M8 motorway (general thread)

Nuttzz

what is the current dublin - cork off peak journey time? Anyone done it recently?

BluntGuy

Just a few observations I made when travelling the N8 today:

As most of us know, the N8 between Dunkettle and Watergrasshill is being prepared for redesignation. I noticed that in addition to "end of motorway" poles etc. foundations for cantilevers have been set at junctions 17 and 18. There are also poles for "merging traffic" signs set up as well. I also noticed at junction 18, that the new "end of motorway" pole is already bent out of shape.

There are two illuminated ADS signs approaching junction 19 that I'm not sure how they're going to replace.

This was also my first time seeing the Fermoy Bypass tie-in for quite a while, and I must say they did an AMAZING job. It is flawless.

I drove through Fermoy as well, and the sheer amount of signage that will need to be changed is ridiculous. The signage is so inconsistent, green signage "N8" here, "R639" there, with the odd "(M8)" thrown in.

As for the Mitchelstown Bypass I noted the poles Furet was talking about, but there is only one new "R639" ADS that has been replaced.

cantalach

larryone wrote: »

Monday 25th

Course it is...perfect photo op for the local FF politicians just before the election.

Chris_533976

"Even in these hard times we still deliver quality infrastructure"

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

As for the Mitchelstown Bypass I noted the poles Furet was talking about, but there is only one new "R639" ADS that has been replaced.

Actually the large poles I referred to on the Mitchelstown Relief Road turned out to be for the new Aldi distribution centre. It's a massive site.

Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Aldi gets go-ahead to build €100m facility in Co Cork
GERMAN discount supermarket chain Aldi has been granted planning permission for a €100 million regional distribution centre in County Cork, which will create up to 160 jobs.

Cork County Council granted planning permission yesterday for the distribution centre at Mitchelstown, which will service Aldi stores in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.

A total of 120 jobs will be created in the massive warehouse and distribution centre, with the remaining 20 being filled in offices.


The distribution centre is to be built adjacent to the town’s western relief road on a 32-acre site which Aldi purchased from Dairygold.

County council planning officials attached a total of 72 conditions to the project.

One of the conditions is that Aldi will have to pay a development contribution of €5,602,275 to Cork Co Council.

The money will be used by the local authority for infrastructural developments in the area, including improvements to roads, water, sewerage and public lighting works.

Aldi will demolish a disused grain silo on the site to make way for the warehouses.

The 59,535 square metre development will incorporate a 43,655sqm warehouse and an 11,508sqm chilled warehouse. It will also include a two-storey, 3,636sqm office complex linked to the warehouse complex with ancillary buildings.

Aldi had looked at sites in Nenagh, Co Tipperary and Limerick, but decided that Mitchelstown was the most suitable because of its road network and available skilled workforce.

Aldi started operations in Ireland in 1999 and has more than 50 stores here. It has over 5,000 stores worldwide, and a workforce of tens of thousands.

Mitchelstown-based county councillor Liam O’Doherty welcomed the news: “This is a major boost to Mitchelstown, a town which has suffered severely from jobs losses in recent years.”

Cllr O’Doherty said Aldi were coming to Mitchelstown “off their own bat”, and hadn’t been enticed by Government grant aid.

“We’re hoping now that other big name companies will follow suit,” he said.

Irish Examiner

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Actually the large poles I referred to on the Mitchelstown Relief Road turned out to be for the new Aldi distribution centre. It's a massive site.

Oh... well those aren't the poles I'm talking about! (Although I am aware of that development - they have a massive sign up).

Approaching the start of the bypass from the new J13, there is a set of poles (presumably for a new ADS). On the bypass itself, I saw one or two new poles.

At J12, I swear the ADS approaching the R639/N73 roundabout has been changed to say "N73".

Amtmann

Interesting. I'm going to have a good look around at the signage on Sunday. Everything should be in place by then. I'm going to drive the stretch several times on Monday, and will possibly film it too.

Really looking forward to this opening. We'll have to wait well over a year for the next section to open though!

I'm curious to see how the new ADS on the Fermoy Bypass northbound just south of J14 will look, and I'm also looking forward to seeing the new signage in and around junction 13. I'm also hoping that a lot of planting has taken place/will take place there this week.

I hope that Dempsey will take the opportunity next Monday to announce the approval of tranche 2 of the redesignations. But I bet we'll get the usual hackneyed spiel.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Interesting. I'm going to have a good look around at the signage on Sunday. Everything should be in place by then. I'm going to drive the stretch several times on Monday, and will possibly film it too.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to drive it on opening day, I don't have the day off like I did for Cullahill-Cashel and Cashel-Mitchelstown. Still, I eagerly await your pictures, even though it is no-where near as good as actually driving the stretch.

We'll have to wait well over a year for the next section to open though!

Oh well... there will be plenty of other road openings before then! A sizeable chunk of M9 should be opening this year, and the M6. Of course, the one I'm looking forward to most this year is the Waterford City bypass.

I'm curious to see how the new ADS on the Fermoy Bypass northbound just south of J14 will look, and I'm also looking forward to seeing the new signage in and around junction 13. I'm also hoping that a lot of planting has taken place/will take place there this week.

They were as busy as ever when I drove past today. Plenty of work going on, the whole road looks to be getting a clean-up.

There is a LOT of signage needed though:

- Junction 13 has virtually no signage
- Junction 14 still has the usual rubbish
- The Mitchelstown Bypass needs all its signage changed
- The old N8 needs nearly all its signage changed
- The R639 in Fermoy needs nearly all its signage changed
- On the Fermoy Bypass - the "M8 (N8)" rubbish needs to go - in both directions - it'll make no sense once this scheme opens and the redesignations go through

I hope that Dempsey will take the opportunity next Monday to announce the approval of tranche 2 of the redesignations. But I bet we'll get the usual hackneyed spiel.

A safe bet to place. Peter Malone and Noel Dempsey's self-gratifying speeches are easily the worst part of any road opening.

Danno

I noticed in Durrow that the Development Forum are campaigning to have the junction at Cullohill re-instated. It appears that PJV have pulled the junction at Cullohill.

Amtmann

Danno wrote: »

I noticed in Durrow that the Development Forum are campaigning to have the junction at Cullohill re-instated. It appears that PJV have pulled the junction at Cullohill.

I think that, as presently planned, junctions 3 and 2 will provide pretty poor connections to Abbeyleix and Durrow to be honest. The R430 and R433 are very badly aligned.

Danno

I agree, though the new junction at Manor Stone between Ballacolla & Rathdowney will have alot of re-aligning work done, especially on the Rathdowney side. The R433 - zoom in on "Tintore" on Google maps, will be going along the local route westwards towards "Middlemount".
The biggest puzzle I am trying to work out is where the N77 will terminate. In Portlaoise the old N8 from the M7 interchange into the town centre is labelled R922. The old N8 from Johnstown to the M8 interchange at Cullohill is labelled R639.
According to the NRA, the N77, using the existing N8 is to be extended to Cullohill to join the M8. Now, as stated, if the Cullohill junction is to be axed, what will happen to the N77? Will it stay ended at Durrow? Will the R639 be extended to the M7 at Portlaoise?
Will the R922 become the Durrow to Portlaoise route, with the R639 becoming the Cork to Durrow route?
Interesting dillema!

zootroid

Once the Fermoy - Mitchelstown section opens, what sections are left to be completed?

larryone

This bit:
http://www.nra.ie/RoadSchemeActivity/LaoisCountyCouncil/N8PortlaoisetoCullahillCastletown/Map,15444,en.pdf

spacetweek

BluntGuy wrote: »

There is a LOT of signage needed though:

- Junction 13 has virtually no signage
- Junction 14 still has the usual rubbish
- The Mitchelstown Bypass needs all its signage changed
- The old N8 needs nearly all its signage changed
- The R639 in Fermoy needs nearly all its signage changed
- On the Fermoy Bypass - the "M8 (N8)" rubbish needs to go - in both directions - it'll make no sense once this scheme opens and the redesignations go through

In fact the completion of the M8 (and M6, 9 etc.) will have repercussions far and wide. Signage as far away as the M50 will need to be changed when these motorways are completed as they currently say "N" and there will be virtually no N sections left. The N7 and N3 will still have some but not the rest.

BluntGuy

spacetweek wrote: »

In fact the completion of the M8 (and M6, 9 etc.) will have repercussions far and wide. Signage as far away as the M50 will need to be changed when these motorways are completed as they currently say "N" and there will be virtually no N sections left. The N7 and N3 will still have some but not the rest.

Oh I know that.

The N24 in Clonmel needs "M8" patches added, the N72/N73 in Mallow needs "M8" signage put up, the M50 gantries need to have "N8" replaced with "M8"...

Will any of it get done though?

Most likely not.

The only good example of future-proofing for the inter-urbans I've seen is on the new M7 gantries which have "M8-M9" on them already.

Amtmann

The Watergrasshill Suspension Bridge, the Toll Plaza, Glanmire Bypass, etc.

BluntGuy

Imagine if more parts of the M8 looked like the last picture. Trees are the best kind of visual screening you can have.

bg07

BluntGuy wrote: »

Imagine if more parts of the M8 looked like the last picture. Trees are the best kind of visual screening you can have.

In furet's picture there seems to be a fair few trees planted on the Mitchelstown-Fermoy section. Hopefully in 5 years it will look similar to the above.

bg07

Down the line will they have to close the M8 for a few weeks between Johnstown and Cullahill to do the tie in work for the M7/M8 scheme?

If so it should give people a chance to get reacquainted with lovely Johnstown.

Amtmann

bg07 wrote: »

Down the line will they have to close the M8 for a few weeks between Johnstown and Cullahill to do the tie in work for the M7/M8 scheme?

If so it should give people a chance to get reacquainted with lovely Johnstown.

Probably, but not for more than a couple of days.

L1011

Theres been some daytime closures for work already as is (got hit by one a few weeks ago going to the arse-end of Waterford, was open for rush hour coming home) meaning you've got to go through Johnstown. I think they'll probably only need a day or two to close the median and hack off/burn off the studs/lining bringing people on to the temp ramp.

Amtmann

Junction 6, looking south.


North of junction 6


Approaching junction 6 from the south.


Between junction 6 and 7, looking south.


About 3.5km north of junction 7, looking north


About 3.5km north of junction 7, looking south


Looking south to junction 7


Looking north about 5km north of Cashel


Cashel Bypass/C-C tie-in at junction 7

Chris_533976

Looks great, but that bridge-carriageway-bulge thing ruins it a little

L1011

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Looks great, but that bridge-carriageway-bulge thing ruins it a little

Its handled much better than on the first big narrow median scheme here - the Gorey Bypass, where the carriageways flick out for a few metres max.

Don't like the wee gap where they meet though, on the Lucan Bypass upgrade all bulges are meshed back in properly. If a vehicle is skidding along and basiclaly 'riding' the carriageway it could get flicked out at the gap. At least its against the direction of travel anyway!

spacetweek

@Furet great pics, plus you had good weather that day, it really brings out the colours.

D.L.R.

Whats with Openstreetmap that it only shows the updated Mitch-Fermoy M8 stretch on high zoom levels, while zooming out shows the old layout. Does anyone else experience this?

Chris_533976

Yeah thats OSM. AFAIK different map levels render at different times so it can be a while till all of them update.

Amtmann

Just back from a nice drive from Cork to Tipp - the first I've done in almost a month.

I noticed they've erected poles on the Glanmire and Watergrasshill bypasses for the re-signing. The poles aren't tubular however - they're more like the lattix bars on some of the older M4 signage, shown here: http://www.rennicks.ie/pct149x149.html

BluntGuy

Which poles did you see?

Any new ones since... I dunno... April or whenever the first ones were installed?

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

Which poles did you see?

Any new ones since... I dunno... April or whenever the first ones were installed?

Well, before now they had only foundations installed for the most part. Most of the new (i.e probably only installed last week) lattix poles are in place for junction 18 (ADS and gore in particular) on the northbound carriageway. Also new ADS signage has been put up for junction 14 on the blackwater viaduct northbound.

I recorded the Glanmire Bypass this afternoon. It was MAD busy. However, I accidentally deleted the file. It's a pity...Mozart's Rondo alla Turca was gonna be the soundtrack