National Road Projects to Go Ahead in 2009 onwards

Geogregor

Sponge Bob wrote: »

So I was right .

Gort Crusheen started . no Newlands Cross because nobody made a fuss did they ??

Castleisland added back on after being cancelled , all €30m of it . Tom McEllistrims seat in North Kerry was threatened again I'll wager and FF want Healy Raes seat back in South Kerry .

What is this Newland Cross? I'm following infrastructure projects in Ireland but somehow I never heard about this one.

fricatus

Geogregor wrote: »

What is this Newland Cross? I'm following infrastructure projects in Ireland but somehow I never heard about this one.

Czesc Geogregor, i witam! (don't ask me to speak any more Polish though...)

If you ever travelled at rush hour from Dublin out the N7 towards Cork/Limerick/Waterford, you'd be well aware of Newlands Cross!

It's the crossroads of the N7 and R113 (Tallaght-Clondalkin road). It's a multi-lane junction controlled by traffic lights, and it tends to be a real bottleneck.

There's a plan in place to put a flyover or underpass in place so that traffic going straight on along the N7 doesn't have to queue or mix in with left/right turning traffic.

Geogregor

fricatus wrote: »

Czesc Geogregor, i witam! (don't ask me to speak any more Polish though...)

If you ever travelled at rush hour from Dublin out the N7 towards Cork/Limerick/Waterford, you'd be well aware of Newlands Cross!

It's the crossroads of the N7 and R113 (Tallaght-Clondalkin road). It's a multi-lane junction controlled by traffic lights, and it tends to be a real bottleneck.

There's a plan in place to put a flyover or underpass in place so that traffic going straight on along the N7 doesn't have to queue or mix in with left/right turning traffic.

Ok, thanks.
Good polish by the way

In general N7 might be possible problem in few years. It is main gateway from Dublin and NI towards south and south west of Ireland. When M7, M8 and M9 are finished volume of traffic might grow substantially
It should be three lane full profile motorway all the way to M7/M9 split or even to M7/M8 split if volume of traffic justify.
But let NRA remove traffic lights first from this important route.

ardmacha

But let NRA remove traffic lights first from this important route.

You will have a situation where it will be possible to drive from North of Belfast to Cork, with just one set of traffic lights in the middle!

However traffic will not grow much in the next year or two, and the planning is done for this junction so that it can be built when money becomes available.

Carawaystick

There was supposed to be a freeflowing route between Dublin and Cork in 2006. then in 2010, now you think ah sher whenever.

Sponge Bob

Carawaystick wrote: »

There was supposed to be a freeflowing route between Dublin and Cork in 2006. then in 2010, now you think ah sher whenever.

2012 earliest . Newlands Cross is a mess.

Maybe they are thinking of re-re-redesigning it with 4 lanes each way ....which means 2014 earliest .

Pisser Dignam

Sponge Bob wrote: »

2012 earliest . Newlands Cross is a mess.

Maybe they are thinking of re-re-redesigning it with 4 lanes each way ....which means 2014 earliest .

I admire your optimism.

holton

It's an absolute disgrace that they're not going ahead with the Newlands Cross upgrade. This has been on the cards since the early 90's and we're still no further on. Yes, I know how bad the Govn. finances are, but it's important projects like this that we should be investing in now.

Amtmann

But as SpongeBob said, who made a fuss about it? No one. Of course we shouldn't have to make a fuss to get key infrastructural projects delivered, but in this country, we do. And we didn't.

More to the point, our pathetic press didn't comment until after the NRA's announcement was made the other day. No, wait; they didn't comment at all actually. They basically just reprinted the NRA press release, and didn't subject it to any criticism whatsoever. "What does CPO really mean for a scheme?" "Why was Newland's Cross ommitted?" "Why is the only road project starting this year a 5.5km stretch in Kerry?" "Should that really be the priority?" "How much cheaper are contractors willing to do work in 2009 than in 2006?" But no...our press are simply awful, and it doesn't occur to them to ask these basic questions.

BluntGuy

Tbh, I don't expect much from the press with regard to road coverage.

My latest issue was with a local Tipp paper actually. I was disgusted to see the Tipperary Star refer to the Topaz/McDonalds Cashel development as an MSA...

Amtmann

BluntGuy wrote: »

I was disgusted to see the Tipperary Star refer to the Topaz/McDonalds Cashel development as an MSA...

What was the gist of the article? Is it definitely a McDonalds? Also, did they indicate when it would open? (You can reply on one of the MSA or M8 threads if you like so we don't derail this thread.)

Victor

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0129/1232923372729.html

Bypass in Kerry to be single new road project
TIM O'BRIEN

A PROPOSED bypass of Castleisland, Co Kerry, is to become the only new national road scheme to go to construction this year under a reduced €1.44 billion annual budget for the National Roads Authority (NRA).

Announcing the allocation yesterday, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the authority’s emphasis for 2009 would be on continuing 17 major projects, among them the inter-urban motorways between Dublin and the cities of Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.

He said the 17 projects have a combined length of just under 500km, and were being constructed at a cost of €5 billion, funded on a multi-annual basis.

At €1.44 billion for 2009, the roads authority allocation is about €240 million less than that of 2008.

Mr Dempsey confirmed the proposed Leinster outer orbital motorway and the Eastern Bypass of Dublin would not now be considered by the Government until 2011 at the earliest.

He also said a number of schemes which the NRA initially hoped to progress to construction this year were being rescheduled.

These include:

* the N5 bypass of Longford;
* the N25 Carrigtwohill to Midleton road in Co Cork;
* the N18 Gort to Oranmore in Co Galway;
* the reconstruction of Newlands Cross on the N7 in south Dublin;
* the upgrade of the N11 south of Ashford, Co Wicklow.

However, the Minister said the level of investment in the current economic climate represented the State’s determination to “maintain investment in our key transport networks” and ensure the major inter-urban routes were completed by 2010.

Of the ongoing work, eight schemes on the major routes are due to open to traffic this year.

They are the N4 Leixlip to M50 junction; the N6 Athlone to Ballinasloe; the N7 Nenagh to Limerick; the N8 Fermoy to Mitchelstown; the N9 Waterford to Knocktopher; the N9 Kilcullen to Carlow; the N51 Navan inner relief road; and the N25 Waterford City bypass.

While Mr Dempsey welcomed continuing work on the N18 between Crusheen, Co Clare, and Gort, Co Galway, he said the Gort to Oranmore section had been amalgamated with a Galway to Tuam PPP (public-private partnership) project, which would not begin this year. He said reduced tender prices of between 15 and 20 per cent and earlier completions in recent years had resulted in the money being found to fund the start of the Castleisland bypass this year.

Credit for the scheduling of the bypass was also claimed by Kerry Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae, who said he had lobbied the Tánaiste and Mr Dempsey on the subject.

NRA chief executive Fred Barry said a further package of public-private partnership roads amounting to about €1 billion was being put together to advance a number of schemes, including the Tuam to Gort section, and the Gorey bypass to New Ross link in Co Wexford.

None of the new PPP roads would be charging tolls.

However, Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said the reduced budget was “lunacy” as construction cost was “at its cheapest for years”.

He said the Government should be “ramping up labour-intensive road-building projects” as an incentive to the economy.

“Noel Dempsey should be doubling the National Roads Programme for 2009. Yet the Minister has confirmed that this year’s roads budget has been slashed by €240 million. This is utter folly.”

Davy

Victor wrote: »

None of the new PPP roads would be charging tolls.

Always nice

BluntGuy

Just thought I'd isolate this quote...

Credit for the scheduling of the bypass was also claimed by Kerry Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae, who said he had lobbied the Tánaiste and Mr Dempsey on the subject.

:rolleyes:

Heraldoffreeent

BluntGuy wrote: »

Just thought I'd isolate this quote...



:rolleyes:

An' I said to him, I said to the minishther "yoo nead too build de buypass o' casheloiland wit dat money which ye saved on de'udder projekts" !!

murphaph

Heraldoffreeent wrote: »

An' I said to him, I said to the minishther "yoo nead too build de buypass o' casheloiland wit dat money which ye saved on de'udder projekts" !!

Lol, sad but that's enough to fool some of the people.

BluntGuy

Heraldoffreeent wrote: »

An' I said to him, I said to the minishther "yoo nead too build de buypass o' casheloiland wit dat money which ye saved on de'udder projekts" !!

Lol... that sounds exactly like him.

Got to give credit to that man though, he isn't stupid, he knows how to appeal to the ignorant masses.

Chris_533976

However, Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said the reduced budget was “lunacy” as construction cost was “at its cheapest for years”.

He said the Government should be “ramping up labour-intensive road-building projects” as an incentive to the economy.

“Noel Dempsey should be doubling the National Roads Programme for 2009. Yet the Minister has confirmed that this year’s roads budget has been slashed by €240 million. This is utter folly.”

Thats what just about every other country is doing. Massive infrastructure investments. Granted, we've been doing catchup for a bit now and a huge amount is in construction, but the minute the economy falters, instead of doing what everyone else is doing, we're cutting back.

Zoney

We probably have less room for manoeuvre. Despite the seemingly still intact credit rating, surely we can't get away with using as much non-existent money as other larger countries? Plus we pay more for the privilige of doing so?

Sponge Bob

Let me repeat myself on this subject

"There Is NO Money"

Carawaystick

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Let me repeat myself on this subject

"There Is NO Money"

but but martin cullen told me it was "ring fenced...."

murphaph

Carawaystick wrote: »

but but martin cullen told me it was "ring fenced...."

It was

Amtmann

Heraldoffreeent wrote: »

An' I said to him, I said to the minishther "yoo nead too build de buypass o' casheloiland wit dat money which ye saved on de'udder projekts" !!

We'll need to watch that project closely actually. The Healy Raes run a thriving construction business by all accounts.