M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

alpha2zulu

Heres a little up date on the the achilles heel of the Waterford - Knocktopher scheme...Mullinavat.

Half way between Waterford and Mullinavat is quite worrying to see floodwater from an adjacent field now within a couple of feet of the Northbound carraigeway. Another big rain event in the next few days and I really wouldent be surprised to see the road start to flood at this spot.

At the Mullinavat Junction there basically seems to have been no work done since I last saw it a month ago, still just the hard shoulder being the only area with top layer.

The couple of Km's north of Mullinavat are the same, landscaping still at a very early stage as they were a month back and awaiting top layer. I can understand why laying of tarmac had to stop but surely their machinery could cope with the landscaping work during the frosty weather or was the area deemed too dangerous to work by health and safety??

Looking back south towards Mullinavat.

and north

The noticeable addition is the begining of line painting in the Lukeswell area. looking north with the Lukeswell bridge over the N9 just visible in the background.


The only location on the entire scheme that currently has the wall mounted reflectors installed is the last 2-3km at Waterford and for whatever reason roughly every 5th or 6th reflector has fallen off during the cold spell...:rolleyes: Are BAM accountable to anybody for the lack of movement over the past month, do the DOT or Kilkenny County Council get much feeback from the site in schemes like this?

road_high

Thanks for updates. Dissapointing to see the lack of progress alright. As you point out it is hard to figure out why landscaping and things like that should have stopped during the cold snap. Especially seen as they are so very far behind schedule. BAM must have very little staff/resources left on the section now if this is anyhting to go by. They just need to go and finish it once and for all.

placard

It's really annoying that they haven't made any progress with this project.:mad: Please someone tell me why would they let so many people go off of a project that has a fixed contract/ fixed cost??? oh and so much for fixed deadlines!!
I'm gonna email bam to see what they have to say. Here are the email addresses for the three bam offices. The Galway one may be irrelevant in this case. Feel free to send them a mail to see what the delay is.

Kill office:
info@bamcontractors.ie
Cork Office:
info@bamcork.ie
Galway Office
info@bamgalway.ie

placard

Is photo 3 part of the main motorway? It looks like a tight bend for 120k

roryq

The lack of progress on this is madness considering it is posted to be ready by spring 2009 just after mullinvat.. As a user of the road from waterford to kilkenny on daily basis. My head is wrecked and waiting on this road to open is making my head even more wrecked.:mad::mad:

alpha2zulu

placard wrote: »

Is photo 3 part of the main motorway?

Yes. Looking south back towards the Mullinavat Junction.

To be honest the photo is a bit deceptive, it doesent seem as bad as it looks. Theres several other bends closer to waterford that are at roughly similar angles so I presume all is well design wise.

My head is wrecked and waiting on this road to open is making my head even more wrecked.

Totally the same here, the old road is literally falling apart more than ever now with the thaw and rain recently. the approach into Thomastown from the Dublin side is meant to be a total joke with potholes from what I'm told.

Aside from the actual top layer missing at Mullinavat,just seeing the landscaping still looking as big a mess as it did a month back and the road only a few feet away from being flooded and were only half way through winter was very disheartening to see . Even the new M6 out west dident flood throughout all the problems in that part of the world last month! It almost feels like its only when they find a few quid down the back of the couch do they go and do another bit of work.

road_high

Actually getting beyond a joke now at this stage. Reminds me of the shambles Regan Engineering made of the Kilkenny N77 Ring Road a few years back. Was the very same "arsing" about as BAM but on a smaller scale of course. What a pity Kilkenny hasn't a proper TD between any of the clowns supposed to represent us :mad:

lotie

I'm another Kilkenny to Waterford everyday so feel the pain.

While I am sceptical, I did here from a colleague here today that was speaking to a BAM worker that the road would be open in two weeks time (obviously third hand info).

Doesn't look like it when you see the Mullinavat pictures. Of course, if you look at any of the Roadbridge section from Knocktopher they've been ready to open for some time now.

Maybe BAM will get moving now but no harm if we can find a way of keeping the pressure on.

Silverado

I suppose you have to be sympathetic with BAM to some extent in that building a motorway in the worst winter since 1963 is going to be difficult. We also know that in the Mullinavat area they met with a lot of difficulty in drainage. This wasn’t anticipated at the design stage because you just don’t know about underground streams until you dig down and meet them. However they don’t seem to be trying very hard to push on the project whenever they get the opportunity.

I pointed out that back in October http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=62514673&postcount=791we had a lot of good weather (believe it or not) and that they should work the weekends but did they - no they didn't.

Let’s see if they start pushing it on now that they have lost the first two weeks of January due to the weather. For instance next weekend is looking reasonable, will they work it?

hi5

I noticed a bit of activity in Paulstown today.A stop/go system and cones in place where the roundabout on the N10 will be.

Chris_533976

Once again progress on Crusheen - Gort of the M18 absolutely floors the rest of the M9.

wellbutty

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Once again progress on Crusheen - Gort of the M18 absolutely floors the rest of the M9.

Yeah the pace is unreal there compared to the M9. I don't accept drainage difficulties as an excuse for the late opening and the guys I know that were working on the site have never mentioned issues near Mullinavat.

Placard, did you get a reply from BAM? End of February is looking seriously optimistic.

Silverado

I noticed some progress at last today at Mullinavat. They are putting down the wear coats on the western carriageway at present with some landscaping just north of the junction. It appears that they have about 5 km to topsurface and from what I could see they had done about half of the western carriageway. At that rate of going they could be finished all the wearcoats by the end of the month or sooner.

Empire o de Sun

About the lack of progress.

The cold weather would prevent the placing of balcktop (Bitumen Macadam or Tarmac or Tar). if it was placed in the cold temperatures it would fail.

Also the same is for concrete. Yes it does generate it's own heat with the chemical reaction but if it is too cold well then the concrete can fail too.

Yes you can get mixes that can cope with the colder temperatures but these are expensive but I have never come across use of these special mixes in this country.

Tech3

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Once again progress on Crusheen - Gort of the M18 absolutely floors the rest of the M9.

I think it beats every scheme in construction at the moment. Wills and Roadbridge only for any future road schemes IMO.

road_high

I think BAM (formerly Ascon) are gone to the bad. Anyone remember the progress they made very quickly on the M9 Carlow bypass? And that seems to have been finished in half the time of Knocktopher-Waterford.

I was talking to an affected landowner yesterday on the roadbridge section (Knocktopher-Carlow) near Stoneyford and he was saying that Roadbridge could open their section (Danesfort-Knocktopher) within a week if push came to shove...it is basically ready. But obviously from a practical and road safety it would be unwise to do so. They are basically waiting on those clowns BAM just like the rest of us :mad: to finish their section...after 3 years!

roryq

Well considering they left go 100 plus employees before christmas most of which have gone to Poland to work on a new bridge project there. Which will more than likely be completed before waterford to Dublin... It is a joke..

road_high

Look how people power got the Kilcullen Carlow section open despite the intentions of others. Wonder could the same pressure be mounted at the Waterford end to get this open for once and for all

Trotter

I sent a mail to the BAM office to see what the story was. No reply!

redalicat

Anyone catch this article in the Nationalist?

NRA accused of riding roughshod over co council on M9 opening

I guess it wasn't "people power" but "NRA bullying" that got it opened?

dougal

Finally an end in sight. 7 weeks more to wait.

Sent: 22 January 2010 10:46
Subject: M9 Waterford to Danesfort

It looks likely now that the Minister will officially open the road on 12th March—we are awaiting confirmation of this from the Minister’s office.

Project Coordinator

lotie

dougal wrote: »

Finally an end in sight. 7 weeks more to wait.

Thanks Dougal,

With BAM's track record on this project we'll just have to wait and hope for no further slippage.

The one thing we can (and should) do is ensure during the run up to the opening that all news organisations are made crystal clear of the fact that this project is BEHIND schedule. They'll try and spin the "under budget and ahead of schedule" line that Kilkenny CoCo were spin as early as two week's ago.

Lets not let the NRA, BAM or Kilkenny CoCo away with that lie!

roryq

lotie wrote: »

Thanks Dougal,

With BAM's track record on this project we'll just have to wait and hope for no further slippage.

The one thing we can (and should) do is ensure during the run up to the opening that all news organisations are made crystal clear of the fact that this project is BEHIND schedule. They'll try and spin the "under budget and ahead of schedule" line that Kilkenny CoCo were spin as early as two week's ago.

Lets not let the NRA, BAM or Kilkenny CoCo away with that lie!

I totally agree with the above post.. It is the most over-due road project in the south-east.. I spend most of my time on the road driving and the road between kilkenny and waterford is a nightmare.. Also with all the pot holes now on the road which we know are not going to be repaired. This really needs to be finished... Spring 2009 that was a bit of an optomistict deadline... As per the sign between ballyhale and mullinvat.

scubadavie

I just heard from a Guard in Waterford that they were told by contractors that the stretch from Danesford to Powerstown would be open by March 17th. I find this a little bit hard to believe!!??

kieranb07

scubadavie wrote: »

I just heard from a Guard in Waterford that they were told by contractors that the stretch from Danesford to Powerstown would be open by March 17th. I find this a little bit hard to believe!!??

Looks like i wasnt too far off then if this is true... if the wf-kk section is opening the 12th and the kk-pt section is opening the 17th,

kieranb07 wrote: »

Heard from an engineer that is doing the drainage on the Knocktopher - Waterford section,
He said that there plan now because of all the weather delays and other problems like the bridge that had to be re-raised, is that the K-W section will open in unison with the Knocktopher - Carlow section in the first half of February..:(

Setanta_og

Good to see the most popular thread on the Infrastructure Section still going strong. I came across this link some time ago,the main link deals with all the proposed MSS sites. Below is the link to the plan for northern M9 site just south of Kilcullen http://www.nra.ie/Publications/EISPublications/file,15907,en.pdf


Does anyone know if this is to go ahead?

L1011

Its long-fingered like every other MSA other than the 3 under construction now.

dougal

scubadavie wrote: »

I just heard from a Guard in Waterford that they were told by contractors that the stretch from Danesford to Powerstown would be open by March 17th. I find this a little bit hard to believe!!??

kieranb07 wrote: »

Looks like i wasnt too far off then if this is true... if the wf-kk section is opening the 12th and the kk-pt section is opening the 17th,

Sorry it doesn't look like the Danesfort to Powerstown section will be ready till the summer.

We haven’t got a date yet.
The road could be open in mid summer.
I’m hoping at worst that it will be delivered in time for the Hurling final in Sept.

Project Coordinator

fricatus

Project Coordinator wrote:

I’m hoping at worst that it will be delivered in time for the Hurling final in Sept.

There's confidence!

dugganm07

I received this email this morning in relation to the opening times,

We expect the M9 phase 2 (Waterford to Knocktopher) will be ready
for handover late Feb/ early March subject to final safety audit and
resolution of any issues other that might arise--this takes some time
depending on the issues. We have pencilled in 12th March as the opening
date subject to Ministerial availability (if he wishes to have an
official opening)--we would hope to have this confirmed this week to
allow the necessary arrangements to be put in place.
The section of Phase 4 from Knocktopher to Danesfort is also ready.
We will take early delivery of this section under the Contract from the
contractor SRB and will open it to traffic at the same time as phase 2
thus improving the safety in the villages of Knocktopher and Stoneyford
as early as possible.
The rest of Phase 4 is not due for delivery until mid Nov of this
year. However we would be hopeful that it will be delivered early,
possibly in the third quarter of the year.


JOE GANNON

Project Coordinator

To be honest im not to worried about the danesfort to carlow bypass section, the road between kilkenny and the carlow bypass is pretty good as it is, thankfully it looks like the worst section of N9 between Thomastown and mullinavat will have become a thing of the past in 6 weeks or so.