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

JCX BXC

That's not the big picture though, motorways weren't built to indirectly serve towns miles away, the big picture is the traffic is mainly Galway-Limerick, and the new Motorway brings you all the way out to Athenry before you make your way South.

I find its either slightly faster or the same to come off at Kilternan and take the old road into Galway, while using less fuel. Have tried the motorway a few times and generally just stick to the old road after Kilternan.

m17

veryangryman wrote: »

Its for North-South traffic, not East-West. Links 2 of our busiest airports also and along with improvemenets further north (N17) would generate more use for a faster trip to North Connaught and Ulster.

Personally i can now travel Athlone to Cork in just over 2 hours using M6->M18->M20->N20. Roll on the M20 to make that < 2 hours.

Think big picture Officer.

Give him a chance he's only back form breaking he's leg

veryangryman

I think that giving a viable road for Connacht in general is a good thing. The cities are choc a bloc at this point. Allowing some quality of life alternatives with decent infrastructure (Oranmore for instance is now a Mecca in this regard) is a good thing when the rest of the country urban-wise is in gridlock.

It also future-proofs the areas getting busier as commuting becomes more viable. Galway is never going to make more room for housing in our lifetimes, Not because they can't, just they are morons in that council and don't look at big picture.

frozenfrozen

JCX BXC wrote: »

That's not the big picture though, motorways weren't built to indirectly serve towns miles away, the big picture is the traffic is mainly Galway-Limerick, and the new Motorway brings you all the way out to Athenry before you make your way South.

I find its either slightly faster or the same to come off at Kilternan and take the old road into Galway, while using less fuel. Have tried the motorway a few times and generally just stick to the old road after Kilternan.

do you find the old way much better on fuel? I do that journey a lot and have been taking the full motorway mostly.

fuel usage low being 7.5L/100km and high 10L/100km for the entire journey Connemara to Bunratty incl. Galway traffic

Haven't recorded fuel usage taking the old way up or down.

The old way seems to be less than 10km shorter going by google maps

I was on this motorway in the bad weather last night and it was great, very little standing water and me and most other cars were well able to keep speeds up safely.

m17

Ballygaddy road flyover on the tuam bypass 18/08/1618/01/18

Sam Russell

From O'Connell Bridge in Dublin to the Killow Roundabout (J12 on the M18) is 2 hrs 40 min going either by M7 or M6/M18 (give or take a few minutes). Two tolls both ways, but M7 has more traffic and road works after Naas, and the M6 is about 20 km further, but it depends where the journey starts from.

I think that going anywhere north of Ennis from Dublin the M6/M18 is better, and perhaps even to Shannon, it might be the preferred option.

Certainly north west of Athenry, M6/M17 is worth trying. Castlebar is the tipping point, but even then, Motorway all the way, but 40 km further and toll at Ballinasloe?

no.8

marno21 wrote: »

m17 wrote: »

New sign at loughgeorge on the n83 13/01/18

Aside from having a national road from nowhere to Tuam which should not exist, the above sign is wrong. Regional roads are to be signed with the next destination, in this case either Turloughmore or Abbeyknockmoy. Should be R354 Turloughmore then (N63) Roscommon and (M17) Sligo/Tuam.

Same as R639 out of Cork is signed Glanmire, R445 out of Limerick signed Annacotty/Castleconnell, R526 out of Limerick signed Patrickswell etc

"Aside from having a national road from nowhere to Tuam"
A touch of foresight perhaps on your part would go a long way. The potential for development along the western corridor is massive over the next 50 years, especially with the envisaged jump in pop. Frankly speaking we're not the only country in Europe to have built such roads (through low pop. regions / regional inter-connectors), which differ from the hub/spoke (Dublin) strategy that has been going on in the 20th century. That's speaking as a Dub myself who prefers to see the potential of the west finally being unlocked. 
I'm sure there were strong reasons for the route selection, following the critical design phase. One being an inter-connector between major roads / infrastructure and a method of removing HGV's off smaller roads. Having driven the road only once at this point (northbound to Galway city), I found the M6 run in to Galway as a non-issue. We're talking an increase of several kilometres but at a higher speed with all-round reduced risk. Overall you'd likely be saving a few mins. I can understand as well that the aim was to built a more direct north / south corridor, which would in any case be unaffected by the planning / traffic mess around Galway city.

m17

Annagh hill 16/01/1621/12/17

Middle Man

paul2013 wrote: »

Why is the TII developing a policy of following the railway lines parallel to the (Ennis via Athenry Railway) New Motorways and Dual Carriageways across Ireland and how come Iarnrod Eireann or Irish Rail speed up their trains?
As you've to go out to Athenry to go to Limerick on the train as well as by car IF YOU want to go that way or else go by the old N18 which is faster if you go as far as Kiltiernan and join the Motorway at Exit 17.
The big junction at Rathmorrissey was the greatest waste of money I've ever seen, Very poor uptake on it

It will be at least two years before we get any idea of how beneficial the M17/M18 scheme (or any part thereof) has been - the economic magnet effect of the new motorway will take time to kick in - Towns like Claremorris, Tuam and Athenry are surely going to benefit with quicker access to important destinations such as Shannon, Limerick and Foynes etc.

wotzgoingon

Middle Man wrote: »

It will be at least two years before we get any idea of how beneficial the M17/M18 scheme (or any part thereof) has been - the economic magnet effect will take time to kick in...

What we need in this country is a motorway starting at my drive way linking up to the Tuam bypass and also super high speed internet direct to my telephone line. And screw everyone else. :pac:

Fieldsman

Some months before the N17 opened I took note of the signposting near Annagh cross of Baile Clair and no mention at all of Claregalway. I thought of all the people who wouldn't have a knowledge of gaelic would miss the junction.
I see in this weeks Connacht Tribune the message has finally struck several months after opening of the road.
I've spent a lot of time in Clregalway and I never heard one word of Irish spoken.
Am I missing something here ??

Sam Russell

Fieldsman wrote: »

Some months before the N17 opened I took note of the signposting near Annagh cross of Baile Clair and no mention at all of Claregalway. I thought of all the people who wouldn't have a knowledge of gaelic would miss the junction.
I see in this weeks Connacht Tribune the message has finally struck several months after opening of the road.
I've spent a lot of time in Clregalway and I never heard one word of Irish spoken.
Am I missing something here ??

I was talking to relative from that part of Galway who would know and they said it was always 'Baile Clair na Gaillimh' in Irish so why was it changed?

The areas where Irish is spoken daily has diminished significantly in the last 50 years, and many areas that were designated as 'Irish Speaking' would no longer be considered as such.

m17

The m17 at carthymore 16/07/1619/01/18

m17

The m17 at castlelambert 16/08/1619/01/18

m17

The m17 at castlelambertannagh hilltheses signs are 12kms apart ,tuam 26kms-14kms 12kms apart
claremorris 54kms-46kms 8kms apart
Sligo 132kms-126kms 6kms apart

Middle Man

m17 wrote: »

The m17 at carthymore 16/07/1619/01/18

That's a nice straight stretch - would love to drive this road soon...

...there might even be a pot of gold for some lucky motorist!

m17

The m17 at bauilpuil 20/01/1520/01/18

m17

The m17 at the annagh hill footbridge looking towards rathmorrissy 22/01/18looking towards tuam

m17

RATHMORRISSY 12/10/1516/02/1619/05/1620/10/1619/03/1722/06/1702/09/1728/11/1730/12/17

paul2013

I was on today in the Roads and I was told by a county Councillor that some people were contacting the council in Galway looking for a roundabout to be put in Kilcolgan leading onto the N67 and I said "surely it's uneconomical now with the M18 open" and they replied that they will campaign vigorously for roundabout in Kilcolgan for the entrance to the N67

JCX BXC

Would have been brilliant if this was done before the M18 opened, was once left nearly 5 minutes trying to turn right (towards Ennis) coming out of that N67 road!

m17

The last 11kms of the m17 and tuam bypass roadbridge section just before opening

veryangryman

paul2013 wrote: »

I was on today in the Roads and I was told by a county Councillor that some people were contacting the council in Galway looking for a roundabout to be put in Kilcolgan leading onto the N67 and I said "surely it's uneconomical now with the M18 open" and they replied that they will campaign vigorously for roundabout in Kilcolgan for the entrance to the N67

Needs votes and it won't happen.

Sam Russell

Mod: Can we discuss the M17 and M18, not journey times on other roads. Off topic posts deleted.

roadmaster

For the fill sections had they enough material on site from the cuts to use or did they have much material to import from off site?

serfboard

This is interesting:

The Irish Times wrote:

Parts of the €550 million Gort to Tuam motorway, which was knowingly built on a flood plain, may have to be lifted to avoid persistent flooding in the area, according to experts.

serfboard

serfboard wrote: »

This is interesting:

Not really, you can barely throw a stone in East Galway without it landing in a flood plain. Building in them is no big deal so long as the appropriate measures are taken.

As far as I can recall, this was highlighted during the building of the road and there were measures taken. M17 or someone can correct me, but I have a vague memory of horrific flooding on some sections at one point.

Given the recent flooding and no issues showing up, I would say the comment in the Times has no basis..... But I stand open to being corrected

wotzgoingon

Deleted User wrote: »

Not really, you can barely throw a stone in East Galway without it landing in a flood plain. Building in them is no big deal so long as the appropriate measures are taken

I agree I know three roads that flood both sides during the winter and it is fine although if it was an extremely heavy rainfall storm they do get flooded but it may only last a day or two at worst for the level to retreat to just flooding each side of the road.

m17

Deleted User wrote: »

Not really, you can barely throw a stone in East Galway without it landing in a flood plain. Building in them is no big deal so long as the appropriate measures are taken.

As far as I can recall, this was highlighted during the building of the road and there were measures taken. M17 or someone can correct me, but I have a vague memory of horrific flooding on some sections at one point.

Given the recent flooding and no issues showing up, I would say the comment in the Times has no basis..... But I stand open to being corrected

The m17 at mahangh 17/04/15

Little Mc

serfboard wrote: »

This is interesting:

All roads eventually cross flood plains, it's like ya know inevitable.