M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

fricatus

green_jesus wrote: »

Think of someone who's coming from the Kilkenny side working in Waterford? Which way would they go?

Whatever about you going from Ardkeen to Wexford (I go from Ardkeen to KK myself and like you, I'll continue to use Rice bridge), someone coming in from the KK side and working in say the industrial estate or WIT, it makes perfect sense to take the new bridge, even if it is tolled.

I know that paying €1.90 or whatever is a pain in the a55, but turn the argument on its head for a minute and ask yourself would you spend €20 a week for an extra 20 minutes in bed?

A lot of people will do that in the final analysis when faced with the choice of arriving at Grannagh, scooting across and being at their desk in work, or queuing to get onto Rice Bridge, waiting for the lights to change at the top of Summerhill, the Yellow Road.

I agree though, tolling it is stupid. I suppose though we'll only know how people really react to it once it's been open for a few months. You'll definitely have your first-time curiosity drivers and your protestors who continue to go through town, but it will find its equilibrium then.

fricatus

Bards wrote: »

This road is a bypass I,.E It is a road for people to bypass Waterford, not to go into the City. I.E through traffic on the Cork Rosslare route.

Yes, but you can be sure that plenty of local traffic will use it too, especially south KK to the west side of the city. Remember the M50 was originally supposed to be a bypass of Dublin, but despite the toll, it's the city's main north-south artery now.

Bards

fricatus wrote: »

Yes, but you can be sure that plenty of local traffic will use it too, especially south KK to the west side of the city. Remember the M50 was originally supposed to be a bypass of Dublin, but despite the toll, it's the city's main north-south artery now.

Yep, totally agree that it will be dead handy to access the Industrial Area and West side from South KK via the Western Link and vice versa, this will be the only "Local Traffic" that the toll will affect

road_high

Like all tolls in different parts of the country there will be initial hesitance to the toll but I reckon when people see the time savings of course they will use the new bypass more.
People have waited a generation for this new bridge and bypass, will be great to finally have it in place.

larryone

The usb cable for my secondary camera never turned up, so the pictures I took on the 16th of March will remain where they are for now. Stupid proprietary connectors. So with my primary camera today I took photos from about the same places. Some of these duplicate what NedNew posted 4 days ago. The last month has seen some real movement (but you'll have to take my word for it - only I can see the photos from a month ago =0) )
http://picasaweb.google.com/larryoneill/KilcullenToUskAlongTheNewM9

Amtmann

Some excellent photos there larryone. Particularly liked number 10 of 18. Good progress with the CBM and first asphalt layer, and good to see the landscaping is consistently well advanced as well.

Anyone have any idea of the time-saving this particular scheme (Kilcullen to Carlow) will deliver?

road_high

Furet wrote: »

Some excellent photos there larryone. Particularly liked number 10 of 18. Good progress with the CBM and first asphalt layer, and good to see the landscaping is consistently well advanced as well.

Anyone have any idea of the time-saving this particular scheme (Kilcullen to Carlow) will deliver?

Anything from 10-30 mins depending on time of day/bank hols etc.
Castledermot is a nightmare a lot of the time.

Amtmann

Cheers mfitzy. Just wondering also, because of the westward shift towards Kilkenny for the Carlow to Knocktopher section, will there still be a timesaving for Waterford traffic?

larryone

I was pleasently supprised to see what I saw. The tie-in wont be an easy task I'd imagine tho. Hopefully I'm wrong. I dont tend to go any further south than Usk when I'm passing through this area, I start heading east from Usk (where the recently opened bridge is) so I probably wont end up using the new motorway much at all.
Kilcullen to the northern point of the Carlow bypass takes about 22 minutes currently. That's if Castledermot isnt choked up. Motorway I'd estimate at about 13 minutes.

Bards

Furet wrote: »

Cheers mfitzy. Just wondering also, because of the westward shift towards Kilkenny for the Carlow to Knocktopher section, will there still be a timesaving for Waterford traffic?

about an hour of a timesaving from Waterford to Kilcullen when the complete M9 is open, just goes to show how bad the existing N9 is when you consider that the Waterford - Dublin is the shortest of all the MIU's yet has possibly the greatest impact when it comes to time saved

Amtmann

Finally (and sorry if this has been asked before), what happens in Q3 2009 when the Waterford to Knocktopher section opens, as the northern terminus here ends a few kilometres away from the existing N9?

larryone

Managed to find two more images that were taken in a hurry on the 29th of March. I dont think I even got out of my car for these. One of the new N9 bridge before the old bit of road was removed, and a sideways one of the next bridge north before the span was completed. Alot can happen in 2 weeks. I have more photos if anyone's interested, just pm me.

road_high

Furet wrote: »

Finally (and sorry if this has been asked before), what happens in Q3 2009 when the Waterford to Knocktopher section opens, as the northern terminus here ends a few kilometres away from the existing N9?

No problem
Ties into the R699 Callan-Knocktopher road and thus links to the current N9/10 a mile or two away. This road has been upgraded extensively and most of the realignment is open already to tie in with the M9.

Bards

.....and I wouldn't be surprised if Roadbridge/Sisk JV have a partial stage opening from knocktopher to Kilkenny at the same time as Waterford Knocktopher is opened

serfboard

Bards wrote: »

.....and I wouldn't be surprised if Roadbridge/Sisk JV have a partial stage opening from knocktopher to Kilkenny at the same time as Waterford Knocktopher is opened

... thus making the journey from Kilkenny to Waterford no length at all, followed by (pot-stirring noises) a downgrading of services in Kilkenny hospital since ye'll have the Regional Centre so close.

road_high

serfboard wrote: »

... thus making the journey from Kilkenny to Waterford no length at all, followed by (pot-stirring noises) a downgrading of services in Kilkenny hospital since ye'll have the Regional Centre so close.

.....can of worms :eek:. WRH can't handle the patients it has let alone throw all of KK and Carlow patients on top of them

road_high

Bards wrote: »

.....and I wouldn't be surprised if Roadbridge/Sisk JV have a partial stage opening from knocktopher to Kilkenny at the same time as Waterford Knocktopher is opened

Yea, I thought the same especially going by the current rate of progress..

larryone

Was looking at the Kilcullen end again. I noticed they they are constructing a split from the motorway just south of Junction2.
It splits immediately south of where the Yellowbogcommon to OldKilcullen road crosses the current N9, and bends westward, just stopping short of the N78 at Knockaulin.
So it looks like plans are afoot (or they're just leaving it for the future possibility) of a link accross to Junction12 of the M7. This means they wouldn't have to try to make a trumpet out of Junction11 (which may actually have been the easier option)

It'll either join at J12 or somewhere between J12 and J13 - depending on whether they construct it north or south of the Curragh Camp.

Does anyone know if this was included in the plans for the scheme they're constructing now?

(further progress has been made at the northern tie in - this off split forms part of it)

Bards

larryone wrote: »

Was looking at the Kilcullen end again. I noticed they they are constructing a split from the motorway just south of Junction2.
It splits immediately south of where the Yellowbogcommon to OldKilcullen road crosses the current N9, and bends westward, just stopping short of the N78 at Knockaulin.
So it looks like plans are afoot (or they're just leaving it for the future possibility) of a link accross to Junction12 of the M7. This means they wouldn't have to try to make a trumpet out of Junction11 (which may actually have been the easier option)

It'll either join at J12 or somewhere between J12 and J13 - depending on whether they construct it north or south of the Curragh Camp.

Does anyone know if this was included in the plans for the scheme they're constructing now?

(further progress has been made at the northern tie in - this off split forms part of it)

here's the plan of Junction 2.

http://www.n9-n10kilcullen-waterford.ie/EIS/pdf/Fig-03-41.pdf

rameire

larryone wrote: »

Was looking at the Kilcullen end again. I noticed they they are constructing a split from the motorway just south of Junction2.
It splits immediately south of where the Yellowbogcommon to OldKilcullen road crosses the current N9, and bends westward, just stopping short of the N78 at Knockaulin.
So it looks like plans are afoot (or they're just leaving it for the future possibility) of a link accross to Junction12 of the M7. This means they wouldn't have to try to make a trumpet out of Junction11 (which may actually have been the easier option)

It'll either join at J12 or somewhere between J12 and J13 - depending on whether they construct it north or south of the Curragh Camp.

Does anyone know if this was included in the plans for the scheme they're constructing now?

(further progress has been made at the northern tie in - this off split forms part of it)

would it be anything to do with the service area for the m9 motorway.

rameire

Bards wrote: »

here's the plan of Junction 2.

http://www.n9-n10kilcullen-waterford.ie/EIS/pdf/Fig-03-41.pdf

and is that not junction 3
the new athy link road to R747

rameire

larryone wrote: »

Was looking at the Kilcullen end again. I noticed they they are constructing a split from the motorway just south of Junction2.
It splits immediately south of where the Yellowbogcommon to OldKilcullen road crosses the current N9, and bends westward, just stopping short of the N78 at Knockaulin.
So it looks like plans are afoot (or they're just leaving it for the future possibility) of a link accross to Junction12 of the M7. This means they wouldn't have to try to make a trumpet out of Junction11 (which may actually have been the easier option)

It'll either join at J12 or somewhere between J12 and J13 - depending on whether they construct it north or south of the Curragh Camp.

Does anyone know if this was included in the plans for the scheme they're constructing now?

(further progress has been made at the northern tie in - this off split forms part of it)

http://www.n9-n10kilcullen-waterford.ie/EIS/pdf/Fig-03-39.pdf

is this is

larryone

Aah. Had forgotten all the drawings were on that site. This makes it alot clearer, thanks guys.

So this is not a possible future connector with the M7 at the curragh.
Initially I thought it was the MSA, but after I went and had a look it certainly looked like something differrent.
I suppose I let the imagination run wild. Hopes of being able to get from M9 northbound to M7 southbound without having to use local roads were taunting me.

Bring on the trumpets for M7 J11? I will continue to hope.

road_high

Yes would be so great to be able to nip across to Kildare town all on motorway from the M9 rather than those back roads as you say.

road_high

larryone wrote: »

Aah. Had forgotten all the drawings were on that site. This makes it alot clearer, thanks guys.

So this is not a possible future connector with the M7 at the curragh.
Initially I thought it was the MSA, but after I went and had a look it certainly looked like something differrent.
I suppose I let the imagination run wild. Hopes of being able to get from M9 northbound to M7 southbound without having to use local roads were taunting me.

Bring on the trumpets for M7 J11? I will continue to hope.

Does mean the current M9-N78 junction will be obsolete under this new arrangement?

rameire

mfitzy wrote: »

Does mean the current M9-N78 junction will be obsolete under this new arrangement?

nope

http://www.n9-n10kilcullen-waterford.ie/EIS/pdf/Fig-03-30.pdf

its just the n9 needs a new junction

yellow012

yellow012 wrote: »

Going off on a tangent (literally), I see work has begun on the Athy side for the N78 - M9 - N9 - R747 link road. Anyone have any info on the scheduled completion date for this section?

Sorry for bumping but seeing as this is being discussed has anyone heard anything on the completion date?

road_high

The N78 between Athy and Kilcullen will surely be pretty irrelevant now except for obviously local/regional traffic.
Why use it in the near future as the new link road off the M9 further south will be a superior option ofr traffic going to Athy or beyond to places like Castlecomer?

rameire

yellow012 wrote: »

Sorry for bumping but seeing as this is being discussed has anyone heard anything on the completion date?

hopefully it is a 100km/h road the whole way and has no 60km/h zones, the two wreck my head.

yellow012

mfitzy wrote: »

The N78 between Athy and Kilcullen will surely be pretty irrelevant now except for obviously local/regional traffic.
Why use it in the near future as the new link road off the M9 further south will be a superior option ofr traffic going to Athy or beyond to places like Castlecomer?

Yeah exactly, and I've heard from a good source that when the Athy - M9 link road is completed that section of the N78 (Athy - Kilcullen) will be downgraded to a non-national route with a 80kph speed limit.