M7/M8 Portlaoise-Castletown-Cullahill Motorway (incl. Abbeyleix Bypass)

Amtmann

Thanks Clon.

Again, quite a poor newsletter. However at least we know now that they're behind schedule, as we've long suspected.

BluntGuy

The newsletter wasn't amazing, but more substantial than their last.

But they need a good website to keep us up-to-date...

BluntGuy

Just to update on the M7/M8 scheme:

1) Visible Earthworks have been going on, the scheme seems to be marked out (at least at the Cullahill area before it goes miles offline).

2) There is not one, nor two, nor three, but ZERO overbridges open. A disgrace. Those of you who attempted to watch the M8 vid I posted on the M8 Cullahill forum may have seen the half-finished overbridge which seems to be one of the few signs of progress on the route.

There is not much else to be seen from the N8, and I don't have any correspondence from people who have driven on the N7. This is why a much better update website is needed.

Cool Mo D

On the N7 side of things, there's definitely visible work going on, with what looks like an overpass or large bridge half finished near Mountrath, along with roadworks for the tie in with the existing M7. It's been pretty dark whenever I've been passing recently so I haven't gotten a good look.

Amtmann

Two photos of the scheme just south of Cullahill. The overbridge is huge for some reason, even though it will cross only a small boreen.

BluntGuy

Thanks for the pics Furet...

The first one is definately an indicator of good progress since those overbridges take months upon months to construct and it looks ready for parapets/surfacing etc.

The second is the famous "half-finished overbridge" some of us have been referring to. I would have expected it to be done by now.

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

Thanks for the pics Furet...

The first one is definately an indicator of good progress since those overbridges take months upon months to construct and it looks ready for parapets/surfacing etc.

The second is the famous "half-finished overbridge" some of us have been referring to. I would have expected it to be done by now.

Actually, it's the same overbridge taken from different locations!

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Actually, it's the same overbridge taken from different locations!

Really? I thought they were different.

The overbridge doesn't appear that big from the N8. But why is it so huge ? AFAIK, the road connecting to bridge is tiny...

L1011

Are they closing other crossing roads and diverting traffic on to that one (and widening it for that?).

Around here there were a fair few roads terminated and traffic moved on to upgraded roads which were given overbridges when the original M4 was built late 80s/early 90s.

Amtmann

When is the next newsletter due?

Hopefully it'll be better than the last one!

BluntGuy

This isn't exactly shocking news, but there isn't much to say about the project so I may as well post it:

From the AA Website...

Works are occuring on the N7 just west of Portlaoise. They are associated with the M7/M8 scheme...

Traffic restrictions with a stop/go system will be in place from 9:30am until 1pm. These works are part of the M7/M8 Motorway Project.

http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/traffic/story.asp?id=98187

Rovi

What Vision? wrote: »

Can't believe that there is a river passing under the toll plaza area, it will be "dark water" for a really long section, How did this get by the OPW or the Dehlg or who ever it is. It will be a very long "dead section" of river

I met an engineer down there yesterday, to discuss his request to do some adjustments to my side of the river.
The Fisheries people refused to allow them to build the bridge under the approaches to the toll plaza as originally planned, for exactly the reason you state, too much 'dark water'.

I've grabbed a section of the .PDF linked above, and added some finger painting showing the detail of what's happening on the ground-


They've built a two part culvert with precast concrete sections, perpendicular to the mainline, with an open section between the service road and the mainline.
This reduced the dark water to a minimum and was acceptable to the fish people.
The realigned watercourse after the culvert on the map is being constructed with huge limestone slabs to keep it contained as designed.

I snapped a quick photo through the culvert while I was waiting for the engineer-

I'll try to get out in the daylight over the Christmas when there's no-one about, and get a few more.


I got talking to a man driving a roller, and he was telling me that all of the structures on the scheme are either complete or very close to completion, and that the scheme is way ahead of schedule to open towards the end of 2010.
A large number of foremen have been let go, and everyone else is on shorter time, starting later in the morning and finishing earlier in the evening.
This seems most odd to me, as I was under the impression that the main contractor would earn considerable bonuses for early completion, and letting people go and reducing working hours would be counter to that.
Anyhow, yer man on the roller appeared to have 'issues' with the people in charge, so perhaps his information may not be entirely accurate.

Amtmann

Many thanks for that Rovi.

I was talking to someone today who took the R434 west of Durrow past Ballacara village (I think that's how it's spelt!).

He said that there are two overbridges under construction that will divert the R434, and one of these is nearing completion. He said that many of the other overbridges basically just have column stumps in place.

Amtmann

Rovi wrote: »

A large number of foremen have been let go, and everyone else is on shorter time, starting later in the morning and finishing earlier in the evening.
This seems most odd to me, as I was under the impression that the main contractor would earn considerable bonuses for early completion, and letting people go and reducing working hours would be counter to that.

I don't like the sound of that. The team building the M-F Scheme work six days per week. Heading up to Clonmel from Cork last Saturday morning at 8.30am they were laying blacktop.
I still think something fishy is going on with the M7/M8 scheme.

Rovi

Furet wrote: »

Many thanks for that Rovi.

I was talking to someone today who took the R434 west of Durrow past Ballacara village (I think that's how it's spelt!).

He said that there are two overbridges under construction that will divert the R434, and one of these is nearing completion. He said that many of the other overbridges basically just have column stumps in place.

Ballacolla.

As I said, the man on the roller appeared to have his own agenda to pursue with the people further up the chain of command, so I wouldn't be placing 100% faith in what he was saying.

Amtmann

Thanks again for all the updates though Rovi. Very much looking forward to your photos over Christmas if you get a chance.

BluntGuy

First of all, thanks for the information Rovi.

Second, I have a few issues with the way the project is being handled. There is next to no information available about the project and updates are rare, relying on us to actually drive up there and physically SEE what's going on.

That's unacceptable, and should not be the case. Newsletters should be a least quartely, and should include relevant, concrete and detailed information about what is happening with the project at the moment, what has been achieved so far, and what the planned works for the coming months are. Good quality pictures that are captioned, so we know what they actually are should be included. Big blocks of vague text with no real facts or details are not newsletters and aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

As for the website, if you haven't seen it, it's this:

www.m7m8scheme.ie

That's simply not acceptable. There is simply nothing on the page. The EIS combined with a few meagre scraps of outdated information.

It is anticipated that the land required for the scheme will be acquired by Compulsory Purchase Order which will be published with the EIS.

Rovi

BluntGuy wrote: »

That's simply not acceptable. There is simply nothing on the page. The EIS combined with a few meagre scraps of outdated information.

The website is practically an archaeological relic in its own right at this stage; the main announcement on it is:

"A copy of the Environmental Impact Statement may be inspected at

Laois County Council,
National Roads Project Office, Clonkeen,
Portlaoise,
Co Laois.

between the hours of 9.30am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.30pm on working days between Wednesday 17th December 2003 and Friday 6th February 2004"


...so it's 5 years since that was posted, and nothing else appears to have been done there since then.

Amtmann

I did speak recently with one of the CRG spokesmen and complained about the website. He said they're not contractually obliged to maintain one, but that they are "looking at it". I also said the newletters could be improved, and he said they'd bear it in mind for the next issue.

I did say that the scheme has been getting a bit of a bashing here, and he seemed a bit concerned. I was assured the scheme is still on schedule.

MSporty

Approx 100 people have been let go off the M7 site since mid november, figure that

MLM

Is it possible that the main contractor could decide to abandon the project like McNamara did with the O Devaney Gardens redevelopment PPP in Dublin?

mysterious

The Borris in ossary section seems to be well in advanced, as is the n7 flyover near mountrath. The bridge span is already up, just the motorway underneath needs to be layed.


The Nenagh Castletown seems to be moving fast aswell.

It looks like the Portlaoise M7/M8 been the last remainding scheme to open. I wonder if this is deliberate to make the grand opening in 2010 of all the limerick and cork sections completed in one go. This means the P.P.P M7 portlaoise scheme has been going on for fours years. Totally unacceptable fi you ask me.

Get a move on, it will actually save us alot of money. The government need to get thier finger out:mad:

The people are not stupid, we know this road has been going on, the grand opening in 2010 is a farce.

L1011

MLM wrote: »

Is it possible that the main contractor could decide to abandon the project like McNamara did with the O Devaney Gardens redevelopment PPP in Dublin?

That PPP was in the housing market, which has died. People are still going to be driving (particularly now that the price of fuel is back to levels of 5 years ago...) even in a downturn.

Carawaystick

however it'll be sleeping on the streets for everyone - housing who needs it?


back to ppp's

nra wrote:

Without the injection of additional private finance, progress in the roads programme would be substantially delayed

...

the injection of private finance will accelerate the delivery of the public capital programme.

http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/

The M7/8 scheme which is a ppp will be the last section finished from Newlands x to Cork...

Rovi

mysterious wrote: »

The Borris in ossary section seems to be well in advanced, as is the n7 flyover near mountrath. The bridge span is already up, just the motorway underneath needs to be layed.

My brother was talking to an engineer at that flyover this morning, and he was saying that they're planning to have traffic running over it by early March.

We'll see.

Our man in Havana

Which year?

BluntGuy

I'm getting worried about whether or not they'll be a toll on junction 3. I e-mailed the NRA about it, and their answer wasn't exactly re-assuring:

Question:

I am aware that at Cullahill the temporary terminus will be removed once the M7/M8 scheme opens. At that stage, the stretch past junction 4 will lead directly into a toll motorway. Surely this means the toll section is (in effect) being extended by 12 km? Will toll gantries be located on junction 3?

Appropriate signage will be put in place in advance of the last exit prior to the scheme opening to alert motorists that there is a toll ahead.

There is something about that answer that makes me think that we've only got two years left using J4 - Cullahill for free.

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

I'm getting worried about whether or not they'll be a toll on junction 3. I e-mailed the NRA about it, and their answer wasn't exactly re-assuring:

Question:

I am aware that at Cullahill the temporary terminus will be removed once the M7/M8 scheme opens. At that stage, the stretch past junction 4 will lead directly into a toll motorway. Surely this means the toll section is (in effect) being extended by 12 km? Will toll gantries be located on junction 3?



There is something about that answer that makes me think that we've only got two years left using J4 - Cullahill for free.

I think we should launch a preemptive media strike against that. RTE, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and the tabloids should all be informed of this. Once again, a publicly funded section of the M8 road is to be tolled: http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0104/bypass.html

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

I think we should launch a preemptive media strike against that. RTE, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and the tabloids should all be informed of this. Once again, a publicly funded section of the M8 road is to be tolled: http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0104/bypass.html

It all comes down to Junction 3. Will it, or will it not have toll gantries on it? If it doesn't, everything's okay. If it does, that's a different situation altogether.

The response I got from the NRA was overall, quite good. But this question in particular seemed to be answered rather evasively.

Rovi

Rovi wrote: »

My brother was talking to an engineer at that flyover this morning, and he was saying that they're planning to have traffic running over it by early March.

Bond-007 wrote: »

Which year?

That was my response too.

March 2009, allegedly.

Barring some sort of miraculous construction technique that I don't know about, I can't see it happening.
All that's there at the moment is the main concrete structure of the flyover, with rudimentary embankments up to it on either end; it's a loooong way away from a metalled road surface and all the signage, barriers, and other road furniture that would constitute a usable roadway.