M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

clon

http://www.nenaghguardian.ie/news/m7-subcontractors-to-be-paid-before-christmas-1568627.html

update on the payment row to sub contractors and finishing date.

Declan30

Some Good News there id say.

Summer 2009 for the opening would be great.

Declan30

Happy Christmas to all my fellow N7/M7 Travellers. Lets hope for some new motorway on the M7 in 2009:)

dmeehan

whats the current state of the "original" nenagh by-pass, have the road works there finished yet?

Berty

dmeehan wrote: »

whats the current state of the "original" nenagh by-pass, have the road works there finished yet?

Short answer = No

Other answer. The Dublin end of the section is more or less completed except for some tie ins and barrier works. Most of the original section is currently being back filled, graded with a view to start laying blacktop in late Jan( by my reckoning ).

BluntGuy

Would those living near the scheme say this is truly on target for Q2 2009.

From the reports I've been hearing, I can see September as the earliest we'll be getting this.

Chris_533976

Lets not point out that the Nenagh bypass is officially a motorway and can technically have 120kmh done on it at the moment

Declan30

Not Much Activity on the Road this past Week. Maybe there are problems again with Funding.
I can a lot of the M7 being delayed due to the current ecomonic climate.

Berty

I drive up and down the road most weeks but rarely see anything. I usually pass at 6:00am and then back again around 6:00pm. Its always dark so I have no idea of the progress myself.

Declan30

Berty id say there is a lot of problems with the Road.Every day we hear for the Goverment finances going down thr tube.
I know they are PPP roads but the goverment is invovled at some stage and they will put back all these motorway projects. Cant see the M7 making its end of 2010 opening .

Zoney

BluntGuy wrote: »

Would those living near the scheme say this is truly on target for Q2 2009.

From the reports I've been hearing, I can see September as the earliest we'll be getting this.

I'd say Nenagh bypass will be upgraded by then (except for the last junction on the Dublin side - looks like that is part of Nenagh-Castletown scheme). As for Nenagh-Limerick, I would agree that it looks like Sept at the earliest - although if there is some good weather this summer (lets hope so after the last two), there shouldn't be much problem managing that.

Berty

I believe the government is under contractual obligations by the PPV and the CJV to complete the works.

Amtmann

So about the M7.

The next phase to open is the Limerick to Nenagh section, which is the one that people are saying is in trouble. Is that correct?

I presume Nenagh to Castletown is next.

Any chance of a few photographs?

Berty

Furet wrote: »

So about the M7.

The next phase to open is the Limerick to Nenagh section, which is the one that people are saying is in trouble. Is that correct?

I presume Nenagh to Castletown is next.

Any chance of a few photographs?

Its not in trouble really. It will be completed and its in the contractors interest to finish on time or if possible early for the completion bonus. Im sure the contractor will not sacrifice witholding money from suppliers if it erodes the millions that could be paid in completion bonus's.

Nenagh to Castletown is under construction and will be completed after Nenagh to Limerick.

Pictures can be found on this thread on Page 2. I have not taken any recent photographs because as mentioned before I usually pass this road in the dark mornings and dark evenings so it would be futile.

Bards

Doubts have arisen over the completion date to €425 million Nenagh – Limerick motorway due to problems concerning payment to sub-contractors.

This section of the M7 is set to be completed in May 2009 but this deadline is unlikely to be met as up to 25 subcontractors working on the project are reputedly owed substantial sums of money by the Portuguese Company, RAC Eire who was contracted by the consortium company Bothar Hibernian to undertake the work. Bothar Hibernian is made up of three major construction companies, Moto Engil, Coffey Construction and McNamara Construction.

Matters came to a head before Christmas 2008 when protests organized by the subcontractors resulted in high level negotiations and payment of some monies with the promise that the remainder would be paid early in the New Year. Failure on the part of the main contractors to meet their promises has now caused fears that the Nenagh – Limerick section of M7 motorway may not be completed in time for the scheduled opening of the Dublin to Limerick motorway in 2010.


Story filed on January 15, 2009


http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/news_detail.asp?nid=4046

Amtmann

There's also the suspiciously slow progress taking place between Castletown and Portlaoise.

Amtmann

Just reposting this from Communting and Transport (I'm not sure that many people follow both forums):

There were further details on the problem with the Limerick to Nenagh scheme in last week's Tipperary Star (dated Jan. 17 2009, p. 1.12).

Basically, in summation:

* Serious doubt has been cast over the project as the payment-to-contractor problems deepen;
* The deadline of May 2009 is "unlikely" to be met;
* Over 25 sub-contractors working on the project continue to be owed money by Portuguese company RAC Eire;
* Coffey Construction, one of the trinity of companies making up Bothair Hibernian, the main NRA contractor, did not return to work after Christmas;
* Work originally to be carried out by RAC Eire has now been taken over by Moto Engil, another componant company making up Bothair Eireann;
* Nenagh SF Councillor Seamie Morris has written to the Portuguese Ambassador to request that the Portuguese Government intervene in the situation;
* RAC Eire has "departed" from the project.

medoc

Hi
I have a quick question about the last overhead signs on the M7 before junction 7 Nass north. Even though the moterway doesnt end till after the junction, the overhead signs are green and white. Should they not be blue until after the exit.

Berty

Possibly yet it would facilitate building another gantry after the motorway on the dual carraigeway and we know from recent that they dont stand up very well in the winds.

mysterious

Has anyone got any update of the Newport interchange? It looks like another a la dunkettle to me:(

Couldn't they not of at least made free flow movements from M7 end to Limerickbound. Making Dublin - Limerick avoiding the rounabouts. I can see snarl ups here in a few years..... Many traffic lights riddled in it too.

Irish sometimes, I am proud to say I'm not Irish, i'm just man who was born and living on this island not by choice.

mysterious

BluntGuy wrote: »

How will the Nenagh bypass tie-in with the existing N7 while the Nenagh-Castletown scheme is being built?

Thats what im interested to find out....


I'll post a scetch up tomorrow.
Mine will be better than what the NRA come up with

Zoney

From what I've seen on the ground just about two weeks ago, the "tie-in" as it were, between motorway Nenagh Bypass and old N7 east of it, is pretty much as it will be until Nenagh-Castletown gets more advanced. I.e. going west you go from the old road, past the first junction on the east end of the bypass, and the dual carriageway/motorway starts just west of that junction. Certainly they seem to have got the median and final surface down just west of that junction, and there are not yet many signs of work on that junction itself (e.g. through the stupidly tight bridge) as there are on the other end (Nenagh-Limerick).

spacetweek

mysterious wrote: »

Irish sometimes, I am proud to say I'm not Irish, i'm just man who was born and living on this island not by choice.

whut?

ilovegermany

Any update on potential opening of Nenagh - Limerick scheme, my god this road is the bane of my life - I see the NRA have it down as completion in Quarter 2 2009.

Is this realistic?

BluntGuy

ilovegermany wrote: »

Any update on potential opening of Nenagh - Limerick scheme, my god this road is the bane of my life - I see the NRA have it down as completion in Quarter 2 2009.

Is this realistic?

Others know more about the M7 than me, but from what I've heard about delays on the scheme, even Q3 2009 is beginning to seem like a stretch.

You can't trust the NRA website btw. According to them: the N18 Gort - Crusheen is still at tender, the Waterford Bypass is still due Q4 2010, M8 Cullahill-Cashel is still under construction...

carlowguy32

BluntGuy wrote: »

Others know more about the M7 than me, but from what I've heard about delays on the scheme, even Q3 2009 is beginning to seem like a stretch.

You can't trust the NRA website btw. According to them: the N18 Gort - Crusheen is still at tender, the Waterford Bypass is still due Q4 2010, M8 Cullahill-Cashel is still under construction...

did they sort out the problem on the nenagh to limerick part, the principal contractor did not pass on payments to the subcontractor and they went on strike for a while, is there any update on this story, there is no work done on the newport interchange since before christmas or no sign of activity at all???

Declan30

I believe they have sorted out the Issues with payments on the nenagh to limerick section. They seem to be back working fully on all parts of the motorway.
In Relation to when it will be opened is anyone's guess really cant see it being ready for summer 2009.
End of Oct 2009 Would be my Guess.
Anyone else got a more Accurate Finishing Date

Declan30

medoc wrote: »

Sorry its not technicely the M7 but seen as Newlands Cross upgrade is likely to be delayed for a while :mad:, could a free flow left turn lane be put in to allow Belgard rd to N7 west traffic to move easier. A tempory lane through part of the site with the gas pipe works would allow the N7 west bound traffic on belgard rd to merge onto the main line. Although its terrible that the full upgrade isnt going on now, this tempory lane would be a help for the time being. ( it might help me anyway )

When the road cow interchange is Fully Finished:rolleyes:.This will really show up newlands cross for how badly designed it is.
It must be a pain for drivers that they now can flow through the red cow section an then come to and abrupt stop at the newlands cross lights.
How long is the full upgrade put back for.

Declan30

Article in limerick Leader does not look Good

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/Motorway-is-on-the-road.4973087.jp

Chris_533976

Now the Labour candidate for Europe, Senator Alan Kelly, wants answers. He wants Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to step in and resolve the situation. "Has he got involved at all? Why hasn't he asked what is happening?" he said.

This I agree with.

Dempsey is a plank and a useless Transport Minister. Grow some balls and sort it out, its your job after all.