M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

wellbutty

The summer opening of the full M9 should mean the complete removal of the N9.

L1011

wellbutty wrote: »

The summer opening of the full M9 should mean the complete removal of the N9.

...except for the tiny bit between the N24/N9 RAB and the N9/N25 RAB. The (N9) signs are going to stay accurate until that junction is rebuilt properly. In 30+ years I'd expect.

wellbutty

MYOB wrote: »

...except for the tiny bit between the N24/N9 RAB and the N9/N25 RAB. The (N9) signs are going to stay accurate until that junction is rebuilt properly. In 30+ years I'd expect.

Exactly, although Google Maps have it the way I think it should be:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=52.283046,-7.152765&spn=0.006905,0.021973&z=16

D.L.R.

Zoney wrote: »

DLR,
That limited experience in motorway driving is a major factor. I think plenty of people even if they don't know the technical rules know that their behaviour is not acceptable but don't care.

Potato potato...

Dummy

wellbutty wrote: »

The summer opening of the full M9 should mean the complete removal of the N9.

Is it a Summer opening? I thought it was scheduled for the Autumn.

Happy times if it is Summer. June sounds good to me.

BluntGuy

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Unfortuantely its the (N9) ones that are correct

They should just replace all the (N9) ones with (M9), even if it's the (N9) ones that are correct. It's just confusing having a 400 m stretch of N9.

Fluffybums

Was really looking forward to being able to drive to work on the new "motorway", between Knocktopher and Waterford. As a work colleague pointed out its not really a motorway but a dual carriageway on which you can drive at 120kmph. And who the hell thought of parking bays on a motorway!!!

As for idiots on the motorway. Driving down toward Waterford on Saturday. Overtaking at around 70 - 75 mph. Red car on the hard shoulder, looks like it might have had a flat as there was possibly a wheel on the hard shoulder. Now to give the two male occupants enough room they had the vehicle parked with the drivers side wheel ON the carriageway:eek:. One bloke looking across the motorway from the verge, the other chap walks around the back of the car into the middle of the slow lane, seems to turn toward the approaching traffic, me over taking another car at arounf 70-75 mph, then opens the drivers side door and gets in:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:. Having been blessed with a little grey matter I had slowed to allow the other car to pull out if they needed to. Thank God, the road is not busy, if that had been on a motorway in England that man would be wending his way onto the Darwin awards list.

Is it me or were these two complete plonkers!

lotie

I travel into Waterford on the M9 from Kilkenny every day. Yesterday I experienced a significant safety risk on this motorway and the way it terminates at a roundabout.

I arrived at the junction at the end of the motorway at almost 110Km/hr. Combination of fog, a couple of lorries obsuring the end of motorway signs and me not paying attention at 6am [PHP][/PHP](damn you cruise control!). I was lucky as there was nobody on the roundabout so no problem.

Point is - thick, dense fog is common in that area so given they have decided to end a motorway at a roundabout I really think they need fog warning lights overhead to indicate the motorway ends suddenly. I know the road so I have no excuse but others wont when travelling it and it is an accident waiting to happen.

JohnC.

I think you not paying attention is the issue there, really. IIRC, there are signs indicating the end for quite a distance back and roundabout signs. I don't buy that trucks were blocking all of them.

And if fog is making visibility bad enough that you find it difficult to stop in time, I'd suggest you were driving too fast for the conditions. If you can't stop in time for a roundabout (you say it was only lucky there was nobody on it), can you stop in time for an accident which may have occurred?

Tech3

Fluffybums wrote: »

As a work colleague pointed out its not really a motorway but a dual carriageway on which you can drive at 120kmph.

Yeah it is a motorway. Does it need to be D3 to be motorway as they're so used to the UK mostly having 3 lane motorways?

Bards

tech2 wrote: »

Yeah it is a motorway. Does it need to be D3 to be motorway as they're so used to the UK mostly having 3 lane motorways?

exactly.....

Fluffybums wrote: »

As a work colleague pointed out its not really a motorway but a dual carriageway on which you can drive at 120kmph. And who the hell thought of parking bays on a motorway!!!

and I hope you reminded your work collegues that all the newly completed motorways in Ireland are of the same standard.

tramor

Got onto the M9 at Mullinavat heading towards Waterford today (trying to find the fastest way from home to knocktopher junction, looks like I will still have to go over the hills in south kilkenny). Cops had closed the motorway northbound at this junction and were directing all northbound traffic back into Mullinavat. Anyone know the reason why?

Jayuu

tramor wrote: »

Got onto the M9 at Mullinavat heading towards Waterford today (trying to find the fastest way from home to knocktopher junction, looks like I will still have to go over the hills in south kilkenny). Cops had closed the motorway northbound at this junction and were directing all northbound traffic back into Mullinavat. Anyone know the reason why?

Don't know why but it was a real pain. I deliberately went out of my way to do the northbound M9 journey today from Waterford and found myself back on heap of **** that is the old N9 (or R whatever its called now).

Aquos76

This was more than likely the reason for the closure of the m9 for a period yesterday,

@aaroadwatch:#Kilkenny a crash on the M9 Kilkenny/Dublin Rd northbound between Mullinavat and Knocktopher is blocking one lane.www.aaroadwatch.ie

taken from AA roadwatch's Twitter acc, this was tweeted around lunchtime yesterday.

Slates

Slates wrote: »

Can someone please let me know why the M9 stops at a roundabout when you get to the outskirts of Waterford with minimal signage ?

My better half drives this road to work every day a thinks there is going to be a fatality at the roundabout within the next few weeks.

Evey morning there are cars and lorries jambing on the brakes, obviously supprised that there in no slip road, just a full stop !!
Surely a better junction could have being planned and built ??

As per this email, there have been several near misses and lots of "small" crashes around this area since the road opened, how many deaths do you reckon will be requires before this junction is realined/sorted out.

The other half drives on this road every day and the stories are not good !

Road-Hog

How many signs does there need to be? I know there is at least 4 signs within the last 1km indicating that the motorway ends and that there is a roundabout ahead........drivers not paying due care and attention (too busy texting/talking on mobile, doing make up/fixing hair, picking nose etc) could be a contributory factor to the number of near misses etc that have been documented above?

JOHNFRANCE

First post on here: been following this thread for ages so thanks to everyone!

Living in France and coming home three or four times a year allows me to see the huge progress. Was home at Christmas in the really bad weather and came from Dublin to Waterford on the old N9 (apart from Kilcullen-Carlow). Some difference now.

With that in mind, we need to get over the whole roundabout issue. Yes, it's not the best solution, but it's a step in the right direction! And here in France, we've got toll booths all over the places, with just as much 'danger'. If people are careful and slow down gradually, there should be no problem.

Can't remember if they have speed limit signs coming up to the roundabout? Maybe 120-100-80-60-40 over the space of a few hundred metres would help. It's what they do here and it seem to work fine.

ardmacha

The M1 in Belfast terminated at a roundabout for 40 years. The M1 in Dublin terminated at the airport roundabout for almost 20 years. Signage may be to be improved or having rumble strips etc, but it might be also be an idea to send a Guard down there to ticket anyone acting the maggot.

fricatus

If people are paying attention to what they're doing, there should be no problem, but the problem is precisely those that don't pay attention!

With this in mind, I think rumble strips are a great idea, especially those ones that get progressively closer together. They're ideal for waking the brain-dead, and alerting idiots yapping on the phone that there's danger ahead. They should definitely be in place at the end of the M9.

As for not seeing the signs in fog, well you shouldn't be driving so fast that you can't stop in the visible distance anyway, and you should be hyper-concentrated too. Still though, rumble strips would help where the idiots that think they're invincible are concerned!

The motorway is terrific, and it's made a huge difference to my commute between Kilkenny and Waterford. I still wonder about the parking areas, but I saw something similar on an interstate in the USA, so it doesn't seem like such an Irish idea after all.

One thing that has really surprised me is that there appears to be proper lane discipline - something I didn't expect in Waterford or south Kilkenny! People actually do keep left and overtake right - whereas I was expecting tractors in the "fast" lane!

The one negative is that people seem to think that stopping is permitted. Either that or they consider that answering the phone, a child wanting to pee, etc., is an "emergency". I've even seen unattended vehicles
- and I don't mean just the odd one. I pass at least one on every trip!

lotie

I posted how I ended up over running the end of the motorway on a foggy morning.
The replies said it was my fault and of course they were right - nobody else to blame. However, it's dissappointing that so many people replying to me and others leave it at that.

The point of good design (roads, IT products, equipment, etc.) is that you error proof them because people are not perfect and do make mistakes and lose concentration.

I am a safe driver (no points, etc.) but I could have killed someone or myself that day. Something as simple as rumble strips would be a simple and massive improvement.

Amtmann

I certainly think rumble strips should have been included, just as they are on the M8's approach to the Dunkettle Interchange (which is a giant roundabout).

zootroid

Furet wrote: »

I certainly think rumble strips should have been included, just as they are on the M8's approach to the Dunkettle Interchange (which is a giant roundabout).

It would be a start, but the thing is the speed limit on that section of the M8 is 100km/h, so drivers would be driving more slowly and probably paying a bit more attention.

BluntGuy

The signage approaching Dunkettle is independently illuminated so it's very clear even at night.

redtelephone

I took some photos at J7 Paulstown this evening.


Looking N

Link road to N10

Looking S

Southbound Off-Ramp

Sully

Any ideas why the N9 from Waterford is partly closed? Is it something to do with the M9 or other work?

Minister

Sully wrote: »

Any ideas why the N9 from Waterford is partly closed? Is it something to do with the M9 or other work?

Kilkenny Co Co and Contractors are re-aligning the old N9 and also the Kilmacow Junction. It is, I think, expected to be closed until July. I believe that little hill at the junction is being removed.

In relation to the M9 near Powerstown, Carlow I notice that the road is now lined and great work seems to be going on towards Gowran/Paulstown. I looked at the road from one mile north of the Paulstown Junction and the road appears ready for final surface.

I dearly hope that sense will prevail to the extent that the road from Powerstown to Paulstown, if completed ahead of Danesfort to Paulstown, is opened to alleviate the 40 mph trip from Powerstown to Paulstown.

jonnycwh

when is the final section gonna be open?? i cannot wait!! :P

Jomcc

Slightly off topic.........

Just wondering about the "speed bumps" on the R861 from the Grannagh Junction Roundabout to the Newrath Roundabout. Passed there a number of times recently and noticed "temporary" speed bumps signs on this stretch. The "speed bumps" seem to be a dip in the road on Waterford side of railway bridge. Is this a fault? If not, why are signs not permanent ones?
Apologies if this has been discussed earlier but after doing quick search, couldn't find anything.

wellbutty

Jomcc wrote: »

Slightly off topic.........

Just wondering about the "speed bumps" on the R861 from the Grannagh Junction Roundabout to the Newrath Roundabout. Passed there a number of times recently and noticed "temporary" speed bumps signs on this stretch. The "speed bumps" seem to be a dip in the road on Waterford side of railway bridge. Is this a fault? If not, why are signs not permanent ones?
Apologies if this has been discussed earlier but after doing quick search, couldn't find anything.

Saw this yesterday for the first time, looks like subsidence where the road meets the bridge.

rameire

howdy guys

have a quick question for you.
Im heading to New Ross on Saturday for a wedding, so leaving early in the morning.
So travelling from Athy to New Ross.

to start off i will be heading out the new n78 to the M9 at junction 3 and then heading south.

Can people advise on which way I should go?
Before the m9 i would have probable taken the n80 and then the N30.
Should I go to Thomastown and then take the back roads from there?
Should I go to Mullinavat and take the back roads from there?
Or should i go all the way to Wexford and then take the National road from there?

Bearing in mind I will be on a Motorbike, so speed limits and traffic will not apply.