N22 - Macroom to Ballyvourney (Macroom Bypass) [open to traffic]

serfboard

chalkitdown1 wrote: »

Is the end game (in however many decades it's gonna be) to link up Cork and Kilarney via motorway?

Not motorway, but Dual Carriageway, and not all the way, AFAIK.

After Macroom to Ballyvourney is done, the big gap then will be Ovens to Macroom. That's scheduled for Dual Carriageway (and that's enough for it).

After that the road is quite good for most of it until you hit Killarney. AFAIK Killarney is due for a proper Dual Carriageway bypass (which should have been built in the first place instead of that awful relief road that's there now).

North of Killarney I'll leave for others to answer.

chalkitdown1 wrote: »

Odd that they're putting a roundabout at Coolcour if that's the overall plan since it would have to be removed again to keep the motorway uninturrupted. But as I said this is decades away so they probably don't give a shíte.

This isn't odd at all - it's happening all over the country. There are two reasons for the roundabout - one it's much, much cheaper. And two, towns lobby for it anyway, becuase they think (incorrectly, IMO) that passing traffic is more likely to stop in the town if there is a roundabout.

When Ovens->Macroom is built, this will be replaced, but as you say that's probably not for a decade or two.

marno21

chalkitdown1 wrote: »

Is the end game (in however many decades it's gonna be) to link up Cork and Kilarney via motorway? Is it actually feasible? The road immediately after this upgrade on the Kerry side would probably be easy to upgrade since it's so wide already.

Odd that they're putting a roundabout at Coolcour if that's the overall plan since it would have to be removed again to keep the motorway uninturrupted. But as I said this is decades away so they probably don't give a shíte.

Next up after this is the 22km Killarney to Farranfore scheme which is 2+2 dual carriageway from the Cork side of Killarney to the Tralee side of Farranfore.

Then it’s a dual carriageway (likely motorway) from the end of the Macroom bypass for the N22 at Ovens. Traffic volumes along here, at the eastern end anyway, are high enough to justify motorway grade road

Quackster

chalkitdown1 wrote: »

Is the end game (in however many decades it's gonna be) to link up Cork and Kilarney via motorway? Is it actually feasible? The road immediately after this upgrade on the Kerry side would probably be easy to upgrade since it's so wide already.

Odd that they're putting a roundabout at Coolcour if that's the overall plan since it would have to be removed again to keep the motorway uninturrupted. But as I said this is decades away so they probably don't give a shíte.

No, that's not the plan. HQDC will run from Cork only as far as that roundabout outside Macroom.

serfboard

marno21 wrote: »

Then it’s a dual carriageway (likely motorway) from the end of the Macroom bypass for the N22 at Ovens. Traffic volumes along here, at the eastern end anyway, are high enough to justify motorway grade road

The only counter at the Eastern end is just at the end of the Ballincollig bypass and that was 22K last year.

Fair enough. But further along the road between Lissarda and Macroom was only 13.6K. I'm all for the "build it once and build it right" philosophy, but I won't be surprised if that section is not motorway.

marno21

serfboard wrote: »

The only counter at the Eastern end is just at the end of the Ballincollig bypass and that was 22K last year.

Fair enough. But further along the road between Lissarda and Macroom was only 13.6K. I'm all for the "build it once and build it right" philosophy, but I won't be surprised if that section is not motorway.

Indeed the section from Ovens to the Coachford turnoff is above the volumes required for a 2+2 dual carriageway (2+2 tops out at 20k)

However, a good chunk of potential N22 traffic currently avoids the N22 and uses alternative routes instead. By the time the Macroom and Killarney bypasses open, you’ll see a near universal switch of Kerry origin traffic to the N22 route, which will drive up traffic volumes. By then I can see Farnanes-Macroom traffic approaching the limit for a 2+2 and at that stage it would be planned as a Type 1 when forecasted growth is taken into account

Chris_5339762

Also, when a nice new dual carriageway meets the old road, it is much better to put a roundabout in to stop traffic rather than have them directly driving onto the old road at high speed.

Remember the fun and games at the N11 gap when the motorway ran into the old road and down a hill to the turnoff at Jack Whites, it was dreadful, and there were many accidents.

cantalach

neddynasty wrote: »

Any particular reason the new road is going north of Macroom? Looking at the route map if it was south of Macroom it would be more direct. I presume it's to do with terrain.

Yes, very steep hills immediately south of Macroom. It’s known as the Sleeveen (lit. “little mountain”) so that tells you something. Also, by running to the north of Macroom the new road can have a junction with the busy Macroom to Millstreet road.

Water John

neddynasty wrote: »

Any particular reason the new road is going north of Macroom? Looking at the route map if it was south of Macroom it would be more direct. I presume it's to do with terrain.

IWT it's to do with keeping away from The Gearagh. It would have been relatively easy to go out the Inchigeela road or even cut through the land of Coolcower House. and up through Raleigh.

cantalach

Water John wrote: »

IWT it's to do with keeping away from The Gearagh. It would have been relatively easy to go out the Inchigeela road or even cut through the land of Coolcower House. and up through Raleigh.

Yes, sorry, that detail was just assumed in my response. Running a new dual carriageway along or close to the Gearagh would never fly (and rightly so). So the only alternative if they wanted to go south of Macroom was to go up, up, up.

KOR101

Minister for Health Simon Harris has confirmed that construction workers will not be considered “essential” workers for the duration of the crisis.

On Newstalk Breakfast with Susan Keogh this morning, he said construction workers will only be permitted to continue at work if they are building something that is essential to the pandemic.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/coronavirus-travel-beyond-2km-permitted-for-food-shopping-1.4214927

TeaPot918

This road is cursed

Aontachtoir

TeaPot918 wrote: »

This road is cursed

It's okay, contracts are signed and construction is already underway. The M20, on the other hand....

marno21

Works to resume on May 18th.

http://www.n22bbm.ie/

damian01211

Road Closure - L3424 Cooleyhane Rd Macroom from Monday 25th May to Monday 22nd June 2020 to facilitate earthworks on Cooleyhane Underbridge N22 Road Scheme

Off we go!

theguzman

damian01211 wrote: »

Off we go!

Is that the backroad bohereen where you turn down left at the Garda station which has turned into a rat run in recent years to partially avoid the town?

marno21

theguzman wrote: »

Is that the backroad bohereen where you turn down left at the Garda station which has turned into a rat run in recent years to partially avoid the town?

Yes.

I drove down there about an hour ago and it's ready for action, they are at the point now where they need to close the road as all the earthworks off road have been completed.

marno21

VMS now erected westbound at the Four Mile Bridge and eastbound at the Lissivigeen Roundabout in Killarney warning of the Mill Rd closure beginning Monday.

Jons crews in full swing at the Mill Road earthworks, the Lainey crossing and the area in between. Crews out also at the Millstreet Road interchange.

yerwanthere123

Great to see things getting up and running again. At the very least with the reduced traffic on the road it'll mean there'll be less people getting disrupted.

marno21

Detailed drawings of the scheme from the EIS: https://www.corkrdo.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/N22-Baile-Bhuirne-to-Macroom_EIS_Volume-3-Part1-Pages-7-31-Fig-5.pdf

Useful for those like me who are currently driving through the route wondering what's going where.

DumbBrunette

Looking closely at the route, it's quite a complex build. How long is the contract period?

marno21 wrote: »

Detailed drawings of the scheme from the EIS: https://www.corkrdo.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/N22-Baile-Bhuirne-to-Macroom_EIS_Volume-3-Part1-Pages-7-31-Fig-5.pdf

Useful for those like me who are currently driving through the route wondering what's going where.

aisling86

marno21 wrote: »

Detailed drawings of the scheme from the EIS: https://www.corkrdo.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/N22-Baile-Bhuirne-to-Macroom_EIS_Volume-3-Part1-Pages-7-31-Fig-5.pdf

Useful for those like me who are currently driving through the route wondering what's going where.

Thanks a million for this. Such old maps none of the newer estates etc on them..

It was only yesterday I noticed them come up over the hill from coleyhane towards kilnagurteen.

marno21

DumbBrunette wrote: »

Looking closely at the route, it's quite a complex build. How long is the contract period?

Indeed it’s a very complex build - from looking at it on the ground this was my exact thought. They have managed to squeeze the dual carriageway through some pretty tough terrain which is very impressive in places.

I believe it’s 3-3.5 years. Some of the parts around Ballyvourney (look at that cutting near the western end) will take ages to do.

It’ll be a seriously impressive scheme to drive when complete. Macroom has been waiting for a bypass for a long time but any attempt at one pre 2010 would have been a lot more half baked than this.

Cork Trucker

That’s impressive. 25 pages of great reading there. Constructing it isn’t for the faint hearted by the looks of it but I haven’t seen the site since they broke ground. The biggest disappointment is that Macroom to Ovens isn’t being done with it.

marno21

Cork Trucker wrote: »

That’s impressive. 25 pages of great reading there. Constructing it isn’t for the faint hearted by the looks of it but I haven’t seen the site since they broke ground. The biggest disappointment is that Macroom to Ovens isn’t being done with it.

Indeed. Macroom-Ovens has been grand the past few weeks but as life returns to normal it’s starting to come under pressure again. Especially all the agri vehicles on the sections with no overtaking.

It’ll be very impressive when complete. The section bypassing Macroom around the old Mill will be interesting to watch them build. Very tight space.

Pete_Cavan

Cork Trucker wrote: »

The biggest disappointment is that Macroom to Ovens isn’t being done with it.

For someone not familiar with the route, is it possible that the section to Ovens can take a more direct more northerly route crossing the Lee or will it have to go as far south as the current road?

marno21

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

For someone not familiar with the route, is it possible that the section to Ovens can take a more direct more northerly route crossing the Lee or will it have to go as far south as the current road?

Route selection done in 2002 had it going largely parallel to the current N22 with a divergence for a few km west of Ovens

The terrain north of the Lee is fairly difficult would be my guess as to why the southern routing was chosen.

Linking up with the R585 would be useful also (although if a long term primary route to Bantry and SW Cork is being chosen I’d pick the R586)

serfboard

marno21 wrote: »

They have managed to squeeze the dual carriageway through some pretty tough terrain which is very impressive in places.

Yeah, anyone who drives the existing road knows how difficult the terrain is around there. In one way, I'm kind of amazed that it's going ahead at all ...

yerwanthere123

May be too specific of a question, but does anyone here know the L3415 road, the one linking Codrum and Clondrohid? It can be seen on the map West of the town where Clonfadda is. From the map it can be seen the new bypass will go through this road, I'm just wondering will it literally be built through this road or will it be via flyovers etc.? Find it hard to read that document.

marno21

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

May be too specific of a question, but does anyone here know the L3415 road, the one linking Codrum and Clondrohid? It can be seen on the map West of the town where Clonfadda is. From the map it can be seen the new bypass will go through this road, I'm just wondering will it literally be built through this road or will it be via flyovers etc.? Find it hard to read that document.

The local road will pass over the new N22 mainline on an overbridge at this location.

yerwanthere123

marno21 wrote: »

The local road will pass over the new N22 mainline on an overbridge at this location.

Ah I see. So the road I'm talking about will be no more after the bypass?