M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

tramor

The tar laying machine is a certain width so I imagine that this is the minimum width of new road they can lay. So they can't lay right into the corner of a triangle. Maybe thats why the end of the section to the right is "squared off" as against merging nicely with the existing section. Maybe those bits are more manual. From the photo it does look like they will have to add more road anyway to the right of what they are doing. Though from observing the Kilmeadan bypass, it was hard to believe they could fit a hard shoulder plus 2 lanes, before they painted on the lines.

alpha2zulu

Heres just a couple of quick phone pics of inside the first 2km of the M9 at the southern end of the Waterford-Knocktopher section. (click each to enlarge)

Facing North 500m from crossover with existing N9 at Dunkitt


Facing toward the Quarry roundabout with the Suir bridge in the background.

Chris_533976

I assume that a mobile phone doesnt have zoom? If so that looks like a very undulating motorway. Is this going to be a Gorey bypass style bumpfest?

L1011

Chris_533976 wrote: »

I assume that a mobile phone doesnt have zoom? If so that looks like a very undulating motorway. Is this going to be a Gorey bypass style bumpfest?

Depends on the phone, nearly all have "digital zoom" but posher ones often have an actual zoom lens on them.

johnbk

I am delighted to see some great progress at both ends of this motorway. I am also delighted with the photos that are being shaired on this thread. I must get out a take some more around Kilkenny.

alpha2zulu

Depends on the phone, nearly all have "digital zoom" but posher ones often have an actual zoom lens on them.

Mine definetly isent one of the posh phones unfortuently!

The undulation in those pics is actually quite gradual when you see it in person as those pics are taking in circa 800m-1000m. While its not pancake flat I really dont think it will be a bumpfest!

road_high

Bards wrote: »

if they keep up this pace then end November will be a possibility.

Here's hoping. The sections are so relatively short that a strong push-on from the contractor could see it finsihed very quickly indeed.

Roryhy

Saw lines going down on the Kilcullen-Carlow section the other day, the end is nigh!

road_high

Roryhy wrote: »

Saw lines going down on the Kilcullen-Carlow section the other day, the end is nigh!

Saw those too! Looking south of the Priory.

alpha2zulu

fricatus wrote: »

I've noticed that there are a number of new signs up now on the Newrath roundabout and along the new dual carriageway in towards the city centre.

If you look at the one coming in the way just after the level crossing at the Redbridge service station, you can make out the destinations that are still covered over, i.e. Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Rosslare. However the Dublin one still says N9 rather than M9.

I know the M9 won't be open for a few months yet, but you'd have thought they'd get the signage right for the way it will be in early 2010 and just patch over the bits that aren't correct yet.

It all is a bit odd,new signs have gone up in the last couple of days approaching the quarry roundabout at the start of the M9 outside Waterford and they are all blue signage indicating M9 Dublin etc, so is it that the 600-700m section of DC between the grannagh and quarry roundabout is N9 as even the signage coming off the new Suir bridge only mentions N9.

It is a little bit of a shame that there is no indication of this great piece of infrastructure until you or right on the thing. As somebody mentioned before when you enter somewhere like Fishguard you are hit with M4 signage straightaway even though the M4 is another 60-70miles down the road.

Sullys pics as you exit from the Suir bridge show the problem in this post: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=62090263&postcount=164

BluntGuy

The NRA has, again, unnecessarily, messed up.

For a start, there is no need for an "N9", that road should be a regional road along with the rest of the road into Waterford City.

Secondly, they can and should still patch "(M9)" in brackets next to the "N9" indication. Omitting it is utterly idiotic since the stretch begins a mere few metres down the road. I really don't see why it wasn't done here, other new schemes seem to manage to patch far less significant roads correctly.

*Sigh* Why does the obvious always seem to go above the heads of the powers-that-be.

Roryhy

Not trying to stand up for the NRA or government here but there may be a better reason. The plans for the Waterford bypass were signed and sealed many years before the new N9 stretches were upgraded to M9. It would have been in the plans to signpost everything N9 accordingly. If i were the road builder, lets say, it would have crossed my mind to try extort extra money from the powers that be to make these changes. It wouldn't be beyond the bounds of possibility that these signs will be replaced on completion of the road at a lower cost than the builders were looking for. Or maybe im wrong:rolleyes:

Looking at munurtys arial shots of the Mullinavat section a few weeks back i calculate it to be at most 2-2.5km un-finished at the time, not insurmountable, i expect it open before xmas if not end November.

BluntGuy

Roryhy wrote: »

Not trying to stand up for the NRA or government here but there may be a better reason. The plans for the Waterford bypass were signed and sealed many years before the new N9 stretches were upgraded to M9. It would have been in the plans to signpost everything N9 accordingly. If i were the road builder, lets say, it would have crossed my mind to try extort extra money from the powers that be to make these changes. It wouldn't be beyond the bounds of possibility that these signs will be replaced on completion of the road at a lower cost than the builders were looking for. Or maybe im wrong:rolleyes:

I actually considered this when typing my response, I'm afraid however that there are simply no justifications for their incomepetence. The very fact that there are blue M9 signs on the ground showcases very clearly that ample time was given to make changes, and indeed, some but not all necessary changes were made. Considering that the same consortium is building both schemes, the present siutation is simply unacceptable.

The only extra money needed would've been for "End of motorway" and "Start of motorway" signage, and clearly, that money was more than available.

alpha2zulu

Well heres the first indication on the ground of the existence of Waterfords best kept secret, about 100m from the start of the M9 at the M9/N9, N24 Roundabout...





And for anybody familiar with the area ,this is how the now closed section of the N24 is looking right at the Kilkenny side of the new Suir bridge with the N25 mainline overhead and the old Ferry Bar in the background. By the looks of it ,the flyover is much lower than 16ft 6".

Zoney

BluntGuy wrote: »

For a start, there is no need for an "N9", that road should be a regional road along with the rest of the road into Waterford City.

I don't agree. In the absence of a sane arrangement of connecting M9 directly onto the N25 (should be M25), the short link between the end of M9 and the N25 is quite rightly a national road. Now perhaps it could be the N24, but it is more usual that the lower number has priority when traffic from two national routes multiplexes.

Looks like the road into the city is indeed reclassified to R road status as is proper.

BluntGuy

Zoney wrote: »

I don't agree. In the absence of a sane arrangement of connecting M9 directly onto the N25 (should be M25), the short link between the end of M9 and the N25 is quite rightly a national road. Now perhaps it could be the N24, but it is more usual that the lower number has priority when traffic from two national routes multiplexes.
Looks like the road into the city is indeed reclassified to R road status as is proper.

If it is to be a national road it should've been another number. N9 just confuses the issue, in the same way "N8" confuses the issue when exiting from Cork City.

"N24" would've been preferable to "N9", though I'm not sure if the routes actually mutliplex, or if the N24 ends at the M9 junction.

I'd still advocate it being a regional road since the "new road" into Waterford City, which is to be designated a rational road, does indeed start at the M9/N24 junction, it may as well have a continous route number. That, or just have the whole thing into Waterford City as N24. But I'm really not a fan of calling it "N9".

johnbk

Will there be any other pieces of N9 other than that at Waterford between the N24/M9 roundabout and the N25 Grannagh junction when the M9 is complete? Should they not then have called this short section the N24 and put the M9 in brackets?

alpha2zulu

johnbk wrote: »

Will there be any other pieces of N9 other than that at Waterford between the N24/M9 roundabout and the N25 Grannagh junction when the M9 is complete? Should they not then have called this short section the N24 and put the M9 in brackets?

Apparently not,that short 600-700m stretch of DC between the roundabouts would appear to be the only piece of N9 remaining.

Yes it would definetly make much more sense to have bracketed M9 there somewhere,if for no other reason to let Learners know in advance that they are heading for a Motorway.

BluntGuy

alpha2zulu wrote: »

Apparently not,that short 600-700m stretch of DC between the roundabouts would appear to be the only piece of N9 remaining.

There's simply no reason for it. If they had the stretch as part of the new R-road leading into Waterford City, it'd be very easy to patch things...

Heading from Waterford, you could have...

RXXX

Dublin (M9)
Cork (N25)
Rosslare
Limerick (N24)

As it stands, to be correct, they'd need...

RXXX

Dublin (N9)
Limerick
Cork (N25)
Rosslare

No indication of a motorway, unless you use more patching - which would make the sign cluttered and messy.

road_high

Roryhy wrote: »

Looking at munurtys arial shots of the Mullinavat section a few weeks back i calculate it to be at most 2-2.5km un-finished at the time, not insurmountable, i expect it open before xmas if not end November.

May end up opening the same time as Carlow-Kilcullen which would be a great x-mas present indeed to us all here
Ah, the very worst of the N9 will soon be history...not many will be nostalgic for it though, unlike some people are for parts of the old N8!

alpha2zulu

Heres how the southern section between the current N9 crossover with the M9 at Dunkitt (circa 2km from the start of the M9) and the Mullinavat junction was looking this weekend.


Facing North









Looking back down the hill towards Waterford.




Rolling down towards Mullinavat.


This where the current tarmac stops with the on'off ramps for the Mullinavat junction in the background.





Even if Waterford-Mullinavat could be opened to coincide with Waterford Bypass and putting aside any issues regarding trucks making the tight turn at Mullinavat,from this current stage of construction would it still be more than 4weeks work to get the Mullinavat junction section finished?

Between the fantastic scenary and long sweeping hill climbs it look like this section of the M9 at least should give the M8 Galtees section a run for its money when it comes to being a drivers road!!

Chris_533976

Still looks very undulating to me. I reckon the entire of the Carlow - Waterford part of the M9 will be as much of a 'missed opportunity' as Cashel - Mitchelstown on the M8 was deemed to be.

Do we have bulgey bridge carriageways on the M9?

fricatus

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Still looks very undulating to me. I reckon the entire of the Carlow - Waterford part of the M9 will be as much of a 'missed opportunity' as Cashel - Mitchelstown on the M8 was deemed to be.

In what sense was Cashel - Mitchelstown a 'missed opportunity'? Not trying to be smart by the way, just curious as to what you mean.

road_high

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Still looks very undulating to me. I reckon the entire of the Carlow - Waterford part of the M9 will be as much of a 'missed opportunity' as Cashel - Mitchelstown on the M8 was deemed to be.

Lord, anything would be better than the current N9! It's the terrian of the land. Before Knocktopher the land levels out and is relatively flat terrain all the way to Kilcullen.

Roryhy

I rather see a road undulate and move with the terrain than cut through it and leave a bland soulless stretch of road detached from it's landscape.

Chris_533976

fricatus wrote: »

In what sense was Cashel - Mitchelstown a 'missed opportunity'? Not trying to be smart by the way, just curious as to what you mean.

I've heard it said on here, I think it was in relation to how Culahill - Cashel is a runway with lovely sightlines and no bulgey carriageways at bridges, whereas Cashel - Mitchelstown by comparison is quite windy, undulates like mad and does bulge at bridges.

rameire

.

.


just taken tonight on the way home.
one layer of t mac down and in one strip their is a second layer of t mac.

fricatus

Chris_533976 wrote: »

I've heard it said on here, I think it was in relation to how Culahill - Cashel is a runway with lovely sightlines and no bulgey carriageways at bridges, whereas Cashel - Mitchelstown by comparison is quite windy, undulates like mad and does bulge at bridges.

Fair enough, maybe there will be quite a bit of undulation, but it will still be perfectly good for its legal maximum of 120 km/h (plus a little bit for good measure).

To be honest, the most important things (and let's not lose sight of them) will be the presence of a continuous overtaking lane (which won't just disappear up ahead), a continuous hard shoulder (ditto), a concrete barrier in the middle, and a complete lack of ad hoc entrances, such as private houses, and a lack of other miscellaneous hazards, like right-turning vehicles and slow movers like tractors.

For those of us who contend with the above SH!T on a daily basis on the disgraceful N9/N10 around places like Mullinavat, Knocktopher, Stonyford, Jerpoint Thomastown, etc., the new road will be a massive relief.

I'm sure we'll notice a few idiosyncracies and imperfections when the motorway opens, and I'll be joining in in discussing them and pointing them out like anyone else, but by golly I'll be relieved not to come face-to-face with trucks taking tight bends at borderline speeds any more, and that will be my main feeling on the matter!

fricatus

alpha2zulu wrote: »

Even if Waterford-Mullinavat could be opened to coincide with Waterford Bypass and putting aside any issues regarding trucks making the tight turn at Mullinavat,from this current stage of construction would it still be more than 4weeks work to get the Mullinavat junction section finished?

Interesting question - would be nice to know what an engineer has to say on the matter. It certainly seems from your photos as if there's been huge progress in the past fortnight.

I noticed something else: there are signs southbound into Mullinavat telling HGVs for New Ross to go straight on, and other traffic to go left. Anyone any idea why this is there now? (as opposed to when they were building the bridge and roundabouts for the Mullinavat junction I mean)

Could this be a prelude to a partial opening as alpha2zulu is suggesting? Certainly if they were to do it, there would be a problem with HGVs turning from the R704 onto the N9, but if the trucks continued to use the old N9 and cars used the M9, it could work. Would it be too complicated though, for maybe a month or two worth of benefit?

Bards

fricatus wrote: »

Interesting question - would be nice to know what an engineer has to say on the matter. It certainly seems from your photos as if there's been huge progress in the past fortnight.

I noticed something else: there are signs southbound into Mullinavat telling HGVs for New Ross to go straight on, and other traffic to go left. Anyone any idea why this is there now? (as opposed to when they were building the bridge and roundabouts for the Mullinavat junction I mean)

Could this be a prelude to a partial opening as alpha2zulu is suggesting? Certainly if they were to do it, there would be a problem with HGVs turning from the R704 onto the N9, but if the trucks continued to use the old N9 and cars used the M9, it could work. Would it be too complicated though, for maybe a month or two worth of benefit?

anything to do with this??

http://www.kilkennycoco.ie/eng/RSS_Roads_Notices/R700_Ferrymountgarrett_Bridge_Closure.html