N8/N25/N40 - Dunkettle Interchange [open to traffic]

Chris_5339762

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121104915#Comment_121104915

I'd ignore that issue on the gantries. If you look at the N25W ones they are all over the place. Whatever gantry is over the overtaking lane should be the same as the left lane, but it isn't. They're shocking.

I do think (and hope) that both lanes coming out of the tunnel will go N25E. Its just simply logical given the layout of everything . But they do need space to sort out the N25W to M8N movement and I guess thats why there is a lane closed. That said, no-one on here actually knows the final layout. We could email them, but that seems like a lot of effort.

Leatra

Looking at the drawings on dunkettle.ie (not the "from N40" ones because those are overlaid in red and therefore harder to read), it does look as though we'll see the two lanes on tunnel exit become N8/N25 and N25/M8. I've marked the left lane in blue, the N8 exit in a lighter blue, and the right lane in pink to hopefully add some clarity here as it's not incredibly clear, and I can only hope those drawings reflect what's being built now. There's no line drawn across the right-hand exit, as there is for the N8 left-hand exit, but crucially the right lane is shown to split into two: the left lane does not become all the N25 lanes. Fingers crossed!

niloc1951

The drawings make the layout very clear. It's a pity the person incharge of direction signage didn't get a copy.

spacetweek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LEOn4Cz5GA

Surely that's not the final configuration of the new Tunnel->M8 lane? It is very abrupt. Would see many motorists missing it.

mcburns07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121107000#Comment_121107000

How would you have designed it?

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121107000#Comment_121107000

You reckon it’s unreasonable to expect people to notice that huge blue sign in the centre of that screenshot?

niloc1951

It is a bit tight, there are many drivers who will be inclined to hit the brakes a bit before turning in, and that will have a slowing effect on other traffic on lane 2.

Hopefully there will be a more gradual turn in provided along the line of the Jersey Wall when the works just before it (inside the red &white barrier) are finished.

Corkladddd!!

Looking at the drawings above where the lanes exiting northbound from the tunnel split into 3 shall stay 2 lanes and the entire road would align more left so exiting the tunnel so the new M8N configuration wouldn't be as sharp? The change from my earlier drawing was that I didn't know the current Tivoli lane was to become just an exit so where there were 4 lanes (Tivoli/North, North/East, East, East/South) at the old DKL roundabout we now have 1 exit to Tivoli, 2 Lanes East, 1 North.

As I see it:

Tivoli has grown from 0.5 -> 1.

North has remained the same 2 * 0.5 -> 1

East Has Grown 3 * 0.5 -> 2

South has been removed from interchange (makes sense with closure of tunnel management ramp) but is now facilitated by east.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121107475#Comment_121107475

In fairness that sign is after the turn-off.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121107796#Comment_121107796

It’s over it, and visible as soon as you exit the tunnel.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121108187#Comment_121108187

Once you exit the the tunnel it’s quite a short distance to that turn/off and it looks fairly sharp. The M8 sign " that huge blue sign in the centre of that screenshot" is off to the right after the turn-off, which is too late. I would hope there is another sign for the M8 before that. By the time the gantry signs and road markings register you are at the junction and as @niloc1951 said drivers will be braking.

rameire

Pic of Blue sign before other Blue Sign.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121108514#Comment_121108514

But there is another sign for the M8 before that. It’s another blue overhead sign before the tunnel which says to keep right for M8. And, if I recall correctly, it has arrows angling towards the right which (to me anyway) denotes that you have action to take.

The simple fact here is that as a nation we are woeful at paying attention to signs. Overhead signs in particular seem to not register for whatever reason. Maybe we’re just not used to the concept yet.

cork_south

The same huge sign is on the Mahon side of the tunnel northbound TWICE before you enter the tunnel.

Those signs are newish which leads me to believe it is the final design, though you still may be able to merge to the N25E after the M8N slip as you can do right now.

confidentjosh

https://youtu.be/X9EqWWTaH34

New driving video from DenTv

niloc1951

I just noticed on the DenTV video that Lane 2 after the Mahon Jct has a big white N8 marked on the road 😳

Also, the gantry signs for the M8 after the tunnel are somewhat contradictory, one indicates straight on and a few metres later another indicates the M8 is to the right.

Overall the signage throughout the whole project are a bit of a dogs dinner in places.

DylanQuestion

The signage is definitely a mess. Glanmire is part of Cork now, no?

Chris_5339762

The signage is a disaster. Every single gantry is wrong in some way.

I did have to laugh at the VMS just south of the northbound tunnel bore proudly advertising that there was new "ACCESSS" for the M8.

calnand

Today's update seems to confirm that the two lanes will continue to the n25e.

Mushy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121114491#Comment_121114491

Really has to be done.

Sounds like all lanes westbound on n25 are to open next week, that should also help on the traffic front.

Jayuu

Looking at the video above it would seem that the last overhead gantry sign as you emerge from the tunnel is the problem. While I get that in effect it's directing you to stay in the right lane so you can then exit you could see how people would be confused in thinking that they should continue straight rather than have a right turn off the lane within 50-100 yards.

It might have been better if there had something variation on the way Malahide is on the sign here at M50 with a blue surround for the motorway and a right turn arrow.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4102999,-6.2398049,3a,75y,81.83h,80.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQgYhS5fy5RdfMTVcKD337A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

I know that M50 sign is over two lanes si it's not a complete like for like but something along that might have been better.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121115120#Comment_121115120

I'd say the M8 sign will be moved over to the right once the junction is finished, but in the meantime it should have an arrow pointing right, or at least use brackets (M8) as you are not on the M8 or a dedicated lane leading to the M8.

Chris_5339762

I doubt they'll do anything to the gantries. Remember, this is the final option for N25E...

It's just plain wrong.

The left lane goes to the M8, but both lanes of the dual carriageway go to N25E. This gantry implies only one lane goes to Waterford and Midleton, and one lane goes off to the N40Tunnel, which is just plain wrong.

niloc1951

Locals, who don't look at signs, will just use local knowledge.

Being a regular traveller throughout Europe I do need clear and unambiguous signs to navigate often complex interchanges. There is nothing more distracting from concentrating on traffic and where you're going than being presented with apparently contradictory information from the Satnav and direction signs.

When the satnav maps are updated to include the new layout there will be many a last minute confusion as to whether to follow the satnav or the gentry signs.

Jayuu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121115644#Comment_121115644

Yeah that's annoying. Again I don't understand why they don't use a layout similar to this M50 one with the N25 on the top and the specific N40 one underneath the line. Who is ultimately responsible for the signage on roads? Is it the contractor or TII?

VeryOwl

The signage on this scheme is a disaster. Feels made up.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121119202#Comment_121119202

Probably because the N40 sign in @Chris_5339762 post would be too cluttered on what would be a quarter of the sign, what with the tunnel, the airport, the ferry and the “N40 Westbound”, not forgetting the focal Gaeilge of course.

niloc1951

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121119312#Comment_121119312

The sign indicating that lane 1 is the N40 is plain wrong, it's lane 1 of the N25. If there is a need to inform drivers at that point that an exit to the N40 is coming up the sign should include N40 in brackets after the N25 on the sign.

As it stands, the sign just encourages strangers without local knowledge who are heading east to move across and the drive in overtaking lane.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121119617#Comment_121119617

Something like this?

dungkettler.jpg

Could be confusing as the main (top) indicates east, whereas the N40 is westbound.

Or;

dungkettler.jpg

Jayuu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121119312#Comment_121119312

It might be and possibly they tried something like that and it didn't work. The double language requirement does add a level of complexity but just using symbols for the tunnel, airport and ferry could help simplify it.

I used to have Adobe Photoshop to help me design stuff like this but I don't any more. Otherwise I'd have had a go at seeing what might have been possible.