M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

jd

chug chug chug loads of vehicles have broken down inside aforementioned service station..

Aard

fitzeyboy wrote: »

sean.power@oireachtas.ie

Just thought I'd quote this in case anybody missed it. Also, turns out our friend Mr Power is Minister of State for Justice, Equality, and Law Reform. Lol.

fricatus

I'm in work and I can't use work e-mail to send snotty e-mails to Deputy Power, nor can I access GMail to do so :mad:

Otherwise I'd be spamming his mailbox as we speak.

I don't have access to a radio either, so I can't hear whether it's discussed on Morning Ireland, or on Gerry Ryan, Eamonn Keane or Joe Duffy's programmes.

Maybe if someone's in radio-land and this is discussed, they might just post it on here for the benefit of those of us who are incomunicado...

alpha2zulu

Maybe if someone's in radio-land and this is discussed, they might just post it on here for the benefit of those of us who are incomunicado...

+1

Really though if you saw this sort of thing on Killinaskully you would say its too far fetched a story. Good to see the Irish Times on top of the story so quick. Since today is only the 17th at least there is still a couple of days leeway to get this open before Christmas.

PhilipMarlowe

Morning Ireland covered this at about 7:45
John Murray had Conor Faughnan on...

Mayo Exile

Just been a piece on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland about this. Conor Faughnan of the AA said the owners of a petrol station and a couple of shops along the current N9 worried about their Xmas trade, lobbied a local TD who then made representations to Noel Dempsey with the result that a "ministerial diktat" (Conor Faughnan's words) got the opening put off till January. All quite extraodinary really........

Propellerhead

Can the public get a list of the businesses so that their public spiritness can be rewarded accordingly?

Bards

Mayo Exile wrote: »

Just been a piece on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland about this. Conor Faughnan of the AA said the owners of a petrol station and a couple of shops along the current N9 worried about their Xmas trade, lobbied a local TD who then made representations to Noel Dempsey with the result that a "ministerial diktat" (Conor Faughnan's words) got the opening put off till January. All quite extraodinary really........

RTE said there will be more on this later

Dempsey, if you're listening - This isn't the end of it..

Villain

It certainly isn't I will spend most of day trying to highlight this, TD's will have blood on their hands if anyone is hurt or killed. The cold spelling coming make roads lethal, Sean Power should be contacted. I won't be buying anything in Castledermot each day either

fricatus

Right... managed to get myself onto the "real" internet just long enough to e-mail Deputy Power and copy in the Department of Transport:

Dear Deputy Power,

I am very concerned by the report in this morning's Irish Times suggesting that the Carlow-Kilcullen section of the M9 has had its opening delayed following representations by you to the Minister for Transport (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1217/1224260838848.html).

I am only an occasional user of the soon-to-be-replaced section of the N9, but I am outraged at the suggestion that you would seek to delay the opening of this new piece of infrastructure because of the representations of "retailers and a particular petrol station along the route of the current road". What about the 20,000 or so road users who travel this route every day? What about the many individuals and families that will travel this route over the Christmas period? As an elected member of our national legislature, do you not also represent them? Are you not concerned for their comfort, convenience, and above all, safety?

I would remind you, Deputy Power, that this motorway has been paid for out of taxpayers' (scarce) money and that it constitutes a public good, not a plaything that ought to be bandied about at the whim of politicians. The Irish Times report says that you "had travelled the road recently" and that you were "concerned it was not fully completed". I would challenge you now to detail your reasons in public, since the NRA does not appear to share your concerns.

I hope that we will see a clear statement of the facts in this matter, or else see the M9 open on 21 December, but in the meantime may I wish you a happy, peaceful and safe Christmas.

Best regards,
...

Mayo Exile

Billy Timmins, Fine Gael TD for Wicklow has just been on Morning Ireland attacking the delay in opening the road. Apparently, Minister Dempsey was contacted and asked to come on the programme, but was unavailable as he was on his way to Brussels to attend an EU meeting of Transport ministers. Wonder will he be at the M6 Galway to Ballinasloe opening tomorrow?

Paajer

Email sent to Noel Dempsey, phone message left for Sean Power. Very pi**$d off over this.

Paajer.

lotie

I'm spurred into action! Having been following this thread but now have my login details...

Irish Times piece says it all..
- this decision puts lives at risk
- it will inconvenience thousands
- it will cost the economy money

Have email all the radio stations, RSA, NRA, politicians..

We really need to keep the pressure on the RSA..they keep telling us that infrstructure is one of the key pillars in improving safety and that Christmas is one of the most dangerous periods on the roads.

Need to ensure that they dont spin the 'its not ready' - the NRA have signed it off!

L1011

On RTE R1 right now, Sean Power trying to defend this.

johnbk

He is stating that the road isnt finished. He should listen the the news about 5 deaths on roads in the last 24 hours!

Paajer

I'm no speech expert but Sean Power either didn't have a clue what he was speaking about and/or he was lying......

L1011

Snotty email sent. Got "blood on hands" and "cheap political reasons" in there, accused him and Dempsey of at the least causing "hours upon hours of misery" to his constituents over Christmas

vodavoda

The M9 motorway between castledermot and kilcullen is finished with a full road safe audit complete and signed off. It is crazy to postpone during what is a dangerous time of year for driving particularly when it is ready, finished & complete.

The new Athy road (new N78) from Ballitore to Athy is not ready to open yet however I understand a series of signs were agreed between the NRA, KCC and the contractors to ensure drivers to Athy use the current N78 from Kilcullen interchange...

As a regular user of this route, I really hope that no accidents/incidents occur on the existing relatively unsafe section of road between now and the actual opening - whenever that is?

Star Spangler

The issue will be discussed on KFM this morning at 9.30 by local representatives.

redalicat

Keep the updates coming re: talk of this on radio when it's still on. I'm refreshing this page and hoppin around the radio, ready to send angry texts in!

Paajer

fitzeyboy wrote: »

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

Rang 01-6183428, poor lady said they had been getting calls at that number all morning for Deputy Power. It seems it's the switch number, his direct line for anyone interested is 01-6183428. Mightn't be any harm to keep going through the main switch though, everyone will then be aware of the level of calls to his office.

Paajer

redalicat

Star Spangler wrote: »

The issue will be discussed on KFM this morning at 9.30 by local representatives.

Just sent my text to KFM, let me know when it's on with others...

W.B. Yeats

In work so can't send any snotty emails and can't get onto my yahoo account
I'm lost for words that this has been allowed to happen
We need to keep up the momentum here folks
Dempsey conveniently couldn't take the call and is hoping that this will die down if he hunkers down over the weekend and gets to next week and the Christmas hols when people are off work and less concerned about public agitation.
Let's not forget the Sunday papers in highlighting this.
What we need is a concerted effort today, tomorrow, over the weekend and start again on Monday.
As a daily user of the road I'm really hoping for my own safety to get off the N9 as soon as possible- I encountered someone driving with no lights on it this morning.

L1011

power is wittering on kfm now. Still claiming he didn't ask for it to be delayed...

Bards

being discussed now

http://www.kfmradio.com/

patrickc

oh like the old stretch of road is "safe" ..

profit before safety, although he says the other way round. so angry over this:mad::mad::mad:

why would it be signed off on, if it was not complete

Star Spangler

Reading between the lines I think that the problem is down to a disagreement about bonus payments to Roadbridge from the NRA. KCC had suggested something like this happening several months ago.

rameire

got an email from joe duffy this morning asking for my contact details so i could talk on the show or give them information, unfortunately im in work and wont be able to speak on the radio.
anyone else just email joe and have your chance.

L1011

"there wasn't an invite sent out to me" - yeah, you don't want it to open without a jolly!

W.B. Yeats

Emailed JOE
I'd be happy to go on this afternoon to talk about this. It's not often that I get this motivated to do something but this is blatant cronyism.