M7 - Nenagh to Limerick

Jumpy

There is more gravel on the road and mud marks from large wheeled vehicles like a JCB or a tractor. They arent sitting idle, its just what they are doing is not immediately visible.

Deedsie

Another email
Hi,

Just to let you know we have a new update on www.aaroadwatch.ie regarding the M7.

The NRA confirmed this morning that the Nenagh to Castletown stretch should open between Sept and December 2010.

However the Limerick to Birdhill stretch is still being hampered by issues crossing the bog and they no longer have any set date for completion.

Kind Regards
Nicola Hudson,
AA Roadwatch Controller,
hudsonn@aaireland.ie

KerranJast

The bog problems are annoying but having Naas->Portlaoise & Castletown->Birdhill as Motorway before the end of the year is going to make a big impact on travel times.

Tech3

I reckon the Limerick-Birdhill section may never be completed on its current route. The NRA may have to reroute the section and bypass the bogs of doom instead of bypassing the current N7!

Giving no date says it all for this pile of mess. At least having good M7 from Naas-Birdhill by the end of the year will make some time saving.

After the commuter hell of Portlaoise-Dublin this stretch between Nenagh-Limerick would be the second most important part of the M7 route as it is also a commuter link. The amount of traffic travelling from Birdhill to the Newport interchange seems to have increased lately due to the new section of motorway opened and probably the good weather driving everyone out of Limerick to Killaloe/Ballina.

rainbowdash

tech2 wrote: »

I reckon the Limerick-Birdhill section may never be completed on its current route. The NRA may have to reroute the section and bypass the bogs of doom instead of bypassing the current N7!

Giving no date says it all for this pile of mess. At least having good M7 from Naas-Birdhill by the end of the year will make some time saving.

After the commuter hell of Portlaoise-Dublin this stretch between Nenagh-Limerick would be the second most important part of the M7 route as it is also a commuter link. The amount of traffic travelling from Birdhill to the Newport interchange seems to have increased lately due to the new section of motorway opened and probably the good weather driving everyone out of Limerick to Killaloe/Ballina.

As I said before they should consider opening it for cars if at all possible. Even 1 lane each way and divert the trucks off it. The alternative could take years.

Jumpy

rainbowdash wrote: »

As I said before they should consider opening it for cars if at all possible. Even 1 lane each way and divert the trucks off it. The alternative could take years.

Silence! Its currently Irelands best made cycle/walking track. I actually love cycling the route, its so relaxing and what a view. I see the need for having this road open, but I am going to enjoy it while I can.

PS - There is no way they could even open it one lane each way. The edges are literally crumbling into the roadside. It doesnt look safe for any traffic in that section.

Chris_5339762

What about using the overtaking lanes only? It'd be like a normal Irish motorway then anyway, noone would notice if the left lane was shut.

Stinicker

I drove south bound on the new stretch from Nenagh to Birdhill today and unlike the Northbound side there was no road kill to be seen, there was one bit about halfway through that was a little uneven southbound but not much of an issue as overall the road is such an improvement. After the level crossing coming into limerick I met an oversized load truck with a massive bulldozer onboard, presumably it had something to do with the construction finishing or they might be moving it to other jobs.

On Monday northbound I met a cyclist on the motorway hardshoulder and this evening there was a car stopped southbound :rolleyes:

Jumpy

As per request.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Jumpy/traces/671630

Failed a few times at first because of the method I was using to import, I dont know anything about Open Street Map.
I hope this is what you guys were looking for.

Jumpy

I assume someone else has to draw the road in over my track. I will let someone who knows more about it handle that part.

Tech3

Jumpy wrote: »

I assume someone else has to draw the road in over my track. I will let someone who knows more about it handle that part.

I think it's only put on osm officially when the road is open to traffic. larryone is the man to talk about that stuff, you could PM him about the trace.

Stark

You can stick it on osm as an under-construction road. Just use tags highway=construction and construction=motorway.

Edit: I just did it there

lukejr

They'll get it open by year end.

If you go look at the section that caused the problem you can see it is due to the lack of banking more than anything else that caused it.

I think they are being cautious at the moment and letting the area settle to ensure it's nothing major that caused the issue.

By the way I'm no road expert, just my opinion.

Jumpy

Does anyone know how long the Roxboro to Tunnel section is and whether it is tarred yet? I wouldnt mind taking a spin out there as well.

dergside

Its probably 3-4 miles from the Roxboro flyover to the tunnel entrace. On the Roxboro end it looks like its all lined, etc, and at the Dock road sliproads its seems to be lined and finished too. Not sure if its to that standard all the way along.

Jumpy

dergside wrote: »

Its probably 3-4 miles from the Roxboro flyover to the tunnel entrace. On the Roxboro end it looks like its all lined, etc, and at the Dock road sliproads its seems to be lined and finished too. Not sure if its to that standard all the way along.

Cheers for that. A bit short to be worth my while I think.

Mc Love

100 pages - who'd have thought it

Deedsie

Mc Love wrote: »

100 pages - who'd have thought it

What are the bets on 200 pages before the Birdhill - Limerick section opens?

Hopefully some official updates will be released on this section soon.

Berty

Mc Love wrote: »

100 pages - who'd have thought it

38 pages if you increase the amount of posts per page.

solidwork

how do you do that berty????

Berty

solidwork wrote: »

how do you do that berty????

Go to

UserCP
Edit Options

Down the page is the option you need.

dergside

Deedsie wrote: »

What are the bets on 200 pages before the Birdhill - Limerick section opens?

3:1 on

mox54

the amount of dead foxes and badgers is alarming to say the least, they come onto the motorway and with no way across they're toast!, it's sad to see and a bit messy but that's progress also, I notice a few of ye cycle the birdhill - limerick section, could I motorbike same route, two wheels are two wheels!!!!.:cool:

Amtmann

Badgers and foxes are quite intelligent, and after they get used to the active motorway (presumably they've been traversing it safely for the past year or more) they'll stop crossing it and use the underpasses. In some parts of England it has been noted that badgers, when crossing single carriageway roads, wait until traffic has died down - but when the clocks go back, they can get caught out. The unfortunate thing is that at this time of the year both vixens and sows will be nursing cubs. Whatever about foxes, badgers are a protected species.

Berty

How can the badgers learn when they are dead? It's a bit late then.

Amtmann

Berty wrote: »

How can the badgers learn when they are dead? It's a bit late then.

Badgers live communally - between 2 and 8 share a sett. So if a few don't come back the others learn pretty quickly.

Jumpy

mox54 wrote: »

the amount of dead foxes and badgers is alarming to say the least, they come onto the motorway and with no way across they're toast!, it's sad to see and a bit messy but that's progress also, I notice a few of ye cycle the birdhill - limerick section, could I motorbike same route, two wheels are two wheels!!!!.:cool:

No, I dont think it would be a good idea, there are a lot of walkers out on the road. A cyclist is not going fast enough but a motorbike would be quite dangerous. Plus there is still a good bit of gravel and stones around. Its not for high speed vehicles yet.

mox54

I guess but I'll walk it like everyone else then, would be interesting to have a look see at the state of the road, btw, I was going to dublin today on the M8 and I noticed that the motorway crosses a bog after Thurles, obviously not a bog of doom like at lisnagry and it just seems strange that they can't come up with a suitable plan to open this motorway given all the experience of motorway building we have built up, anyway I'm enjoying the new section and getting used to it, wait and see for the finished product.:cool:

L1011

The M8 has an awful habit of sinking on the s/b carriageway between Cashel and Cahir... been extensively repaired at least twice in 2 years.

Amtmann

MYOB wrote: »

The M8 has an awful habit of sinking on the s/b carriageway between Cashel and Cahir... been extensively repaired at least twice in 2 years.

Think you mean between Cahir and Mitchelstown?