M3 Clonee-Kells Motorway construction updates

paddymana

These pictures were taken from Gainstown Bridge on the Navan Bypass

paddymana

These pictures were taken of the Kilcarn Link which runs from the Roundabout at the Willows Pub out to Junction 8 Navan South.

paddymana

From Cannistown Bridge looking North at Junction 8 Navan South this is similar to the layout of the Junction at Ashbourne South on the N2 Bypass

paddymana

Here are pictures taken from the infamous Ardsallagh Bridge south of Navan

paddymana

More Pictures

paddymana

M3 Bridge crossing the Boyne at Ardsallagh / Dowdstown

paddymana

Here are picture looking north and south from Bellinter / Dowdstown Bridge

paddymana

Here are pictures taken from Bridge at Lismullen looking north to Junction 7 Johnstown Navan / Skyrne. This Exit is for Bellinter House, Hill of Tara, Skryne, Tara Na Ri Pub / Garlow Cross.

paddymana

These pictures were taken looking North and South from Skyrne

paddymana

Thats all the pictures i could take today before batteries died. The M3 Charity Cycle held today went well, alot of tired legs I would say tonight

brandodub

paddymana wrote: »

These pictures were taken from Gainstown Bridge on the Navan Bypass

Last one looks a bit rough still!! Thanks for posting

D'Peoples Voice

paddymana wrote: »

Thats all the pictures i could take today before batteries died. The M3 Charity Cycle held today went well, alot of tired legs I would say tonight

I did the 55km cycle,
the headwind coupled with the countless hills when cycling towards Navan south exit from the toll plaza was hell:(
thankfully the return journey was downhill almost all the way from Navan south exit to toll plaza, and the wind was behind us!:)
Noel "Pride of Navan" Dempsey was there, he was doing one of the cycles, it wasn't the 100km, because I saw him still there when I was starting the 55km cycle which started 15mins after the 100km. He probably did the 55km cycle also, although he never passed me(one of the few that didn't).

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

paddymana

brandodub wrote: »

Last one looks a bit rough still!! Thanks for posting

Delays at Ardsallagh Bridge meant they could not finish in time for charity cycle, some workers still finishing work under the Ardsallagh Bridge today,
thats why the Charity Cyclists diverted across to the Northern Carriageway at Gainstown when heading south, and then rejoined the Southern Carriageway after Ardsallagh Bridge.

Wheaven

Thanks for posting some great pictures of the M3 Motorway

BluntGuy

Plowman wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I'm seeing some of the lumpy, bumpy Gorey Bypass-syndrome in that photo. Though it may just be the photo itself.

Tech3

I seriously dont want to drive under that gantry!

GeneHunt

tech2 wrote: »

I seriously dont want to drive under that gantry!

I know what you mean, who remembers this news report from last year, of a gantry road sign blown down....

link:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0117/weather.html

big mce

Hi All,

I did the cycle yesterday and I was curious why they are kangoing the under side of the bridge. Whats the problem with it. There look to be taking a track of a foot wide and a few inches deep on each lentil.

Fiskar

Did some calculations on the motorbike trying to equate gains or otherwise by taking the M3 or staying on the N3.

17.31 - end of old clonee bypass.

17.40 - hit Dunshaughlin, Distance travelled 8.5 Miles

17.43 - At roundabout north of Dunshaughlin, Distance travelled 9.5 Miles

17.53 - At 1st roundabout (off ramp from M3), Garlow cross, Distance travelled 15 miles

17.59 - At Navan town centre, distance 20.3 miles

total time 28 minutes (on a good day).

Reckon most people will do either 15 / 19 miles on this motorway (clonee to Navan) for their toll fare, averaging 120 kph + 30 secs to get through the toll with tag system and slow cars. This should get them to the off ramp south of Navan in 12.5 minutes and 15.5 minutes for the off ramp at Kilcarn. Anyone concur with this?

Looking at that off ramp at Garlow cross, tailbacks off the M3 could build at the roundabout due to the right of way for cars going the old road to Dunshauglin but may be wrong in that assumption.

Nuno

I reckon people travelling from Clonee to Navan and beyond may skip the toll entirely, and instead divert up the Trim road and join the M3 at the R125 - M3 interchange at junction 6 (west of Dunshaughlin). You still get the benefit of bypassing Dunshaughlin and Navan without having to pay. Further on, joining the old M3 at Navan North Junction and rejoining the M3 at the Kells South R147 junction would mean you skip past the second toll, leaving you with a straight run into Virginia. I think having 2 tolls on such a short stretch of motorway will be a large disincentive. What do others think?

BluntGuy

Also, from the pictures, good to see they've put in the phones during construction, rather than having to do a needless and more expensive retrofit later on.

CUCINA

D'Peoples Voice wrote: »

I did the 55km cycle,
the headwind coupled with the countless hills when cycling towards Navan south exit from the toll plaza was hell:(
thankfully the return journey was downhill almost all the way from Navan south exit to toll plaza, and the wind was behind us!:)
Noel "Pride of Navan" Dempsey was there, he was doing one of the cycles, it wasn't the 100km, because I saw him still there when I was starting the 55km cycle which started 15mins after the 100km. He probably did the 55km cycle also, although he never passed me(one of the few that didn't).

I did the 55k cycle as well...I was looking to see if there were any photos of the event...hope they won't show the stragglers coming in!!!!

NedNew2

Fiskar wrote: »

Did some calculations on the motorbike trying to equate gains or otherwise by taking the M3 or staying on the N3.

17.31 - end of old clonee bypass.

17.40 - hit Dunshaughlin, Distance travelled 8.5 Miles

17.43 - At roundabout north of Dunshaughlin, Distance travelled 9.5 Miles

17.53 - At 1st roundabout (off ramp from M3), Garlow cross, Distance travelled 15 miles

17.59 - At Navan town centre, distance 20.3 miles

total time 28 minutes (on a good day).

Reckon most people will do either 15 / 19 miles on this motorway (clonee to Navan) for their toll fare, averaging 120 kph + 30 secs to get through the toll with tag system and slow cars. This should get them to the off ramp south of Navan in 12.5 minutes and 15.5 minutes for the off ramp at Kilcarn. Anyone concur with this?

Looking at that off ramp at Garlow cross, tailbacks off the M3 could build at the roundabout due to the right of way for cars going the old road to Dunshauglin but may be wrong in that assumption.

If you had that in kilometres it would make a lot more sense.

32km from Clonee to Navan @ 120 kph = 2 km per minute

Therefore 16 minutes roughly by M3 + 30 secs toll.

So 16.5 mins vs 28 mins. Quite a saving.

marmurr1916

spacetweek wrote: »

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

Confirmed in today's Irish Times.

The National Roads Authority announced yesterday the final stretch of the M8, the wishbone shaped Portlaoise to Cullahill scheme, will open on May 28th. It will be followed by the controversial M3 motorway on June 4th.

There will be two tolls on each route and both will be open in time for the June bank holiday.

The opening of the €405 million Portlaoise to Cullahill scheme completes the State’s investment of almost €2.6 billion on the entire 250km route from Dublin’s M50 to Cork’s Dunkettle interchange. The cost works out at about €10.4 million a kilometre

The 40km Y-shaped section will take Cork-bound traffic from the existing Portlaoise bypass to the existing M8 at Cullahill. It will also take Limerick-bound traffic from the Portlaoise bypass to Castletown, where remaining sections of the M7 Limerick motorway are under construction.

The route will bypass the towns of Abbeyleix, Durrow and Cullahill in Co Laois and is expected to cut the journey time from the M50 to Dunkettle by as much as 45 minutes. At 250km, it should be possible to drive from the Red Cow and Dunkettle in about two hours and 30 minutes, allowing for lower speed limits along sections such as Newlands Cross in Dublin.

The 60km M3 motorway from Clonee on the Meath Dublin border to the Meath Cavan border provoked controversy, legal challenge and some direct action protests because of its route which passes through the Gabhra Valley between the hills of Tara and Skryne.

Complaints about the process which permitted the destruction of a national monument were also made to the EU, some of which are ongoing. The route is expected to greatly ease peak-time traffic between Kells and Dublin bypassing the towns of Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells.

There will be two tolls on each route. The M8 will feature a new toll on the Portlaoise to Cullahill section, costing €1.80 for a passenger car. This is in addition to the existing toll of €1.90 at Fermoy. The M3 will feature one at the Clonee end, the other at Kells. The charge will be €1.30 for a passenger car at each toll.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0519/1224270654961.html

munchkin_utd

interesting
the by-laws document from last year had the tolls set at 1.40 a go but this press announcement has them at 1.30 a go.
What happened there?

Also, how are they dealing with the by-law that requires them to allow a discount of 10% for a prepayment of 20 journeys? Is it done via the tag or soem sort of prepay paper card or something?

http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/TollingDocumentation/file,16942,en.pdf

gazzer

So am I right in saying that it is only the motorway opening on June 4th and not the additional dual carraigeway from just before Carnaross to Kells i.e Coming from Cavan you will still have to go through Kells for the time being??

spanish1

The NRA said the 10% discount is "plaza specific" and that it would not be applicable to the the electronic tag, which seeems unusual. They said to contact the M3 Plaza directly.

Fiskar

NedNew2 wrote: »

If you had that in kilometres it would make a lot more sense.

32km from Clonee to Navan @ 120 kph = 2 km per minute

Therefore 16 minutes roughly by M3 + 30 secs toll.

So 16.5 mins vs 28 mins. Quite a saving.

Bike odometer is in miles, anyway, I reckon the 12.5 minutes will be for the 24 kph section and the 19 miles (30.4 kph) will take 15.5 minutes Plus getting the final mile or so from the off ramp to navan town.
Still at the off ramp there may be delays that increase the time above 16.5 minutes but for the moment we'll say 15.5 to 16.5 minutes and see what happens in reality.

Nuno

gazzer wrote: »

So am I right in saying that it is only the motorway opening on June 4th and not the additional dual carraigeway from just before Carnaross to Kells i.e Coming from Cavan you will still have to go through Kells for the time being??

What makes you say that Gazzer? Judging from the look of the road, I'd say it's nearly complete and ready for traffic at the same time as the motorway will be.