance.

Let's say you built your whole premise on a freakish instance in the middle of the day when there was no traffic on the Dock Rd...:)

Most people are moving along the Dock Road in rush hour and a 20-30 minute delay is typical.

€3.60 x 5 = weekly spend of €18. You can get 3.5 to 5 hours of your life back for that. Good deal to me.