M8 motorway (general thread)

Hogzy

tech2 wrote: »

Some on boards:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055001537

Different bridge unfortunatly

Amtmann

New cats eyes are being laid on the northbound carriageways of the Watergrasshill and Glanmire Bypasses this week for the redesignation. The studs are outside the yellow line, which hasn't been solidified yet. The new studs should be a big improvement. Visibility is pretty awful along those sections on M8 at night.

Separately, I drove the M-F scheme last night for the first time in pitch-black, rainy conditions. I was a little disappointed with the lines - they're not luminous - but the median reflectors and cats eyes compensated very well.

Amtmann

Watergrasshill and Glanmire Bypasses have been studded and re-lined southbound. Looks great - a vast improvement. I think the studs in the centre of the road were done too. Still "N"8 on the lane though at j18.

netwhizkid

Yeah I drove it on Saturday and they were just finishing down into the Jack Lynch Tunnel Roundabout.

Gunth

I was driving from the tunnel to the Glanmire exit this evening and they were in the process of turning the broken yellow line into a continuous line.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Watergrasshill and Glanmire Bypasses have been studded and re-lined southbound. Looks great - a vast improvement. I think the studs in the centre of the road were done too. Still "N"8 on the lane though at j18.

Have they still got the incorrect green flap signs going southbound and were any changes made on the South Ring approaching Dunkettle from Mahon/Douglas/Ballincollig etc. and the city centre?

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

Have they still got the incorrect green flap signs going southbound and were any changes made on the South Ring approaching Dunkettle from Mahon/Douglas/Ballincollig etc. and the city centre?

Flap signs unchanged from what I saw. I haven't been on the SRR in over a week. From the city centre no change at all except for the gantry just after the smaller Glanmire roundabout where the N8 diverges from the N25 flyover eastbound over dunkettle. Some blue patching there; also end of motorway chopsticks are now up on the Glanmire Bypass southbound 600 and 400m before the roundabout.

Amtmann

Also, I noticed yesterday that it seems the M7/M8 is being prepped for the tie-in at Cullahill. The carriageway looks ready for CBM. The giant overbridge still isn't ready though.

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Also, I noticed yesterday that it seems the M7/M8 is being prepped for the tie-in at Cullahill. The carriageway looks ready for CBM. The giant overbridge still isn't ready though.

Interesting. That overbridge has been under construction forever.

I imagine the tie-in will be the last thing to proceed.

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

Interesting. That overbridge has been under construction forever.

I imagine the tie-in will be the last thing to proceed.

I think it'll be substantially done very soon - by this I mean penultimate surface plus concrete barrier. When the time comes there will be very little disruption I'd say; perhaps the M8 will be closed for one or two days from junction 4 just prior to opening. There is quite a bit of carriageway (30m or so) laid already as part of the C-C scheme beyond the temporary slip road. The disruption will consist of 1/ entending the concrete barrier and 2/ fixing new lines. Once this is done and the M7/M8 opened, the temporary slip road could probably be removed without disrpting the motorway. The ramp might even be left as a Garda bay.

Hogzy

Guys when do you realistically think the M8 will be fully opened?

Amtmann

I am going to call August 2010.

xabi

Anyone know what the new junction near Cashel is? Was it an afterthought?

X.

cargo

xabi wrote: »

Anyone know what the new junction near Cashel is? Was it an afterthought?

X.

It's a slip for a service station. A private one as opposed to a NRA service area. The service station were paying or contributing for the slip.

If you do a search for it you'll get a bit more info. It's been discussed here before.

Amtmann

xabi wrote: »

Anyone know what the new junction near Cashel is? Was it an afterthought?

X.

Twas gombeenism xabi. Well, maybe that's a bit unfair. The wise ones of South Tipp Co Co approved a planning application for a McDonalds and petrol station there before the Bypass was redesignated a motorway. The McDonalds private company are making junction 8 full access. However the new junction 8 onslip merging lane ends just where there junction 9 off sliplane begins, buggering up the motorway a bit in my opinion.

However. Since the official NRA Service Areas are delayed I think this new service area might just improve safety on the M8 a bit. I wonder if they will erect advance signage well in advance of the Cashel service area?

Chris_533976

I reckon if they outsourced the MSAs to companies, told them where to put them and to pay a bit for the sliproads, then MSAs would appear surprisingly quickly.

Its only because the Government are involved that these things are dragging.

Carawaystick

Was there some shennanigans at the time the Cashel bypass was being built? I remember some "outcry" about the junction being changed from full access to limited access a while ago during construction.

The M1 has two junctions which almost overlap, the onramp from the Airport finishes at the countdown marker for the Holywell offslip. This should have an aux lane between them instead.

Amtmann

Yes, locals objected to junction 8 being limited access (why I don't know). They protested on the day that bypass opened back in '04. Looks like they're now getting their wish however. Cashel is very well served with junctions tbh. I'd love to know how many cars per day use the junction 7 southbound onslip for instance; very few I'd say.

road_high

Furet wrote: »

Yes, locals objected to junction 8 being limited access (why I don't know). They protested on the day that bypass opened back in '04. Looks like they're now getting their wish however. Cashel is very well served with junctions tbh. I'd love to know how many cars per day use the junction 7 southbound onslip for instance; very few I'd say.

Indeed. By comparison Kilkenny is getting two junctions on the M9 and to me that is sufficient. Why on earth Cashel needs 3 is beyond me. I personally think it would easily get by with one junction especially seen as the town is so close to the M8.

Amtmann

Totally. It isn't a metropolis. Cahir and Mitchelstown also have two junctions, as does Fermoy. A little OTT perhaps, but I suppose it does quieten the towns a bit more.

Chris_533976

Originally I think it did kinda have one though didnt it? Since both ends were roundabouts and not technically junctions. So when the other motorways were done they probably said screw it, make them both GSJs or there'd be war.

Carawaystick

mfitzy wrote: »

Indeed. By comparison Kilkenny is getting two junctions on the M9 and to me that is sufficient. Why on earth Cashel needs 3 is beyond me. I personally think it would easily get by with one junction especially seen as the town is so close to the M8.

Was it to allow traffic use the road to Clonmel through Rosegreen? and get almost all through traffic out of the town?

netwhizkid

I drove the M8 up and down for the All-Ireland semi final on Sunday between Kerry and Meath and it is really is an excellent piece of national infrastructure. I did however find there to be a few places where the traffic coming from the other direction main headbeams dazzled me as there is no physical barrier bar the concrete divider. There were a few long down stretches where I dimmed for fear of the dazzling the oncoming traffic on the other side. Anybody else find this while driving by night? plus it was absolutely belting it down raining and conditions were very bad which made the few times I got dazzled pretty crap.

marious

Just wondering if dipped headlights were dazzling U or some drivers with "full lights no matter what"?

netwhizkid

marious wrote: »

Just wondering if dipped headlights were dazzling U or some drivers with "full lights no matter what"?

No it was drivers with their full lights on that were dazzling me. When I was driving there the last evening I had my fulls on only when there was nothing infront of me for a really good distance and dipped my headlights for most of it including the stretches of Motorway where I was seeing the oncoming headlights to avoid dazzling the oncoming drivers as they were dazzling me. I wear glasses when driving (short sighted ) and they have got a reflective coating so it takes pretty bad lights to dazzle me.

I find the newer xenon bulbs which give off a more whitish and blue coloured light to be the worst especially those in the new Audis. But I have a particular hate for Audi drivers anyway and their antics on the road, (I am a BMW man but have road manners and know where my indicators are thank you very much). I had an Audi flash me over into the overtaking lane the last day so he could undertake as the left hand lane was moving faster than the overtaking lane on the N7 in from Naas!! :mad::mad:

marious

Xenon lights dazzling when they're dirty, thats why they have their own electric washers, depends on driver if he'll use them, coming back to topic, I don't think they built motorway the way to eliminate dazzling off full lights, drivers have to switch them off when seeing incoming traffic, I have a feeling some of them think that on dual carriage way full lights don't dazzling but who knows? I wouldn't be saying bad things about all audi drivers. Some of them are "normal"

Gunth

I drive Cork to Dublin at least once a month and I have never used my full lights on the motorway. Is there a reason for needing your full lights on while travelling on a motorway? I understand that from Cullahill to Portlaoise they are needed at times.

murphaph

netwhizkid wrote: »

I had an Audi flash me over into the overtaking lane the last day so he could undertake as the left hand lane was moving faster than the overtaking lane on the N7 in from Naas!! :mad::mad:

Wasn't a silver A4 estate or a black A6 saloon was it?

Zoney

Gunth wrote: »

I drive Cork to Dublin at least once a month and I have never used my full lights on the motorway. Is there a reason for needing your full lights on while travelling on a motorway? I understand that from Cullahill to Portlaoise they are needed at times.

You are presumably driving at 120 km/h - as such without your full lights you may not be able to see ahead for what is a safe distance at that speed?

marious

cat eyes do the job as well, depending of traffic condition i would use full lights but during busy time you'll be more tired off being focused on turning them off on time and on again..