M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

mountjuliet

Road-Hog wrote: »

last section to be open for the upcoming bank holiday weekend

Having passed by the new section of road only yesterday it is going to take a lot of work to get the road finished and safety checked by this Bank Holiday.

Certainly by the August Bank holiday it should be open .... maybe it will open soon but it will be of great benefit to Kilkenny once opened.

tinkerbell

Wow so when the new M9 opens fully, it will only take 90 mins to get from Newlands Cross to Waterford city?! :wtf:

That's amazing!!!!!!! How about from Newlands X to Kilkenny once the Bennettsbridge part is open?

nordydan

tinkerbell wrote: »

Wow so when the new M9 opens fully, it will only take 90 mins to get from Newlands Cross to Waterford city?! :wtf:

That's amazing!!!!!!! How about from Newlands X to Kilkenny once the Bennettsbridge part is open?

I have already driven that in 90 minutes (albeit in the dead of the night and with a margin of error on the speed limit). It could be done in 1hr15 under those circumstances (remember no tolls)

left winger

nordydan wrote: »

I have already driven that in 90 minutes (albeit in the dead of the night and with a margin of error on the speed limit). It could be done in 1hr15 under those circumstances (remember no tolls)

Kilmeaden to Rathcoole/Citywest takes about 1hr 30-35 mins any morning I've done it, leaving between 6.45 and 7.15am.

fricatus

left winger wrote: »

Kilmeaden to Rathcoole/Citywest takes about 1hr 30-35 mins any morning I've done it, leaving between 6.45 and 7.15am.

Wow, some difference from the bad old days!

mountjuliet

The latest information we have is that the new stretch of M9 is due to open in July (possibly the first week of July) - Here's Hoping!

Jayuu

mountjuliet wrote: »

The latest information we have is that the new stretch of M9 is due to open in July (possibly the first week of July) - Here's Hoping!

Here's hoping is right!
It seems a little ambitious given some of the photso on the thread but it would be great if it were true. No more Kilkenny ring-road or Gowran and Thomastown!! Can't wait.

marmurr1916

Now that the M8 is complete, the N77 stretches from Portlaoise to Kilkenny.

Does anyone know if the southern section of the N10 will be redesignated to N77 when the M9 and the new northern N10 are completed?

That would give a continuous route from the midlands to south of Kilkenny, linking up with the M9 for the final stretch to Waterford.

W.B. Yeats

mountjuliet wrote: »

The latest information we have is that the new stretch of M9 is due to open in July (possibly the first week of July) - Here's Hoping!

Wow

That would be fantastic

What are your sources?

Bards

W.B. Yeats wrote: »

Wow

That would be fantastic

What are your sources?

extract from http://www.aaireland.ie/ezine/edition/21/motorways.aspx

"By the end of next month Dublin will be connected to Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Galway and the border south of Newry by continuous motorway. This gives us a genuine motorway network for the very first time, and brings our major roads up to and even beyond the best European standards. You don’t need a long memory to recall just how bad it used to be, and this at least is one legacy of the Tiger era that will stand us is good stead for many years to come."


then goes on to contracdict itself and get numbering wrong

"M10 Carlow to Knocktopher - End 2010 "

"In December 2009, the opening of the M9 bypassing Castledermot, saw a significant improvement in journey times between Dublin and Waterford. This route was further improved from 22nd March this year when the section between Waterford and Knocktopher opened to traffic. The final stretch between Carlow and Knocktopher is expected to be completed late this year, therefore providing motorists with a more direct route between Dublin and Waterford."

Roryhy

Limerick definitely wont be connected by the end of next month!

hi5

I doubt very much it will be opened by the end of June,there is still lots of work to do around the Paulstown links and roundabouts,no tar down yet.

mojor

Is there any plans to put a toll on the final section Carlow to Danesfort ala the final section of the M8 getting tolled?

Typewriter

mojor wrote: »

Is there any plans to put a toll on the final section Carlow to Danesfort ala the final section of the M8 getting tolled?

No

tonc76

mojor wrote: »

Is there any plans to put a toll on the final section Carlow to Danesfort ala the final section of the M8 getting tolled?

The toll on the M7/M8 was always planned and it wasn't an afterthought to locate it on the last section of the M8

The toll applies to both M7 & M8.

Of all the Major Inter Urbans the M9 will be the only one without a toll

AndrewMc

Last minor change related to the N78 Athy Link Road: The R418 (old N78) has had it's speed limit dropped from 100 to 80. Of course, while they've gone and changed all the speed limit signs, any of the old directional signage at junctions between the two new ends still says N78...

redalicat

AndrewMc wrote: »

Last minor change related to the N78 Athy Link Road: The R418 (old N78) has had it's speed limit dropped from 100 to 80. Of course, while they've gone and changed all the speed limit signs, any of the old directional signage at junctions between the two new ends still says N78...

Yeah, just noticed it this morning. Took my first spin on the new N78 to get to Athy and really enjoyed it. Made the drive to Athy much more pleasant, and it took me 15 mins to get from Kilcullen to Athy staying at the speed limit. Something unheard of on the old N78.

I have friends from Cork calling by this weekend and curious to get their take on the Cork to Dublin that just opened.

kieranb07

Noticed last night looking south at the powers town junction, that they have all of the white lining done on the north-bound lanes now and are starting to clean up around it,

also at the paulstown link road, all of the trucks are parked there since about last friday... does that mean there finished all the ground work, and just have to line the road and finish the cosmetics??

Sully

I checked with Joe Gannon for an update folks.

Work is progressing very satisfactorily over the past couple of months. We are really down to final finishes—wearing course layer on the road itself plus lining and studs which follow together with signage. The contract requirement is for delivery by the end of November this year however, based on current progress I would expect a significant improvement on that.

Regards,

Sully

I asked for a rough idea when we are talking about opening..

Unlikely before Sept because the surfacing programme which is reasonably easy to predict runs until the end of July

yellow012

AndrewMc wrote: »

Last minor change related to the N78 Athy Link Road: The R418 (old N78) has had it's speed limit dropped from 100 to 80. Of course, while they've gone and changed all the speed limit signs, any of the old directional signage at junctions between the two new ends still says N78...

According to what I have been told, Kildare CoCo are in the process of procuring new signage and the out of date signage on the old road and on the M9 (which directs Athy/Castlecomer traffic down the old N78) will soon be removed and replaced.

AndrewMc

yellow012 wrote: »

According to what I have been told, Kildare CoCo are in the process of procuring new signage and the out of date signage on the old road and on the M9 (which directs Athy/Castlecomer traffic down the old N78) will soon be removed and replaced.

Good stuff. Better than the almost two years it took Carlow to resign the N9/R448 through the town, so

CGolf

redalicat wrote: »

Yeah, just noticed it this morning. Took my first spin on the new N78 to get to Athy and really enjoyed it. Made the drive to Athy much more pleasant, and it took me 15 mins to get from Kilcullen to Athy staying at the speed limit. Something unheard of on the old N78.

I've been using the old N78 since I was born and it has rarely taken me much more than 15-18 minutes to get from Kilcullen to Athy TBH. Of course Kildare Co. Co. have decided to change that reducing the speed limit to 80 km/h AFTER taking a lot of the traffic off it!:rolleyes: The speed limit on my side road off the old N78 (complete with potholes/craters) now has the same limit??

yellow012

CGolf wrote: »

I've been using the old N78 since I was born and it has rarely taken me much more than 15-18 minutes to get from Kilcullen to Athy TBH. Of course Kildare Co. Co. have decided to change that reducing the speed limit to 80 km/h AFTER taking a lot of the traffic off it!:rolleyes: The speed limit on my side road off the old N78 (complete with potholes/craters) now has the same limit??

Yeah but it now a regional route (r418) and it was flagged well in advance that the speed limit would be brought in line with the rest of the r418 route when the new Athy - M9 link road was open.
I live alongside the road and had, a car crash into my garden last Saturday afternoon. It was only the grace of god that noone was injured, a fence post went through their windscreen and I was standing about 20ft from where the car crashed through, luckily my wife and 2 young kids were indoors at the time so we were very all very lucky.
There was a girl killed in a crash on the road a couple of weeks back.
It is still a dangerous road so if the speed limit reduction encourages people to use the new link road and makes the environs of the old N78 a safer place then IMO it is a good thing.

fricatus

CGolf wrote: »

I've been using the old N78 since I was born and it has rarely taken me much more than 15-18 minutes to get from Kilcullen to Athy TBH. Of course Kildare Co. Co. have decided to change that reducing the speed limit to 80 km/h AFTER taking a lot of the traffic off it!:rolleyes: The speed limit on my side road off the old N78 (complete with potholes/craters) now has the same limit??

All that that means is that there's a ridiculously high speed limit on your potholed side road.

I've driven the N78 a couple of times (the odd time when the N9 north of Castledermot was closed for example, or when I was starting out from north KK), and I was always surprised that there wasn't already an 80 km/h limit applied along most of its length.

The new speed limit is appropriate IMO, and now that we've invested all this money in these nice new motorways, we should, as far as possible, be encouraging drivers to use them. We could make a start by removing the tolls from all the interurbans and the Waterford bypass (and at the same time putting in weight restrictions on the lower quality roads).

redalicat

CGolf wrote: »

I've been using the old N78 since I was born and it has rarely taken me much more than 15-18 minutes to get from Kilcullen to Athy TBH. Of course Kildare Co. Co. have decided to change that reducing the speed limit to 80 km/h AFTER taking a lot of the traffic off it!:rolleyes: The speed limit on my side road off the old N78 (complete with potholes/craters) now has the same limit??

I agree about the tiny, potholed roads and 80.:eek:

I had assumed the new N78 would take me much longer. I guess what I liked about the new way to Athy was that I didn't have to keep slowing to go through small villages and then trying to get up to what was 100 because inevitably I'd find myself behind a tractor or someone who went 80 regardless of the signpost being higher or lower. And there were few safe places to overtake.

It was nice to just drive and not be so stressed.:cool:

tinkerbell

So the M9 probably won't be completed so til Aug / Sept? I can't wait for it to be done, it'll be brill. It takes 30 mins to get to Kilkenny from the end of the motorway so wonder how much time it'll be reduced to once the rest of the motorway is open.

Silverado

tinkerbell wrote: »

So the M9 probably won't be completed so til Aug / Sept? I can't wait for it to be done, it'll be brill. It takes 30 mins to get to Kilkenny from the end of the motorway so wonder how much time it'll be reduced to once the rest of the motorway is open.

My guess is about 15 minutes. Its shorter than the Waterford-Danesford section which takes about 18 minutes.

tinkerbell

Silverado wrote: »

My guess is about 15 minutes. Its shorter than the Waterford-Danesford section which takes about 18 minutes.

It only takes 18 mins to get from Danesfort in KK to Waterford?! :eek: Wow!

Would love it if the whole M9 opened up by mid July as plan on taking a trip down from Dublin to Waterford at some stage then

redtelephone

tinkerbell wrote: »

So the M9 probably won't be completed so til Aug / Sept? I can't wait for it to be done, it'll be brill. It takes 30 mins to get to Kilkenny from the end of the motorway so wonder how much time it'll be reduced to once the rest of the motorway is open.

I really hope Aug/Sept is the date. Work seems to be progressing very slowly around J7 Paulstown lately. Anybody know if there's a problem?