M9 - Waterford motorway construction updates

Munurty

I heard a rumor today that they are aiming for a September 8th opening. Nothing to back it up though. It certainly looks achievable.

coolperson05

I think the mainline should definitely be open, prob weeks before now! I know the N10 link is behind and work at Paulstown junctions, but for people goin Dublin to Waterford as the motorway intends, theres a road there waiting to be used!

Cuauhtemoc

Joe Gannon was on KCLR this morning saying that the official opening ceremony will be 11am on the 9th of September.

C.

Jayuu

Cuauhtemoc wrote: »

Joe Gannon was on KCLR this morning saying that the official opening ceremony will be 11am on the 9th of September.

C.

That would be brilliant (who is Joe Gannon though?).

Bards

Jayuu wrote: »

That would be brilliant (who is Joe Gannon though?).

AFAIK He is the Pjoject Manager employed by Kilkenny Co Co

Jayuu

Bards wrote: »

AFAIK He is the Pjoject Manager employed by Kilkenny Co Co

Ah, good! So he's somebody who should know what he's talking about. I'm now even more excited at this news.

Jayuu

Just to go back to the N10 link I'm wondering how this is going to be signposted on the Kilkenny ring road.

Clearly the signage is going to have to indicate that the new N10 > Dublin leads directly to the M9. So is going to be marked as the N10(M9). And is the old N10 (the new R712) going to continue to be signposted for Dublin. Otherwise the signage itself is going to potentially create issues in putting inapporpriate traffic onto the motorway.

nordydan

Cuauhtemoc wrote: »

Joe Gannon was on KCLR this morning saying that the official opening ceremony will be 11am on the 9th of September.

C.

http://www.kclr96fm.com/news?id=21797

Stretch Of The M9 To Open Next Month
Wednesday 18 August 2010

Theres less than a month left before the final part of the M9 motorway is open.

The remaining part of the stretch between Powerstown and Knocktopher will be officially opened by Minister Noel Dempsey at 11 o clock on 9th September.

Project co-ordinator Joe Gannon says it will open ahead of schedule and under budget

Stark

Will the N10 link road be opened at the same time or will it be opened at a later stage like with the Athy link road?

dougal

Stark wrote: »

Will the N10 link road be opened at the same time or will it be opened at a later stage like with the Athy link road?

According to joe gannon the link road will open the 9th also.

Chris P. Bacon

Well according to RTE the M9 is opening this day 3 weeks (Sept 8 th)http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0818/m9.html

redtelephone

Richie Cranium wrote: »

Well according to RTE the M9 is opening this day 3 weeks (Sept 8 th)http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0818/m9.html

Richie the link you posted says it's Sept 9th (not the 8th). So everyone agrees it's the 9th. Can't wait.

Chris P. Bacon

redtelephone wrote: »

Richie the link you posted says it's Sept 9th (not the 8th). So everyone agrees it's the 9th. Can't wait.

My bad but it also says in the link that its 3 weeks from today which would make it Sept 8th

johnbk

At long last, the end is in sight. The N10 Kilkenny link road only needs lining and signs to be put on the posts. You could finish it tomorrow (ie a day) if you really needed to, so it wont be holding up the show.

Cant wait...

Amtmann

THE ENTIRE M9 Dublin to Waterford motorway will be open next month following the completion of a final 40km section three months ahead of schedule.

Motorists will be able to use the new section of road – which cost almost €500 million – from lunchtime on Thursday, September 9th, after a planned ribbon-cutting ceremony that morning by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.

The stretch of new dual carriageway traverses Co Kilkenny from Paulstown to Knocktopher. The biggest change for motorists will be bypassing Kilkenny city, which will be accessible via a new 6km link road.

The completion of the M9, which runs through Counties Kildare, Carlow and Kilkenny and was built in four stages, significantly reduces journey times between Dublin and Waterford.

Mr Dempsey previously commented that “it will be possible to travel from the Red Cow roundabout [on the M50 in Dublin] to Waterford in 90 minutes while observing the speed limit”.

This last stage of the project (including the link road) cost €467 million – just over €10 million per kilometre – which one official said was “reasonable by international standards” as it included “everything” including buying the land, design, archaeological surveys and excavations, and construction. It was developed as a joint venture between Roadbridge and Sisk.

There was good news for motorists with confirmation from the National Roads Authority that the M9 will be toll-free.

The opening means Waterford becomes the third city in the Republic linked to Dublin by motorway following the earlier opening of the M6 to Galway and the M8 to Cork.

The M7 to Limerick is expected to open by the end of the year. Work on its two remaining sections, Castletown to Nenagh (36km) and Nenagh to Limerick (38km) is close to completion.

It was also announced yesterday that the final phase of a western bypass of Mullingar, Co Westmeath, has opened to traffic.

An eastern bypass of the town on the N52 was completed in 2004 and, together with the N4 Dublin to Sligo road, the bypasses now offer an orbital route around the midlands town.

The final scheme will be formally opened to traffic on Monday September 6th by cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council Michael Dollard.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0819/1224277150156.html

mackerski

Furet wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0819/1224277150156.html

Mr Dempsey previously commented that “it will be possible to travel from the Red Cow roundabout [on the M50 in Dublin] to Waterford in 90 minutes while observing the speed limit”.

He's rebuilding the roundabout???

AndrewMc

NedNew wrote: »

Also noticed for those interested:

The Kilcullen-Carlow section has rumble strip yellow lines but does not (yet?) have emergency phones installed.

These seem to have gone in yesterday and today. They're not operational yet (covered with black plastic) but are in place every 2km on both sides.

Sully

NedNew wrote: »

Also noticed for those interested:

The Kilcullen-Carlow section has rumble strip yellow lines but does not (yet?) have emergency phones installed.

What about getting these the full way down the motorway!

carlaboi

Cannot wait for this to be finished!

jgbyrne99

I wonder if the new 40km would be open before the offical date of the 9th September as they have done before with a few other projects.

Going to Dublin on the 4th of Sept and returning to Waterford on the 8th so im going mad im missing the opening by 1 day..

JohnRos

It would be nice to have it open in time for the hurling final next week.

toe_knee

JohnRos wrote: »

It would be nice to have it open in time for the hurling final next week.

With you on that one. It would be nice

csd

Taken yesterday.

NedNew2

If this road had opened last week two lives could have been saved. Last weekend a motorcyclist was killed on the R705 between Muine Bheag and Borris - while not strictly the N9, it is the main route from the N9 at LeighlinBridge to New Ross, SouthWest Wexford and South Kilkenny - when the new route opens it will be quicker and much safer to travel further south on the motorway and travel via Mullinivat or even Waterford City.

Also tonight, acording to the radio report, a person was killed near Paulstown off the N9.

Road-Hog

NedNew2 wrote: »

If this road had opened last week two lives could have been saved. Last weekend a motorcyclist was killed on the R705 between Muine Bheag and Borris - while not strictly the N9, it is the main route from the N9 at LeighlinBridge to New Ross, SouthWest Wexford and South Kilkenny - when the new route opens it will be quicker and much safer to travel further south on the motorway and travel via Mullinivat or even Waterford City.

Also tonight, acording to the radio report, a person was killed near Paulstown off the N9.

So its the NRA's/Dept of Transport/Co Co's who are to blame.......personal responsibility never comes into it?

Amtmann

Road-Hog wrote: »

So its the NRA's/Dept of Transport/Co Co's who are to blame.......personal responsibility never comes into it?

Why so defensive? He didn't necessarily blame anyone.

NedNew2

I wonder if the new road is scenic? And hopefully it is well landscaped.

Wild Bill

Road-Hog wrote: »

So its the NRA's/Dept of Transport/Co Co's who are to blame.......personal responsibility never comes into it?

Two things:

(1) I agree the person blaming the NRA etc is way OTT given we don't (I assume) have any idea from where to where the people in the crash were going to/from.

(2) On the other hand we have spent forever, till the motorways opened, hearing from the PC brigade how the high road fatalities in Ireland were nothing to do with appalling roads.

We now know (that is those of us who didn't always know) that this was complete crap.
:cool:

NedNew2

Wild Bill wrote: »

Two things:

(1) I agree the person blaming the NRA etc is way OTT given we don't (I assume) have any idea from where to where the people in the crash were going to/from.

(2) On the other hand we have spent forever, till the motorways opened, hearing from the PC brigade how the high road fatalities in Ireland were nothing to do with appalling roads.

We now know (that is those of us who didn't always know) that this was complete crap.
:cool:

Erm, who is the person blaming the NRA? Its not me, I never mentioned anything about the NRA or council or even the word blame... I'm merely stating it is unfortunate that it wasn't opened sooner as it could possibly have saved 2 lives, thats all, I'm not blaming anybody....hold your horses there!!

johnbk

I have some photos from the weekend on the M9 end of the new N10 Kilkenny link road. The white line was added since on Tuesday. There are no signs yet at the Kilkenny end but should be shortly.