M3 Clonee-Kells Motorway construction updates

bauderline

burger1979 wrote: »

have you got a link to that thread?

Complete hearsay by the looks of it....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055874004

P.

burger1979

yes hear say indeed me thinks

munchkin_utd

i heard they discovered that 10 of the overbridges are haunted and the contractors are very holy so the whole project is on hold until a special exorcism can be performed by a witch doctor from deepest africa.

.......or is that hearsay that I picked up at the pub ....... or just made up with no basis in fact....

anyhow, from the progress being made it looks like the road will be opened a lot sooner than September whatever speculation about contractors downing tools in a country full of unemployed builders says.

spacetweek

bauderline wrote: »

Someone said on another thread that the opening date has been pushed out to September... judging by the state of that junction at Kilcarn I think they are correct.... bummer...

According to the M3 Cycle, it's June 4th it's opening
http://www.m3cycle.ie/default.asp

It's correctly pointed out on the other thread there, that traffic will remain sh1te around Blanch until the M50/N3 rebuild is done. What a mare, I'll be glad to see that one go.

Then we just need Newlands Cross and we're done! :rolleyes:

Macca3000

The M3 itself from start to finish will be open. I doubt alot of the new link roads, the Kells bypass, and the new N3 dual carriageway will be open. I'd say that's where a lot of confusion is coming from.

Mayo Exile

Macca3000 wrote: »

the Kells bypass

Heading north out of Kells (Ardee side) via the current N52 and going around the new roundabout you can see a couple of hundred yards of the Kells bypass. It appears to be finished and all markings applied. Can't vouch for the whole of the bypass though.

GeneHunt

Hi Folks,

I was out again yesterday just around the Dunshaughlin area and got some photos.

First up is three photos from the over bridges on the Dunsany road outside Dunsaughlin (found here)

Note: the Emergence Phones have been installed around this area of Dunshaughlin.

Colm R

GeneHunt wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I was out again yesterday just around the Dunshaughlin area and got some photos.

First up is three photos from the over bridges on the Dunsany road outside Dunsaughlin (found here)

Note: the Emergence Phones have been installed around this area of Dunshaughlin.

Cool. I see in your first photo that they actually build a proper rest stop this time!!!

GeneHunt

Next up is some photos around junction 6 (found here)

Note: On the photo "M3 - R125 (J6 Link Road - West) 1" you see two lanes for the exit to the R125 from Dublin, but the exit from Navan in the photo "M3 - R125 (J6 Link Road - east)" has only one lane, this is mad - I can't see too many using the M3 through the Toll Plaza just to exit at Junction 6 for Dunshaughlin or Trim.

GeneHunt

Next up is two photos from the R125 overbridge (Junction 6)

GeneHunt

I also got some photos today from the Ardsallagh road overbridge (found here)

Lots of work going on around this area.

Note: in the photo called "Ardsallagh OB (westside)" you call see two tankers suppling water to these pumps (Hydro Demolition on side panels!!!!). I couldn't see what they were doing with the water but I could hear it under the overbridge, this is also the bridge which I believe subsided....

GeneHunt

Lastly I got some photos from the Gainstown road overbridge (found here)

Unfortunately it was raining by the time I got to this bridge, but I wanted to get a photo of the hilly motorway west bound toward Junction 9 with N52.... It's not clear to see the hills with the rain, I'll have to get back to this bridge again for a few better photos!

burger1979

on the very last photo you have there, the gainstown bridge, there is quite a hump/dip/hump config in the road on the right hand side as you look at the pic. should this not be completely flat???

burger1979

great pics by the way and thanks for taking them

GeneHunt

burger1979 wrote: »

on the very last photo you have there, the gainstown bridge, there is quite a hump/dip/hump config in the road on the right hand side as you look at the pic. should this not be completely flat???

Yes I was thinking that too, from the bridge I could see three humps and three dips maybe four, the dips look deep too (we'll know how deep when the motorway opens) but from the bridge that I was on, it looks like if you were in a car on the motorway and was following another car, that car in front of you would vanish from view for a moment while it's in those dips....

burger1979

what was the distance between the humps? or dips? you would think that doing 120 kmh on those and coming down them would induce your stomach to reach for your mouth :D

that stretch of road was not built on a bog or some soft ground that you could see?

munchkin_utd

GeneHunt wrote: »

Next up is two photos from the R125 overbridge (Junction 6)

on this junction merge sign along the slip road is a yellow diamond sign as if you were merging onto a regular road, or approaching a Y junction!
i.e.
see here for pic https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/257651/113395.JPG

Yet on the new sections of the M50 northern cross, uk design signs (which are much much clearer and informative IMHO) like this are used everywhere, without a yellow diamond sign to be seen:


So, has the M3 the wrong merge signs for usage on approaching a merge onto a motorway?
Or does the M50 need to bin all those (informative) UK signs?

PauloMN

munchkin_utd wrote: »

on this junction merge sign along the slip road is a yellow diamond sign as if you were merging onto a regular road, or approaching a Y junction!
i.e.
see here for pic https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/257651/113395.JPG

Yet on the new sections of the M50 northern cross, uk design signs (which are much much clearer and informative IMHO) like this are used everywhere, without a yellow diamond sign to be seen:


So, has the M3 the wrong merge signs for usage on approaching a merge onto a motorway?
Or does the M50 need to bin all those (informative) UK signs?

The yellow signs do look odd on a motorway alright, they look more suited to less major roads like R/N roads.

The difference with the blue sign I think is that the left-most lane on the M50 can continue all the way from one entrance point to the next exit point if you know what I mean, hence you aren't forced to merge like you would be on standard slip roads. Could be an explanation anyway.

emfifty

i have only seen these blue merge signs on motorway/dual carriageway of 3 lanes or more. the regular yellow merge sign is sufficient for two lanes.

murphaph

emfifty wrote: »

i have only seen these blue merge signs on motorway/dual carriageway of 3 lanes or more. the regular yellow merge sign is sufficient for two lanes.

And at least in Northern Ireland they also use the simple merge sign (albeit on a red bordered white triangle as opposed to a yellow diamond) for rural stretches of 2 lane motorway. It's fine for this purpose tbh. When there are lane gains/drops then the more extravagant signage is in order, but not here.

Zoney

The merge diagrams are informational, used to show the exact lane merge arrangements, the diamond signs are warning signs, used to alert drivers to a merge ahead (and its direction). The diamond signs are of course redundant if the information signs are present. This in fact even goes for roundabouts too - strictly speaking the yellow diamond roundabout warning signs aren't necessary in most cases where there is a roundabout map directional (information) sign.

The merge diagrams are also present in green on the N25 Cork South Ring as well, at least at the N28 Ringaskiddy junction. In this instance IIRC there is a short (immediate) merge lane and a longer merge lane.

Jayuu

I asked a similar question about the M9 (Waterford to Danesfort section) when it opened as well as they have the diamond signs too.

It would seem that the blue signs are only for 3 lane (or wider) roads.

paddymana

With just under 3 weeks to go to the Opening of the M3 Motorway here are a few more pictures.

paddymana

These pictures were taken from the Kells to Oldcastle Road Bridge

paddymana

These Pictures were taken from the Athboy to Kells Road Bridge, looking both North and South along the M3. In the Pictures you will see the Motorway section of the M3/N3 finish, when it meets the N52 Kells Bypass. From this Roundabout you can continue on N3 high quality carriageway bypassing Carnaross and finishing at the Cavan / Meath Border

paddymana

More Pictures of the M3 North and South from Phoenixtown Bridge South of Kells

paddymana

Looking North and South from Bohermeen and South from Ardbraccan Bridges

paddymana

These Pictures were taken from the N51 Junction Navan (North) to Athboy Road.

paddymana

Looking North To Junction 9 N51 from the Old N51

mackerski

Does anybody who took part in the bike race today (or anybody else, actually) have GPS traces for any part of the M3 or its ramps or access roads?

Any donated track logs can be used to update OpenStreetMap in advance of the opening day.

Thanks!