M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

Tech3

Furet wrote: »

Lads, are ye all sure about this? Great to see people power being mobilised.

I have yet to see a confirmed link although I believe it's probably true.

This will lead to uproar considering were approaching the festive period and more importantly lives saved from the new stretch.

Sponge Bob

tech2 wrote: »

I have yet to see a confirmed link although I believe it's probably true.

This will lead to uproar considering were approaching the festive period and more importantly lives saved from the new stretch.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1216/1224260761179.html

Confirmed yesterday and unconfirmed by Dempsey , personally, today.

Amtmann

I've emailed all the news sites. Over 90 people viewing this board at the moment - that's more than I've ever seen here before. Folks, get emailing. This is a disgrace.

alpha2zulu

Furet wrote: »

I've emailed all the news sites.Over 90 people viewing this board at the moment - that's more than I've ever seen here before. Folks, get emailing. This is a disgrace

Done. Considering their bluster over missing dash light bulbs in NCT's etc today, they really can't get away with this.

kwinabeeste

Apparently they are not opening the road because some of the businesses on the old road are only keeping people on until the new road opens. They don't want lay offs the week before Christmas...

Stark

Might explain why they're having road works until the 24th.

L1011

kwinabeeste wrote: »

Apparently they are not opening the road because some of the businesses on the old road are only keeping people on until the new road opens. They don't want lay offs the week before Christmas...

I suspect I know what business(es) this is... and it/they're not going to lose anywhere near as much traffic as it could, due to there being *NO MSA* on the entire M9 and a fairly convenient junction for nipping off to it.

Additionally, its not the job of the NRA to protect a few ultra low paid service industry jobs. If there is a death on the bad sections beyond each end of the Moone/Timolin BP during the time the new road is lying idle the direct cost is going to be more than a few peoples dole, let alone the indirect costs of road deaths.

Amtmann

kwinabeeste wrote: »

Apparently they are not opening the road because some of the businesses on the old road are only keeping people on until the new road opens. They don't want lay offs the week before Christmas...

I don't believe that for a single second to be honest.

kwinabeeste

MYOB wrote: »

I suspect I know what business(es) this is... and it/they're not going to lose anywhere near as much traffic as it could, due to there being *NO MSA* on the entire M9 and a fairly convenient junction for nipping off to it.

Additionally, its not the job of the NRA to protect a few ultra low paid service industry jobs. If there is a death on the bad sections beyond each end of the Moone/Timolin BP during the time the new road is lying idle the direct cost is going to be more than a few peoples dole, let alone the indirect costs of road deaths.

And they are required to have at least 2 weeks notice, so open the road and they are still employed til the "new" convenient (for Dempsey) open date!

kwinabeeste

Furet wrote: »

I don't believe that for a single second to be honest.

heard it from a reliable source..

L1011

Furet wrote: »

I don't believe that for a single second to be honest.

Its vaguely plausible. There's four petrol stations, one of which gets huge deli trade; and a few pubs with food on the route.

The one that gets the huge deli trade is diversifying to cope with the loss of traffic, its opening a medical centre (in a petrol station!) in "november" apparently - I'd take it its been delayed a little - for instance.

Villain

kwinabeeste wrote: »

Apparently they are not opening the road because some of the businesses on the old road are only keeping people on until the new road opens. They don't want lay offs the week before Christmas...

Sounds like spin and tbh I don't care road safety comes before a few jobs everyday

Villain

kwinabeeste wrote: »

heard it from a reliable source..

Name the source or it isn't reliable.

Looking forward to tomorrow now haven't been on Joe Duffy or Gerry Ryan show in a good while. Dempsey is going to come out of this in bad light

Dilby

another rumour going around from the KCC side is that they don't have the money in this years budget to pay a bonus and thats why its been put off until jan. I know this idea was thrown around before here but this time it came from KCC NRDO staff

BluntGuy

The businesses in question have known for a good few years that a new road was in planning and they were certainly aware of it being under construction and should've made it their business to know the expected opening date.

I feel sorry for anyone who's going to struggle but unfortunately a business dependent on long-distance traffic on routes that are being bypassed is simply not viable.

They have been given time to prepare for this. Two weeks will make negligible difference to them, but it will certainly make a difference to a family that may lose a loved one on the old stretch of N9 due to this ridiculous farce.

kwinabeeste

Villain wrote: »

Name the source or it isn't reliable.

Looking forward to tomorrow now haven't been on Joe Duffy or Gerry Ryan show in a good while. Dempsey is going to come out of this in bad light

I'd rather not.

I want this road open as much as every one here and i think that protecting a few jobs in favour of road safety is a sham.

This is a fook up or all proportions. Announce it yesterday - Take it back today. Bad management and typical politicking!

I'm not a happy chappy!:mad:

mackerski

BluntGuy wrote: »

I feel sorry for anyone who's going to struggle but unfortunately a business dependent on long-distance traffic on routes that are being bypassed is simply not viable.

We could have a boards whiparound to pay off the staff affected - everybody pledges a tenner in a good cause

Amtmann

Villain wrote: »

Name the source or it isn't reliable.

Looking forward to tomorrow now haven't been on Joe Duffy or Gerry Ryan show in a good while. Dempsey is going to come out of this in bad light

Eh, could you let us know with a quick post here if you'll be on the radio? I'd love to hear it!

Amtmann

THE PLANNED opening on Monday of a €300 million motorway from Kilcullen, Co Kildare, to the Carlow bypass has been deferred by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.
The move follows representations to the Minister from Kildare South TD Seán Power about the timing of the event.
Mr Power told The Irish Times that while he had made “numerous” representations to the Minister and to the National Roads Authority (NRA) on behalf of retailers and a particular petrol station along the route of the current road, and would have serious concerns for the pre-Christmas trade of these businesses, he was “not suggesting for one minute that this is why the opening has been postponed”.
He said he had travelled the road recently, and was concerned it was not fully completed.
Concerns about a premature opening had been voiced by engineers associated with the project, and he had relayed these to Mr Dempsey in recent days.
However, the NRA, which signed off on the completion of the road this week, yesterday reiterated the road has been safely completed.
Initial dates discussed by Kildare County Council for the opening of the road were today or yesterday, before a date of Monday next was agreed by the NRA, Kildare County Council and the Minister.
However, following Mr Power’s representations to the Minister, Mr Dempsey requested a postponement of the opening until some time in January, to which the NRA acceded.
It is also understood representations were made by members of Kildare County Council.
A spokesman for Mr Dempsey said the road opening was postponed after representations by local TDs.
The 27km stretch of motorway will provide a bypass of Castledermot and a new national secondary road to Athy town via the junction at Mullamast in Co Kildare.
With a €300 million cost and a typical economic return of 8 per cent, a four-week delay will cost the State about €1.8 million.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1217/1224260838848.html

This is OUTRAGEOUS. Where is the RSA?

kwinabeeste

Furet wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1217/1224260838848.html

This is OUTRAGEOUS. Where is the RSA?

that is a disgrace! as a non engineer, any truth in the claims bout not being finished hold any truth?

fitzeyboy

I hope to god this is a joke. :mad: this gombeen TD Seán Power should be held personally responsible for any accident or loss of life on the old N9 from Monday until the road opens. his contact details are as follows
Contact Details

Main Street, Newbridge, Co Kildare.
Tel: 045-432289
Fax: 045-435380

Dáil Éireann, Leinster House, Dublin 2.
Tel: (01) 6183206 or (01) 6184068

hmm. no e-mail address?
*edit|* here it is sean.power@oireachtas.ie

Amtmann

Indeed. He's a publican Fianna Fáil TD too (not that that would have any bearing on this "government's" road safety policy; I don't know why I mentioned it... :rolleyes:). One of the interurban motorways trumped by a parish pump. This is some little country alright. :mad:

BluntGuy

Apparently, the safety of the approx. 10,000 + vehicles that would use the M9 (well, actually it would be more considering it's the Christmas period) does not matter as much as a few unviable businesses.

It's not up to a man who knows about as much about transport as a collection of braindead mice to decide whether a road is completed or not - I'm sorry but that is bullsh*t.

fitzeyboy

"I'm Mad as hell and i'm not going to take it anymore". Feels like an appropriate quote right now. Im going to do some digging to see if I can find his mobile number tomorrow. will post up if i can find it "and if it's allowed under boards rules of course"

Aard

Email sent to Dempsey EDIT: and Joe Duffy. This must be open before Christmas and the New Year.

kwalshe

Some more reading

http://shanemcdonald.org/myblog/2009-12-16/opening-of-carlow-kilcullen-section-of-m9-delayed-by-transport-minister/

Good list of People to email about this on this thread

http://www.politics.ie/transport/120713-dempsey-delays-kilcullen-carlow-motorway-opening.html

Idiots Web-site which states Appendix 2: National Road Projects to be Completed in 2009 (Jan 8th is not 2009.....)

http://www.noeldempsey.ie/index.php/national/minister-for-transport-mr-noel-dempsey-announces-144-billion-allocation-for-2009-national-roads-programme

I'm livid about this .... please if you can email some people with your sentiments.

BluntGuy

Dublin-Waterford travellers have been cheated out of not one, but two schemes this year - one of them for no valid reasons. It is a disgrace and I shall be making many a furious phonecall tommorow.

I may not be a regular user of the N/M9 but it disgusts me to see wastage and corruption YET AGAIN. And my sentiments I'm sure are echoed by all.

Typewriter

Um lads, why not get a group of locals together late on Sunday night and move the cones at either end?

fitzeyboy

*edit* removed as i have no evidence to back up my claim.

BluntGuy

green_jesus wrote: »

Um lads, why not get a group of locals together late on Sunday night and move the cones at either end?

I would not be surprised if an attempt to do that was made. I can't really lend me support to such an action from a boards/moderator point of view since we're not allowed to endorse criminal activity of any kind... but y'know what...

On a personal level, I'd wish 'em the best with it. At least they'd be making a point.