M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

who_am_I?

johnbk wrote: »

The new N10 to M9 link does not have access to farmer's fields. It has an underpass for access to fields at the Kilkenny end and an over bridge for farmer's access at the Trumpet junction end. It also has lanes parallel to the road for access to fields.

I feel the NRA will have no choice but put up motorway restriction signs at the start of this link road, expecting drivers to do U-turns on a road like this, if they mistakenly enter it, would be crazy and eventually cause an accident.

Don’t get me started on tractors using Motorways. Some tractors can do over 50kph but not when pulling a load (They don’t have half the power of trucks). This practice should be treated very seriously by the Garda and will eventually lead to a serious accident.

by definition Agri tractors cannot go faster than 40kph...

Aquos76

tramor wrote: »

I agree, tractors should be reported to the cops. I certainly will if I see one on the motorway and get his plate. If you don't stop it ASAP, the motorway will be full of them. They are one of the reasons motorways have to be built. I've seen several cyclists on the waterford bypass, kilmeadan section. I think there are signs on one end that they, plus tractors, are not allowed on this, but not at the other end. Talk about completely slap-dash of waterford Coco.

just for the record, cyclist are allowed on the Waterford city by-pass which by the way is a dual carriageway and not a motorway and also totally seperate from the M9. Yes indeed there are signs indicating "no cyclist" however, these signs were erected in error in the locations there in at present. Cyclists are not permitted to use the bridge section on the by-pass that is all.

Geogregor

Aquos76 wrote: »

just for the record, cyclist are allowed on the Waterford city by-pass which by the way is a dual carriageway and not a motorway and also totally seperate from the M9. Yes indeed there are signs indicating "no cyclist" however, these signs were erected in error in the locations there in at present. Cyclists are not permitted to use the bridge section on the by-pass that is all.

Are cyclist really allowed on HQDC roads in Ireland? Weird. On Polish equivalent they are not allowed.
I'm also surprise reading about all those tractors on motorways in Ireland. How come? Poland is quite rural, lot of farming there but I've never seen tractor on motorway.

murphaph

Geogregor wrote: »

Are cyclist really allowed on HQDC roads in Ireland? Weird. On Polish equivalent they are not allowed.
I'm also surprise reading about all those tractors on motorways in Ireland. How come? Poland is quite rural, lot of farming there but I've never seen tractor on motorway.

It's because Ireland is a joke when it comes to law and order being enforced on the roads, unless it's speeding or drink driving: according to the Garda everything else is perfectly safe.

Compare and contrast: I was watching "Achtung Kontrolle" on TV last week. The Autobahn cops pulled a guy for not overtaking fast enough and causing frustration behind him. They told him "you must travel at least 10km/h faster than the vehicle you are overtaking" and gave him a fine. Differnt world.

JohnC.

Those cop TV shows aren't a good way of backing up a viewpoint especially when your point seems to be that nothing is done where when not far back up the thread someone said there was a tractor pulled over.

When the Gardai are on the roads people complain about them not going after "real criminals". When the Gardai aren't covering all points of a road at all times like omnipotent beings, people complain that they aren't doing anything about <whatever they saw>.

kwalshe

MYOB wrote: »

There is NO direct access to fields ANYWHERE on the motorway network in Ireland.

There is 3 small access roads with gates around roughly where the priory @ kilcullen is. they are at bridges and 1 defo looks it has field access

L1011

kwalshe wrote: »

There is 3 small access roads with gates around roughly where the priory @ kilcullen is. they are at bridges and 1 defo looks it has field access

These are emergency access gates for the emergency services. They are NOT private accesses.

It is legally impossible for private accesses to exist on motorways and as a resuly there are NONE.

If there is "field access" on the roads leading to them, this is got to off the bridge *only* and not the road. The field owner will not posess keys.

kwalshe

MYOB wrote: »

These are emergency access gates for the emergency services. They are NOT private accesses.

It is legally impossible for private accesses to exist on motorways and as a resuly there are NONE.

If there is "field access" on the roads leading to them, this is got to off the bridge *only* and not the road. The field owner will not posess keys.

that makes perfect sense, i just could'nt really figure it myself. i have seen quite a few unmarked mondeos doing speed checks while parked on them

johnbk

This one is near the N80 junction on the M9 Carlow bypass.



Illegal access onto motorways always interests me. If I had a house which adjoined a motorway with the juction miles away I would be tempted to have a 'bat cave' type hidden entrance.

Wild Bill

johnbk wrote: »

This one is near the N80 junction on the M9 Carlow bypass.



Illegal access onto motorways always interests me. If I had a house which adjoined a motorway with the juction miles away I would be tempted to have a 'bat cave' type hidden entrance.

This cannot be a private access onto a motorway! It must be some sort of emergency vehicle access.

Sponge Bob

Wild Bill wrote: »

This cannot be a private access onto a motorway! It must be some sort of emergency vehicle access.

It would be signed as such were it one. I am tempted to think it is an impatient farmer....was there not one around Kilcullen and one around Portlaiose over the years ??

L1011

Sponge Bob wrote: »

It would be signed as such were it one. I am tempted to think it is an impatient farmer....was there not one around Kilcullen and one around Portlaiose over the years ??

M6 G-B is the only scheme where emergency access are signed, despite some existing for a decade plus (there is one on to the sliproad from the M50 to the M1, for instance). Most local road overbridges on the M8 have an emergency access off them also, very commonly used for hairdryer-weilders to hide.

There are absolutely no private entrances anywhere on to motorways in Ireland and I'm absolutely sure the NRA would be blocking up and prosecuting anyone who attempted to. Its one of the few bits of motorway regulations in Ireland that can be easily policed and as a result is.

johnbk

M9 heading north just before Junction 8 - Kilkenny


M9 heading south just after Junction 8 - Kilkenny


M9 Heading south at Nore river bridge


M9 Nore river bridge


N10 Kilkenny to M9 link road take from farmer over bridge. M9 runs from left (Dublin) to right (Waterford) in foreground

johnbk

The mainline of the final section of the M9 is complete other than signs around Junction 8 and a few remaining crash barrier sections around signs and bridges.

On the N10 Kilkenny link road final road surface is complete including anti-slip surface on junctions and also complete around Junction 8 slip roads. All that remains is tidying up barriers at the Kilkenny end, signs, road markings/eyes and barriers. Progress is slow but steady.

I found out some information about the mix up in concrete on the Nore bridge this week. Apparently it involved the concrete supplier mixing up an order for central barrier concrete with deck concrete for the bridge (180m3, about 20 loads). This section was removed with high pressure water jets and re-poured. It has added about 2 months to the opening date of the M9 as Roadbridge couldn’t finish the road at one side of the bridge until the work on the bridge was completed.

I have to say from what I seen today, the standard of work on the final section of the M9 is superb and I can’t wait for it to be finally finished.

Jayuu

It look fairly finished then as far as Junction 8. I wonder what sort of progress has been made north of this (Junction 7 - Paulstown and Junction 6 - link to existing M9)? If its to the same level then its hard to see how this couldn't be open within the next month or so.

I also didn't realise until looking at this and the NRA map that Junction 8 allows for traffic movement in all directions. So in effect there are two Kilkenny <> Waterford junctions (Junctions 8 and 9).

Chris_5339762

Did you take a GPS trace for OSM

icdg

tharlear wrote: »

Its an on-ramp, just longer than normal.
Should have barrier down the center to prevent head on collosions, and idiots making u-turns


No horse, dogs, cats, walker or joggers wishing to get run over should be allowed

Think about it. How are on-ramps usually signed....

As motorways!

If it is indeed treated as a "longer than usual on ramp", it should be signed as a motorway. The NRA know by now (or should) that motorway restrictions begin at the START of the on-ramp, not the bottom. Indeed they do sign it properly a good chunk of the time (see most of the M50 junctions) instead of the wrong way of putting the start of restrictions sign at the end of the on-ramp.

Methinks what will happen in the case is the stupid idea of putting the "NO" signs at the start of the spur and the Start of Motorway Regulations sign at the split for N/B - S/B.

There is a 1km spur of the M20 in Limerick that is signed as a single carriageway motorway. I don't see why this should be any different despite its lenght.

Zoney

icdg,

It seems just stubbornness to me. In fairness it would probably make having a dedicated N10 designation for the link redundant, as from the M9 to the first roundabout would just be a spur of the M9, and from that roundabout to the ring road is very short. Having an M10 section of the N10 would be silliness really (although it could be signed as "M10 (M9)" on all signs).

What they are proposing seems to only build on the inconsistent signing of motorway regulations in the country. For all that you are correct in pointing out the situations where motorways are signed correctly (another example being the M20) there are absolutely unacceptable instances of signage in other cases, like on the M7 where start of motorway signs (regulatory signs enforcing motorway restrictions) are almost on the mainline! Almost beyond the end of the slip road! Similarly for end of motorway signs (not quite as important but still inconsistent and silly).

There's no excuse for it.

hi5

If you were heading north on the M9 and wanted to go to Gowran would it not be a lot quicker to get off at the Paulstown junction.That signage for Gowran Park sends you back into Kilkenny.

Jayuu

hi5 wrote: »

If you were heading north on the M9 and wanted to go to Gowran would it not be a lot quicker to get off at the Paulstown junction.That signage for Gowran Park sends you back into Kilkenny.

Very true. In fact trying to get to Gowran from here is madness. You're being sent in completely the wrong direction. Not to mention that when you get back into Kilkenny you'll probably find no signage for Gowran whatsoever.

Bards

Jayuu wrote: »

Very true. In fact trying to get to Gowran from here is madness. You're being sent in completely the wrong direction. Not to mention that when you get back into Kilkenny you'll probably find no signage for Gowran whatsoever.

even getting off at Danesford and going to Gowran via bennetsbridge is quicker

Bards

anyone know what the "New road Layout" changes are at the beginning of the End of the Carlow Bypass (J6 - Southbound) from today?

deise man

Just wondering if there is a definite date for opening the last section of the M9?

icdg

Zoney wrote: »

icdg,

It seems just stubbornness to me. In fairness it would probably make having a dedicated N10 designation for the link redundant, as from the M9 to the first roundabout would just be a spur of the M9, and from that roundabout to the ring road is very short. Having an M10 section of the N10 would be silliness really (although it could be signed as "M10 (M9)" on all signs).
.

You've hit the nail on the head. It is all about retaining the N10 designation for the road while not creating the precedent of a single carriageway M10 (forget the M32, it was never signed as such on the ground).

A spur of a motorway can be (but does not have to be) signed using its parent motorway's number. This can be seen in both the M1 Airport spur and the M20 spur in Limerick. This spur could just as easily be signed M9 as well.

Indeed a compromise could be to sign it as a motorway (either M9 or (M9)) eastbound and N10 westbound.

mackerski

icdg wrote: »

Indeed a compromise could be to sign it as a motorway (either M9 or (M9)) eastbound and N10 westbound.

Trouble is, a road either is a motorway or it isn't. And the pedestrian or cyclist caught by the guards on the spur - he can just make sure he's heading away from the M9 mainline to avoid prosecution.

It's hard to see why we need a compromise at all - everything about this road screams motorway, but the powers that be have forgotten how motorway restrictions work. Again.

icdg

mackerski wrote: »

Trouble is, a road either is a motorway or it isn't.

You'd think. But that's EXACTLY how the M6 was signed between junctions 1 & 2 from when it opened until redesignation of Kinnegad - Kilbeggan occured!!! (Another case of a road leading inescapably to motorway - the E/B carriageway had to be signed as a motorway even though the westbound one wasn't!!!)

It's hard to see why we need a compromise at all - everything about this road screams motorway, but the powers that be have forgotten how motorway restrictions work. Again.

Indeed. Motorway status is NOT about the standard of the road. If that was the case, the mainline would still be high quality dual carriageway. Its about restricting access to the road to motorised vehicle traffic. For that to be equitable, all roads leading inescapably to the motorway must also be motorway.

marmurr1916

Could they not just paint markings for a mini-roundabout on the road between its start and a few hundred metres from the motorway?

Or even build something like this?



Traffic that doesn't want to (or can't) enter the motorway could turn around at the mini-roundabout.

The section from the mini-roundabout onwards can be designated as a spur of the M9.

Edit: Actually, I'm sure the road is wide enough for a bigger roundabout than the one in the photo, and any roundabout should be built to enable trucks and longer vehicles (cars towing caravans etc) to turn without too much hassle!

Stark

Sticking a mini roundabout on a 100km/hr road with cars accelerating to 120km/hr to join the motorway should be fun. Great craic for all those people out for a Sunday drive down the N10 and back I suppose.

pholland

they are taking the bollards away from the powerstown exit. there is a short distance of road ( about 200mts ) that is not finished yet. its down to one lane rejoining the roundabout . they are using the other lane to acc sess the bit of road that needs finishing..... another month perhaps ?????

pholland

they are finising about 200mts of road at this junction and need to access it from the roundabout using one of the exit lanes