M20 - Cork to Limerick [preferred route chosen; in design - phase 3]

martiin

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Love the fact that the road at the very end of the clip, which presumably the motorway is replacing, is far better than this nonsense which describes much of the current N20.

Form Mallow to Cork is not that bad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx31KNAFKIw

But N20 from Mallow to Croom is shame of a nation.

corktina

Mallow to Cork is DREADFUL if you get caught behind some eejit doing 65k on one of the single lane parts of the 2+1...like EVERY day in rush hour! It does save lives though I have to admit. An odd video to post as noone goes to Cork City centre the way that video does

Mallow to Croom , well the bad bit really is either side of Buttevant which should have had a bypass MANY tyears ago and probably would have had only for vested buisiness interests in the village campaigning against it

North Cork is particularly badly served for N roads as the N72 and 73 east of mallow are awful and the 72 west of mallow needs work

-Corkie-

I agree but Mallow to Charelivelle is worse imo. I use the R579 all the time I can get to Wilton in 40 minutes from home..

Chris_5339762

If you look at the old maps on the OS website the bit around Buttevant follows the same route that it did in the late 1800s.

Wild Bill

Form Mallow to Cork is not that bad

Wow! Looks like the car in front of you nearly hit a truck pulling out of a side-road on a bend! :cool:

Amtmann

Only the first 2 minutes and 5 seconds of that video show the N20. The rest shows a regional road.

spacetweek

I know they're phasing the M20 now, anyone know which half is going first?

Chris_5339762

South will be going first, Cork to north of Buttevant. Original plans were a 2015 start.

North will go second along with the Adare bypass, north of Buttevant to Patrickswell. Original plans were a 2018 start but specifically not until the Southern section was done.

Original plans are probably down the toilet too.

Amtmann

The precise location north of Buttevant is in an area called Velvetstown, which can be found on Google Maps.

lukejr

Small piece in the Irish Times today:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0310/1224291779178.html

Design plans for an additional junction on the proposed M20 motorway linking Cork and Limerick have been completed. Following a successful appeal by residents in July 2010, Buttevant, Co Cork, will now be served by a direct junction with the 80km stretch of motorway.

In previous plans, Buttevant was the only bypassed town on the route not to be served by a junction connection.

The new proposed layouts will be displayed in coming weeks in the M20 scheme design office in Gooldshill in Mallow, Co Cork.

spacetweek

lukejr wrote: »

Small piece in the Irish Times today:

Not too happy about that. Buttevant is only 1600 people according to Wiki; it's too small to get a junction.

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

South will be going first, Cork to north of Buttevant. Original plans were a 2015 start.

North will go second along with the Adare bypass, north of Buttevant to Patrickswell. Original plans were a 2018 start but specifically not until the Southern section was done.

Original plans are probably down the toilet too.

No, the original plans were to start the first part in 2012!

I'm not so sceptical as you. 2015 is too far out to be so sure that it won't happen. By then, conditions will have changed significantly regarding sovereign debt, interest rates, and our credit rating. They could have improved greatly or deteriorated greatly. Personally I think they'll have improved, so we'll have to agree to differ.

phog

I drove to Cork last week leaving Limerick at about 08:00 and from the M20 to Charleville we were behind and ESB van that never passed the about 60Km per hour, it was torture, I was about 10 vehicles behind him when I caught up to the convoy and by time we got to Charleville I was the 5th, he never once made an effort to allow traffic pass him. The sooner a motorway is opened the better.

lucernarian

What sort of extra cost will the Buttevant junction result in?

L1011

I think I've seen figures suggesting a full GSJ is about a million, then there'd presumably be either a link road or some road improvements for it (unless its sited over the existing N20 north of the town - I don't know the route corridor at all).

I think its a complete waste of money even though I would use it occasionally - have customers in Buttevant.

Chris_5339762

Although the population doesnt justify a junction at all, it did seem to be the only town on the route that didnt get a junction and people would have to drive to Mallow or to Charleville to get on. Overall I think its good that it's getting added - for the sake of fairness and sanity. The extra cost wont make a difference in whether the road ever gets built or not.

antoobrien

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Although the population doesnt justify a junction at all, it did seem to be the only town on the route that didnt get a junction and people would have to drive to Mallow or to Charleville to get on. Overall I think its good that it's getting added - for the sake of fairness and sanity. The extra cost wont make a difference in whether the road ever gets built or not.

MYOB wrote: »

I think I've seen figures suggesting a full GSJ is about a million, then there'd presumably be either a link road or some road improvements for it (unless its sited over the existing N20 north of the town - I don't know the route corridor at all).

I think its a complete waste of money even though I would use it occasionally - have customers in Buttevant.

I don't know the area but from looking at the maps there's 3 R roads converging on Buttevant, and not putting a junction there would be a bit like saying Athenry isn't big enough for a junction on the M6 (there was a lot of lobbying to ensure that they did) and you can get off at either Oranmore or Loughrea.

corktina

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

would have to drive to Mallow or to Charleville to get on. .

all of ten minutes either way!

serfboard

I know it's all academic since it doesn't look like the road is going to be built in anyone's lifetime, but I would too be in favour of Buttevant getting a junction. There's plenty of smaller towns got junctions off motorways - FFS, Crusheen got a junction on the M18!

And as for the number of junctions, well, just look at the Athlone bypass (Yeah, I know - not a great example either).

And even though its population is only 1600 (or whatever), a junction could help with the town's development.

Chris_5339762

Yeah thats it really. It just seemed mean to not provide a junction given that every other town got one.

cjpm

Another serious crash this morning. Somewhere near O'Rourkes cross according to news reports. Hope no one is injured.

corktina

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Yeah thats it really. It just seemed mean to not provide a junction given that every other town got one.

to put that into context, I will have to drive 12 miles before I can get to any junction, can I have a dual carrigeway link too please?, ....no of course not, you cant cater for every village and small town and Buttevant should count themselves lucky to be so close to the Motorway in the first place.

black47

cjpm wrote: »

Another serious crash this morning. Somewhere near O'Rourkes cross according to news reports. Hope no one is injured.

Another fatality on the deathtrap N20. How can this road be shelved?
Man dies after road accident in Limerick

on 22/03/2011 09:02:50


A man has died in a road crash in County Limerick.

The crash between a truck and van happened on the N20 near Rockhill Cross shortly after 6.30am this morning.

The van driver was brought to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick city where he was pronounced dead.

It is believed he was 35 and from Limerick.

The driver of the truck was uninjured but is being treated for shock.

Diversions have been put in place and Gardaí say the road is likely to to remain closed for several hours.

JamesBond2010

I was just wondering this question the Other day when i was driving to Cork WHy was there no motorway form limerick to cork & there was one from nenagh to cork. it would be good cause some of the streches of road are crap.(if ur stuck behind a slow moving vehicle tractor...u cant pass him out road is barely big enough in places)

Stark

Motorway from Nenagh to Cork?

corktina

Stark wrote: »

Motorway from Nenagh to Cork?

via Port Laoise and the M8:eek:

Stark

You can get from Limerick to Cork that way too. I would have thought the usual method for getting from Nenagh to Cork would be to travel to Limerick, then take the N20.

L1011

corktina wrote: »

via Port Laoise and the M8:eek:

Due to restricted movements at the M7/M8 junction, you would actually have to go all the way to Portlaoise and turn back and all,

marmurr1916

Another death on the sub-standard N20:

A man (34) has died after the van he was driving collided with a lorry on the Limerick to Cork road (N20) approximately two miles outside Charleville.

...

According to AA Roadwatch, the N20 remains closed - for a Garda forensic examination - in both directions on the Charleville side of O’Rourke's Cross, and traffic is being diverted through Bruff.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0322/breaking32.html

This is the stretch of the N20 on the Charleville side of O'Rourke's Cross:

http://maps.google.ie/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Charleville,+Ireland&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.149238,43.286133&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Charleville,+County+Cork&t=h&layer=c&cbll=52.424361,-8.69018&panoid=1ol8Gfx04Z-ONfxXBOGllA&cbp=12,1.9,,0,13.77&ll=52.424361,-8.69018&spn=0.028473,0.084543&z=14

DarkJager

The road that the crash took place on is a bad spot. I've travelled to and from Limerick-Cork for the past year and its always been outside of Charleville where the accidents happen. One thing I do notice on this road is that it is very dark at night or early morning, and both motorists and agricultural vehicles tend to slow down well beyond the speed limit (approx 40-60kph on a 100kph stretch of road. This is extremely dangerous. The bends in that road leave you very little time to react if you end up coming right up behind a slow moving car or tractor.

Even the quarry road just beyond Buttevant is a death trap. The road surface is extremely poor and even polished looking in some places (almost like frozen solid ice). Not to mention that the severity of the bends that run for 2km pose a serious risk even with the slightest touch of ice or frost on the road.

A motorway is badly needed to replace the N20.

Zoney

DarkJager wrote: »

One thing I do notice on this road is that it is very dark at night or early morning, and both motorists and agricultural vehicles tend to slow down well beyond the speed limit (approx 40-60kph on a 100kph stretch of road. This is extremely dangerous. The bends in that road leave you very little time to react if you end up coming right up behind a slow moving car or tractor.

Actually in this situation, what is dangerous is people *not* slowing down. As you say, the bends leave you little time to react. Well, even if you didn't have to consider slow-moving vehicles (i.e. if everyone drove inappropriately for the conditions) you still have to consider that there could be *anything* around the next bend, a breakdown, accident, fallen tree, crazy pedestrian, farm animals, who knows.

Suggesting it's dangerous for people to slow down is a massive failure of logic.

It being a 100 km/h speed limit is irrelevant - it is a speed *limit* and I am fairly sure the bends in question have warning signs and probably even "SLOW" road markings and signage. Needless to say these are not a suggestion to continue trying to achieve 100 km/h just because that's the technical speed limit.