M17/M18 - Gort to Tuam [open to traffic]

kyeev

oneofakind32 wrote: »

I'm not sure why traffic is still so attracted to the old N17.

Probably because google maps has yet to update and once it does it show people how much quicker the motorway is

I did tuam road to bekan GAA centre at the weekend and it took 50 minutes.
I did the motorway home and it took 60 minutes.
So, its longer in both distance and time, in my experience

ELCAT2009

So i have started travelling out the m6 from galway and joining the m17 to tuam in the last few evenings. Anyone else notice that where the slip lane from M6 to m17 merges with the ramp off the roundabout also heading towards tuam, there are 2 lanes but then quite suddenly the left lane stops and you are forced on to the right lane before finally merging with m17. Why didn't they extend the 2 lanes a bit further and gradually merge them. I know the first evening i used it i was behind a car on the slip way and didn't see the lane stopping until the last min and had to mover over quickly. Thankfully there was nothing coming up the ramp on my right hand side or there could have been a bit of a bang!.
I presume its possibly the same at the other 3 slip ways and ramps at rathmorrisy but i haven't traveled them to find out!

road_high

marno21 wrote: »

Galway County Council were given 500m to solve the issue and they have apparently failed. They can fund their own second attempt

Definitely. This has been a huge investment and is now up to galway to make it work. The key objective was to replace the interurban traffic off the old N17 and perhaps more attention should have been paid to solving the local commuter routes first (i.e. Galway bypass).
Claregalway will have to rejoin the queue at the very bottom now as there's literally dozens of more pressing needs that deserve attention.

ELCAT2009

kyeev wrote: »

I did tuam road to bekan GAA centre at the weekend and it took 50 minutes.
I did the motorway home and it took 60 minutes.
So, its longer in both distance and time, in my experience

Its 11km longer alright but depending on time of the day you hit galway and traffic it can be quicker.
Last Wed i traveled from Milltown to Ballybane in galway leaving at 705am and got to BallyBane at 8am via the old N17 and parkmore rd (usual route i took before motorway opened). The next day and since then leaving at the same time 705am and taking motor way i can be in at 745 or 750 as was the case this morning so apporx 10 -15 min quicker in the morning if you are in early enough before traffic really starts to build up on the M6 at Coolagh roundabout.

Middle Man

m17 wrote: »

This project cost was 550 million for 53kms of motorway and 4.2kms of dual carriageway it's working out at 9.6 million a km

That's actually not too bad...

Hopefully, this road will be well used - both the rail and motorway infrastructure would seemingly present a fantastic opportunity to develop Athenry into a new mid sized 21st century city (don't really know about the geology etc. though) - this could be a large part of the answer towards future urban expansion in Co. Galway given the ability of existing urban centres to cope.

road_high

Middle Man wrote: »

That's actually not too bad...

Hopefully, this road will be well used - both the rail and motorway infrastructure would seemingly present a fantastic opportunity to develop Athenry into a new mid sized 21st century city (don't really know about the geology etc. though) - this could be a large part of the answer towards future urban expansion in Co. Galway given the ability of existing urban centres to cope.

Why do we need another "city" 15 Kms outside of another one? We need to consolidate growth in galway city with the supporting infrastructure. Not spread it thinly over nearby small towns. The answer should be higher density housing within galway city and create a critical mass to support decent transport infrastructure

Sam Russell

Middle Man wrote: »

That's actually not too bad...

Hopefully, this road will be well used - both the rail and motorway infrastructure would seemingly present a fantastic opportunity to develop Athenry into a new mid sized 21st century city (don't really know about the geology etc. though) - this could be a large part of the answer towards future urban expansion in Co. Galway given the ability of existing urban centres to cope.

Low lie the fields of Athenry.

It floods round there - a lot. It is little off bogland, and I do not mean that disparagingly - it just does flood a lot.

what_traffic

Paddystix wrote: »

CALL FOR CLAREGALWAY BYPASS AS DATA SHOWS LITTLE CHANGE IN TRAFFIC FOLLOWING M17 OPENING



http://galwaybayfm.ie/call-claregalway-bypass-data-shows-little-change-traffic-following-m17-opening/

So predictable that this would happen.

death1234567

what_traffic wrote: »

So predictable that this would happen.

What's predictable is that everyone is going into Galway city in the Mornings because that's where their jobs/college are. The bottlenecks were always going to remain. Where the M17 should help is in the evening time when people are dispersing out to various locations, not all going in to one central location.

m17

ELCAT2009 wrote: »

So i have started travelling out the m6 from galway and joining the m17 to tuam in the last few evenings. Anyone else notice that where the slip lane from M6 to m17 merges with the ramp off the roundabout also heading towards tuam, there are 2 lanes but then quite suddenly the left lane stops and you are forced on to the right lane before finally merging with m17. Why didn't they extend the 2 lanes a bit further and gradually merge them. I know the first evening i used it i was behind a car on the slip way and didn't see the lane stopping until the last min and had to mover over quickly. Thankfully there was nothing coming up the ramp on my right hand side or there could have been a bit of a bang!.
I presume its possibly the same at the other 3 slip ways and ramps at rathmorrisy but i haven't traveled them to find out!

Here's the slip road facing the roundabout left lane coming from the roundabout, right lane coming from the m6facing the m18 where the two lanes meat

m17

The footbridge at Annagh hill 11/10/17

what_traffic

death1234567 wrote: »

What's predictable is that everyone is going into Galway city in the Mornings because that's where their jobs/college are.

Whats the most efficent way of getting them into Galway City? Buses

Benbecul97

ELCAT2009 wrote: »

So i have started travelling out the m6 from galway and joining the m17 to tuam in the last few evenings. Anyone else notice that where the slip lane from M6 to m17 merges with the ramp off the roundabout also heading towards tuam, there are 2 lanes but then quite suddenly the left lane stops and you are forced on to the right lane before finally merging with m17. Why didn't they extend the 2 lanes a bit further and gradually merge them. I know the first evening i used it i was behind a car on the slip way and didn't see the lane stopping until the last min and had to mover over quickly. Thankfully there was nothing coming up the ramp on my right hand side or there could have been a bit of a bang!.
I presume its possibly the same at the other 3 slip ways and ramps at rathmorrisy but i haven't traveled them to find out!

Yes, the left lane ends very abruptly and the road markings are at sharp angles - not gradual curved lines.

Benbecul97

what_traffic wrote: »

Whats the most efficent way of getting them into Galway City? Buses

Park and ride at the airport for people working in Parkmore/Ballybrit would help.

m17

what_traffic wrote: »

Whats the most efficent way of getting them into Galway City? Buses

Why not do a park and ride at rathmorrissy,run a rail link to gortroa which is on the Galway to dublin railway line and it's only 2kms from rathmorrissy and charge a fiver return and it would be less traffic around Galway city, sorry if this a bit off topic

Roadfan

VR6 wrote: »

Kevwoody wrote: »

VR6 wrote: »

NRA should erect 4 big signs (one for each exit from r'bout saying "Give way to traffic coming from the right"
..at least until locals get used to using the new roundabout.

Christ almighty people shouldn't need a sign to tell them how to use a roundabout!!

Evidently they do for this one though. When there's a roundabout on a dual carriageway with minor roads off it, people often mistakenly think the main road traffic has the right of way.
Would you really prefer a crash to a mildly patronising roadsign ?

Sorry if I'm being boring and or repetitive but would hope that issues like this and the suddenly merging lanes on sliproads are flagged to TII . If it's not for them they will forward on to relevant agency/contractor etc. info@mtcc.ie

flazio

m17 wrote: »

Why not do a park and ride at rathmorrissy,run a rail link to gortroa which is on the Galway to dublin railway line and it's only 2kms from rathmorrissy and charge a fiver return and it would be less traffic around Galway city, sorry if this a bit off topic

Neither CIE or Irish Rail have ever laid down a new route of rail in their history. All the routes have been inherited from the old regional rail companies.

m17

The m17 2kms form tuam 18/06/1527/09/17

m17

The m17 at brockagh looking towards tuam 11/10/17

Taytomal

With all the extra M17/M18/M6 traffic piling up at Coolagh every morning, I notice more cars using the hard shoulder to undertake everyone and head up to the Galway Clinic direction ( there were two gardaí there on Friday stopping and ticketing each and every one in the hard shoulder!! ). When the M6 was finished, they left enough of room to widen the stretch from Rathmorrissy to Coolagh out to three lanes - maybe that should be done next to shorten the queues in the morning....might alleviate that 2.5 km back up every day ( and some people are using three lanes there anyway as it is )......,,

marno21

Taytomal wrote: »

With all the extra M17/M18/M6 traffic piling up at Coolagh every morning, I notice more cars using the hard shoulder to undertake everyone and head up to the Galway Clinic direction ( there were two gardaí there on Friday stopping and ticketing each and every one in the hard shoulder!! ). When the M6 was finished, they left enough of room to widen the stretch from Rathmorrissy to Coolagh out to three lanes - maybe that should be done next to shorten the queues in the morning....might alleviate that 2.5 km back up every day ( and some people are using three lanes there anyway as it is )......,,

That will just divide the queue into 3 rather than 2. You'd have a 1.66km queue of 3 lanes rather than a 2.5km queue of 2 lanes.

The solution here is the new N6 Galway Ring Road. Signalising the Coolagh roundabout may help in the medium term.

m17

Taytomal wrote: »

With all the extra M17/M18/M6 traffic piling up at Coolagh every morning, I notice more cars using the hard shoulder to undertake everyone and head up to the Galway Clinic direction ( there were two gardaí there on Friday stopping and ticketing each and every one in the hard shoulder!! ). When the M6 was finished, they left enough of room to widen the stretch from Rathmorrissy to Coolagh out to three lanes - maybe that should be done next to shorten the queues in the morning....might alleviate that 2.5 km back up every day ( and some people are using three lanes there anyway as it is )......,,

Was one of them gardas paul2013

m17

The m17 going over the grange river 6kms form tuam 11/10/17

paul2013

Sorry if I'm off topic, Nothing mentioned in the Budget 2018 about the "Rat-Run" between Cork and Limerick. Very disappointing news :mad:

Roadfan

paul2013 wrote: »

Sorry if I'm off topic, Nothing mentioned in the Budget 2018 about the "Rat-Run" between Cork and Limerick. Very disappointing news :mad:

That type of project would belong more in Public Capital Programme. Same disappointment being expressed about N4 but same story with that.

yew_tree

Traveled on the new M17 yesterday on my way to Dublin from south Mayo. 2 hours 20 mins to the capital. Excellent road and makes getting to Dublin so much easier. Off-topic question - why does the M6 have a steel barrier from Athlone to Ballinasloe as opposed to concrete?

Benbecul97

Apple given go-ahead to build €850m data centre in Athenry
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/apple-given-go-ahead-to-build-850m-data-centre-in-athenry-1.3253502

Where will this data centre access the M6? Junction 17 Athenry?

L1011

The ongoing traffic levels to a DC are so small and non-peak that its irrelevant really.

Pereplyotchik

yew_tree wrote: »

Traveled on the new M17 yesterday on my way to Dublin from south Mayo. 2 hours 20 mins to the capital. Excellent road and makes getting to Dublin so much easier. Off-topic question - why does the M6 have a steel barrier from Athlone to Ballinasloe as opposed to concrete?

Don't know exactly why, but I do remember that when the M6 was being built it was done in sections and various consortia tendered for the work. That complete section (Athlone-Ballinasloe afaik) was a done as a single stand alone project by a consortium. It does look a bit out of place compared to the rest of it but it's fine.

Pereplyotchik

Taytomal wrote: »

With all the extra M17/M18/M6 traffic piling up at Coolagh every morning, I notice more cars using the hard shoulder to undertake everyone and head up to the Galway Clinic direction ( there were two gardaí there on Friday stopping and ticketing each and every one in the hard shoulder!! ). When the M6 was finished, they left enough of room to widen the stretch from Rathmorrissy to Coolagh out to three lanes - maybe that should be done next to shorten the queues in the morning....might alleviate that 2.5 km back up every day ( and some people are using three lanes there anyway as it is )......,,

Proper order for the Cops to ticket people driving on the Hard shoulder!
The shoulder is for emergencies and for emergency service vehicles to bypass traffic jams, you drive in the shoulder, you should get what's coming to you.
The cops should be there every few days day for a couple of months to put a stop to that because if it becomes an established behavior it will lead to more and more people doing it and eventually an accident or an ambulance being boxed in. I saw loads of them doing it this morning, it doesn't even save much time cause you're just going to get jammed up further on.. it's dumb and dangerous. Points and Fines all round please. Cameras monitoring the hard shoulder too if possible.