M3 Clonee-Kells Motorway construction updates

D.L.R.

nordydan wrote: »

Lol, the amount of people in Dublin who think Donegal is in NI is frightening!

It is, geographically. Maybe this is what confuses you.

nordydan

D.L.R. wrote: »

It is, geographically. Maybe this is what confuses you.

:rolleyes: Err, what???

djdeclan

D.L.R. wrote: »

It is, geographically. Maybe this is what confuses you.

Someone give this man a map, please.
I'll throw in my tuppence on the M3 while I'm at it:
I've travelled this road on many occaisions travelling to gigs, formerly from Monaghan to Kells and lately from Dublin to Cavan. Its not up to the traffic levels. Simple as. It needs to be upgraded. Does it need to be of motorway standard? Maybe not, but we had a seemingly infinite amount of cash to spend on such things when this was being planned so the powers that be went with the motorway format and there is no going back now.
Something that people seem to be forgetting is that while the M3 will directly serve Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells it will also indirectly serve the majority of County Cavan, most of Fermanagh, South and West Donegal and some parts of Leitrim, Sligo and Monaghan.
We may well be spending too much on something we don't quite need but the overspend is not the full price of the motorway but only the difference between the cost of a HQDC and motorway.

Webmonkey

nordydan wrote: »

:rolleyes: Err, what???

In fairness Donegal is in the north of Ireland. I'm sure this is what he meant by geographically :rolleyes:

D.L.R.

Donegal is in northern Ireland. Simple statement of fact.

nordydan

D.L.R. wrote: »

Donegal is in northern Ireland. Simple statement of fact.

Lol, I'd hardly be confused in fairness. Donegal is in the north of Ireland/northern Ireland geographically, but I stated NI, an acronym specifically for Northern Ireland ie the 6 county jurisdiction. So just to reiterate a lot of Dubs think Donegal is atcually in NORTHERN IRELAND, uses the queen's shilling etc. Not just in the north geographically or in Ulster, the actual northern state. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

In ten years we may be glad of the M3 motorway, but I agree that its was in no way a priority as compared with the M20 or M17

D.L.R.

nordydan wrote: »

Lol, I'd hardly be confused in fairness. Donegal is in the north of Ireland/northern Ireland geographically, but I stated NI, an acronym specifically for Northern Ireland ie the 6 county jurisdiction. So just to reiterate a lot of Dubs think Donegal is atcually in NORTHERN IRELAND, uses the queen's shilling etc. Not just in the north geographically or in Ulster, the actual northern state. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

In ten years we may be glad of the M3 motorway, but I agree that its was in no way a priority as compared with the M20 or M17

You must know a lot of idiots. Donegal being in the 26 not the 6 is pretty common knowledge round these here parts. My point is "northern" can mean more than one thing.

Regards the M3, it'll be a good alt route to S. Donegal, also in N.Ireland :pac:

nordydan

D.L.R. wrote: »

You must know a lot of idiots. Donegal being in the 26 not the 6 is pretty common knowledge round these here parts. My point is "northern" can mean more than one thing.

Regards the M3, it'll be a good alt route to S. Donegal, also in N.Ireland :pac:

Its on a par with some English tourists who arrive in Dublin and think its still in the UK, and try and pay in sterling in bars restaurants. I have worked in finance for a number of years, so maybe I have encountered a skewed sample of the general public. I'm hardly a big fan of the northern state in fairness, but I remember this a few months back:

Me: "Antrim had a good win in the Ulster championship against Donegal there on Sunday."

D4 Head: "Donegal? Sure they're not in Ulster!"

Me: "What do you mean?"

D4 Head: "Ulster is like...Northern Ireland. Its English"

Oh the M3 will be handy for getting to Clones for the Ulster final that's for sure.

Sponge Bob

D.L.R. wrote: »

My point is "northern" can mean more than one thing.

Exactly , for example "The Most Northerly Point in Ireland is in the South" is true .

Gruffalo

D.L.R. wrote: »

It is, geographically. Maybe this is what confuses you.

That is one of the most idiotic posts I have read on this site.

Gruffalo

D.L.R. wrote: »

Donegal is in northern Ireland. Simple statement of fact.

Stop trying to worm your way out of it. The original poster wrote NI which only ever means that gerrymandered little region which contains the counties of Derry, Down, Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone and Fermanagh.

Amtmann

Stay on Topic

Gruffalo

Snip - Infracted for breaching charter. </mod>

I think the point the original poster who mentioned Donegal was trying to make is that Donegal folk could benefit from this road and could benefit even futher if it is extended in the future. Not all the users are going to be coming from or going to Meath.

veryangryman

Gruffalo wrote: »

I think the point the original poster who mentioned Donegal was trying to make is that Donegal folk could benefit from this road and could benefit even futher if it is extended in the future. Not all the users are going to be coming from or going to Meath.

You want to EXTEND this monstrosity?

Im sorry but barring a corrupter than usual (and thats saying something) government, this will not happen within the next 20 years at least.

I know that not all users are coming from Meath, but thats not the issue. The issue is NUMBERS that are using the route. And there is no way that there are enough numbers travelling from Donegal/Ballyshannon/Enniskillen-Dublin route that regularly.

I know because i get onto the N3 at the Cavan/N55 junction and the traffic there doesnt justify a motorway or even DC. A wide median (at a stretch) will do anyone travelling from further affield than Kells.

In an ideal world, wed all have 3 lane highways everywhere, but its peoples money you are using for these things. Cost-benefit analysis quickly shows that this idea is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

Gruffalo

veryangryman wrote: »

You want to EXTEND this monstrosity?

Im sorry but barring a corrupter than usual (and thats saying something) government, this will not happen within the next 20 years at least.

I know that not all users are coming from Meath, but thats not the issue. The issue is NUMBERS that are using the route. And there is no way that there are enough numbers travelling from Donegal/Ballyshannon/Enniskillen-Dublin route that regularly.

I know because i get onto the N3 at the Cavan/N55 junction and the traffic there doesnt justify a motorway or even DC. A wide median (at a stretch) will do anyone travelling from further affield than Kells.

In an ideal world, wed all have 3 lane highways everywhere, but its peoples money you are using for these things. Cost-benefit analysis quickly shows that this idea is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

Stop your monotonous ranting for five seconds, read my comment again. Now, look up the concept of "the future". Good lad.

Amtmann

Gruffalo is on a one-month holiday from Infrastructure.

Sponge Bob

Other than an S2 Virginia bypass not that much needs doing to the N3 any more.

The variable is whether we bounce back :D to boom and build the Sligo - Dundalk road corridor that has been pinged about just a tad in recent years . Crap variable but have a map showing what I mean



The only government commitment to major expenditure in the NW is the €400m we swore we would give for the A5 dualling last year or two .

Tech3

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The variable is whether we bounce back :D to boom and build the Sligo - Dundalk road corridor that has been pinged about just a tad in recent years . Crap variable but have a map showing what I mean

There is two sections on the N16 that were realigned about 2-4km not sure how long ago and the rest is very poor but the road surface is in good nick. I would welcome the government to invest more in this corridor so as to give Sligo folk more access into shopping in Enniskillen.

The only government commitment to major expenditure in the NW is the €400m we swore we would give for the A5 dualling last year or two

This will be another broken promise. The €9 million handed over a few weeks ago will be the last the government will offer to advance this route.

Back to the M3, when is this due to open? I think AADT is going to be very low on the route as the last counter was pre recession and two tolls will be too much for commuters a day.

serfboard

tech2 wrote: »

I would welcome the government to invest more in this corridor so as to give Sligo folk more access into shopping in Enniskillen.

I would speculate that it is for precisely that reason that the government will not fund any further developments on the N16.

Trubertq

D.L.R. wrote: »

It is, geographically. Maybe this is what confuses you.

Ok, as the original poster I will qualify what I meant. Geo-politically Co. Donegal is in the Republic of Ireland, but quite a lot of people in the Southern half of the country seem to think that it is in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
There is a very poor infrastructure connecting Donegal to the other parts of the country. We here in Killybegs have a €60 million port that doesn't have a decent road connecting it to Donegal Town and on to Sligo, Dublin etc. THe provision of a better infrastructure would have helped develoment in the north west and might have made it more viable for people to stay living here instead of having to move to the commuter belt and having to buy over priced houses that they barely see.
That's all I was saying.
I get a bit annoyed when people say we don't need to improve N3, maybe a motorway is too much I'm not an engineer but certainly an upgrade for the road was necessary. Now, if they would fix the Pettigo road we'd be flyin'

GeneHunt

The new R125 was getting a good wash this evening, could be opening very soon!

The embankments local to the Dunshaughlin end of this road have been tidied up in the last few days, the crash barrier which I mentioned in an earlier post is not quite buried by the embankment anymore. I should have taken photos of this work.

D.L.R.

Trubertq wrote: »

Co. Donegal is in the Republic of Ireland, but quite a lot of people in the Southern half of the country seem to think that it is in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

All joking aside, I'd dispute that statement. Most ordinary Irish people would know its in the Republic.

Trubertq wrote: »

There is a very poor infrastructure connecting Donegal to the other parts of the country. We here in Killybegs have a €60 million port that doesn't have a decent road connecting it to Donegal Town and on to Sligo, Dublin etc. THe provision of a better infrastructure would have helped develoment in the north west and might have made it more viable for people to stay living here instead of having to move to the commuter belt and having to buy over priced houses that they barely see.
That's all I was saying.
I get a bit annoyed when people say we don't need to improve N3, maybe a motorway is too much I'm not an engineer but certainly an upgrade for the road was necessary. Now, if they would fix the Pettigo road we'd be flyin'

I don't take issue is with the M3 itself, but the fact that the likes of it and the WRC got priority over such things as the Interconnector (planned since the 70s) is an indictment of the logical development of this state. I.e. frills before core needs.

nordydan

D.L.R. wrote: »

All joking aside, I'd dispute that statement. Most ordinary Irish people would know its in the Republic.

Nobody has disputed that most Irish people from both NI & ROI know that Donegal is in the Republic. What is surprising is the number of people who think it is in NI (and hence the UK), i.e. the size of this minority is amazingly high for what is a small island.

By the way, way up the N3, and beyond there are plans to improve the road from Donegal to Killybegs: http://www.donegalcoco.ie/services/roadstransport/majorprojects/mountcharleskillybegsjunction.htm

Amtmann

The Northern forum is this-a-way. No more commentary on peoples' level of geographical awareness here please.
Discuss the M3, N3, and the development of these and similar roads northwestwards only from now on.

L1011

nordydan wrote: »

By the way, way up the N3, and beyond there are plans to improve the road from Donegal to Killybegs: http://www.donegalcoco.ie/services/roadstransport/majorprojects/mountcharleskillybegsjunction.htm

Not only is that not the N3, its not even on a road that adjoins the N3! Its on the N56, which comes off the N15...

GeneHunt

The new R125 link road between N3 (north of Dunshaughtlin) and R154 (Trim road) was opened today – great improvement over the old Drumree road.

spacetweek

tech2 wrote: »

This will be another broken promise. The €9 million handed over a few weeks ago will be the last the government will offer to advance this route.

This is what I thought, but according to Wesley Johnston, they have a start date and everything. In NI at least they're assuming we're still playing ball. I honestly don't know how we'll justify such a level of expenditure in a foreign country though.

eddiej

Just a quick update on progress

The large flyover at the end of the existing dual carriage way section of the
N3 just past Clonee is having the second section of beams lifted into position. This flyover will bring the old N3 over the new M3 dont think there are access points her but at Pace instead.

The Pace junction is having the final wearing course laid and road signs are up, apparently the Dunboyne bypass will be opened on a phased basis ment to be by the end of September.

The far end of the Dunboyne bypass is now being worked on with one way traffic on the Maynooth Dunboyne road.

Base layers of tarmac have been laid up to the toll plaza which is still progressing rather slowly no steel structure appearing yet.

Also the R125 is open so presume the old Drumree road will be no more and the M3 will be pushed through here quickly with base layers following.

Hopefully get a few pics of the progress

CUCINA

eddiej wrote: »

Just a quick update on progress

The large flyover at the end of the existing dual carriage way section of the
N3 just past Clonee is having the second section of beams lifted into position. This flyover will bring the old N3 over the new M3 dont think there are access points her but at Pace instead.

The Pace junction is having the final wearing course laid and road signs are up, apparently the Dunboyne bypass will be opened on a phased basis ment to be by the end of September.

The far end of the Dunboyne bypass is now being worked on with one way traffic on the Maynooth Dunboyne road.

Base layers of tarmac have been laid up to the toll plaza which is still progressing rather slowly no steel structure appearing yet.

Also the R125 is open so presume the old Drumree road will be no more and the M3 will be pushed through here quickly with base layers following.

Hopefully get a few pics of the progress

I was wondering myself how they were going to merge the Clonee DC with the M3. I was down there last Sunday to have a look at what way it was developing (cycled along the new road from the Pace end) and you can see the "join" but what was less obvious was where the old N3 would continue...it looks more like it might vere to the right of the M3 at the same level. I couldn't figure out the lay-out of the bridge they are building. If the N3 is to be carried over the bridge there would be a lot of work to be done yet before it could take any traffic.
The other thing I found curious was the new "M3" signs they erected in the last few days, just at the start of the Clonee DC in-bound...presumably this is meant to carry on through to the
M50 interchange but there hasn't been any up-grading of that section of roadway, apart from the bus-lane put in some months ago.
Incidentally, I saw the trucks with the new bridge sections parked up on the site, quite spectacular.

nordydan

CUCINA wrote: »

I was wondering myself how they were going to merge the Clonee DC with the M3. I was down there last Sunday to have a look at what way it was developing (cycled along the new road from the Pace end) and you can see the "join" but what was less obvious was where the old N3 would continue...it looks more like it might vere to the right of the M3 at the same level. I couldn't figure out the lay-out of the bridge they are building. If the N3 is to be carried over the bridge there would be a lot of work to be done yet before it could take any traffic.
The other thing I found curious was the new "M3" signs they erected in the last few days, just at the start of the Clonee DC in-bound...presumably this is meant to carry on through to the
M50 interchange but there hasn't been any up-grading of that section of roadway, apart from the bus-lane put in some months ago.
Incidentally, I saw the trucks with the new bridge sections parked up on the site, quite spectacular.

By the way the Clonee junction at the start of the new motorway is signed as J4, so that should give some indication as to the rest of the M3 ( and N3 inbound)