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

m17

ELCAT2009 wrote: »

Spotted a crane and a new Tower mast at Annagh Hill yesterday eve. I presume that it is the new mobile phone mast. I was surprised this morning to see a little red light already working on top! I wonder how long before the mobile signal becomes live and do we know what phone networks or will they all share the one mast so all phone networks have coverage. Its like a birthday present to the motorway since this day last year was the grand opening!

Your spot on finally the mast is up a year later then planned it will be another 2 weeks before it goes live to all networks here is the m17 this time last year 7 hours before opening it's been a fast year

marno21

Indeed m17, open a year today.

Benbecul97

Extraordinary that this thread is still so popular!

Sam Russell

Benbecul97 wrote: »

Extraordinary that this thread is still so popular!

More popular than the M17/M18 going by the pictures posted on here. Most have a great view of an empty motorway.

BIGT4464

marno21 wrote: »

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

How it could have looked

It could never have looked like that.

The roads in your map all have seperate collector roads attached to them. The Rathmorrissey interchange is a simple motorway/motorway junction, no collector roads.

The M17/M18 are carrying traffic volumes below the capacity of a Type 1 Single Carriageway. Mega interchanges are simply a waste of money in this instance.

If they had built an at grade roundabout on the M6 for the M17/M18 it wouldn't be under much pressure.

How it should have looked 

Kevwoody

Sam Russell wrote:

More popular than the M17/M18 going by the pictures posted on here. Most have a great view of an empty motorway.

Aw seriously what do comments like this add to the thread??
The motorway is built nothing is going to change that, get over it already.

marno21

Kevwoody wrote: »

Aw seriously what do comments like this add to the thread??
The motorway is built nothing is going to change that, get over it already.

It may be built, but we also need to ensure that the mistake of building a motorway that firstly doesn't solve the issues it was meant to address and secondly is operating between 20-25% of capacity isn't repeated.

For reference, I have proposed an alternative here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=107855545&postcount=174

The motorway may be built however the mechanism by which this was approved needs to be examined. For the benefits this motorway is providing vs the total cost of this project (€1.15bn), it really is scandalous.

road_high

marno21 wrote: »

It may be built, but we also need to ensure that the mistake of building a motorway that firstly doesn't solve the issues it was meant to address and secondly is operating between 20-25% of capacity isn't repeated.

For reference, I have proposed an alternative here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=107855545&postcount=174

The motorway may be built however the mechanism by which this was approved needs to be examined. For the benefits this motorway is providing vs the total cost of this project (€1.15bn), it really is scandalous.

Yes it should have been built closer to Galway city- majority of traffic is going in/around there. I'd imagine the amount of Journeys between Tuam/Mayo and Clare/Limerick is relatively small by comparison! And all could have been still accommodated via an alignment closer to Galway.

marno21

road_high wrote: »

Yes it should have been built closer to Galway city- majority of traffic is going in/around there. I'd imagine the amount of Journeys between Tuam/Mayo and Clare/Limerick is relatively small by comparison! And all could have been still accommodated via an alignment closer to Galway.

The Adare bypass is a similar example.

Back at the end of the FF/Transport 21 period, an Adare bypass was proposed which involved diverging from the M20 at Croom and looping back up to the west of Adare. It was a car crash of a road project and thankfully was refused by ABP.

Now in 2018 a new Adare bypass is being progressed which involves a freeflowing continuation of the M21 continuing directly to west of Adare. It will totally solve the traffic issues in Adare.

Sam Russell

road_high wrote: »

Yes it should have been built closer to Galway city- majority of traffic is going in/around there. I'd imagine the amount of Journeys between Tuam/Mayo and Clare/Limerick is relatively small by comparison! And all could have been still accommodated via an alignment closer to Galway.

It should have been built closer to Cork, and been designated the M20. In fact it should have been the M20.

m17

The new mobile phone mast at Annagh Hill 27/09/18

serfboard

m17 wrote: »

The new mobile phone mast at Annagh Hill 27/09/18

Oh look - a picture of the M17 with cars on it - well photoshopped m17!

threeball

Sam Russell wrote: »

It should have been built closer to Cork, and been designated the M20. In fact it should have been the M20.

That limerick to cork road is dead half the time. Only bits that get busy are between Mallow and Cork and the bottleneck in Charleville. Travel it regularly and have never been severely delayed.
The M17 has alleviated huge bottlenecks in the west and some journey times by up to an hour. You should be infrastructure then build round it not the other way round. This was done at the right time, now they need to encourage some industry along the route.

m17

Benbecul97 wrote: »

Extraordinary that this thread is still so popular!

I just hope that future road projets will be as popular as this one, another 20,000 views and will hit 1.5 million

irishgeo

Sam Russell wrote: »

More popular than the M17/M18 going by the pictures posted on here. Most have a great view of an empty motorway.

ireland extends futher than dublin.

:rolleyes:

Sam Russell

irishgeo wrote: »

ireland extends futher than dublin.

:rolleyes:

You would think that, but prioritising a motorway ahead of the M20 would suggest that perhaps not.

hans aus dtschl

threeball wrote: »

That limerick to cork road is dead half the time. Only bits that get busy are between Mallow and Cork and the bottleneck in Charleville. Travel it regularly and have never been severely delayed.
The M17 has alleviated huge bottlenecks in the west and some journey times by up to an hour. You should be infrastructure then build round it not the other way round. This was done at the right time, now they need to encourage some industry along the route.

Dead half the time? Look at the numbers.
Only bits that get busy are are between Mallow and Cork and the bottleneck in Charleville? Did you just forget Buttevant exists?
Travel it regularly and never been severely delayed? It's approx 85km from the M21 to Blackpool traffic lights and Google maps says it's "Typically between 65 and 85 mins" Northbound and "Typically between 70-90 mins" Southbound. To put that in perspective, it's less than 60kmh average at times.
"Now they need to encourage some industry along the route".
I'm not in any way against investing in infrastructure for the West or Northwest, but infrastructure investment should be based FIRST on current needs/requirements, and later on aspirations/dreams.

Look, you might be a lovely person and you might be right about an awful lot of things, but your post here is completely wrong on almost every point. Which is kind of impressive tbh.

The M20 gang need to build a bridge and get over it. The M17/M18 was not "chosen" over the M20, it was simply further along in the process and so was allowed to proceed at a time when they were slashing capital spending.

If the case was reversed, it would have been the M17/M18 that was put on hold. Simple, so quit yer moaning

gifted

hans aus dtschl wrote: »

Dead half the time? Look at the numbers.
Only bits that get busy are are between Mallow and Cork and the bottleneck in Charleville? Did you just forget Buttevant exists?
Travel it regularly and never been severely delayed? It's approx 85km from the M21 to Blackpool traffic lights and Google maps says it's "Typically between 65 and 85 mins" Northbound and "Typically between 70-90 mins" Southbound. To put that in perspective, it's less than 60kmh average at times.
"Now they need to encourage some industry along the route".
I'm not in any way against investing in infrastructure for the West or Northwest, but infrastructure investment should be based FIRST on current needs/requirements, and later on aspirations/dreams.

Look, you might be a lovely person and you might be right about an awful lot of things, but your post here is completely wrong on almost every point. Which is kind of impressive tbh.

Completely agree...you also forgot to mention the speed ramps in buttevant......have to slow down to 15kph going over them.....get caught behind a big Arctic truck and you actually stop....madness between two cities in Ireland that there is speed ramps on the main road

Donegal Storm

AADT around the midpoint of the N20 is about 10k and just south of Limerick where it splits from the N21 its 14k, its only closer to Cork where it gets significantly busier. The "empty" M17/18 is 10-12k for most of its length, dropping off to 9k closer to Tuam.

While the N20 is clearly busier overall and the road undoubtedly needed, the numbers don't match this massive injustice narrative

hans aus dtschl

Donegal Storm wrote: »

AADT around the midpoint of the N20 is about 10k and just south of Limerick where it splits from the N21 its 14k, its only closer to Cork where it gets significantly busier. The "empty" M17/18 is 10-12k for most of its length, dropping off to 9k closer to Tuam.

While the N20 is clearly busier overall and the road undoubtedly needed, the numbers don't match this massive injustice narrative

You make an interesting point but don't forget:
1
Many avoid the N20 by using the M8 at present. Anyone originating East of Cork will go this route as it's faster and Google maps tells them that this is the case. That's presumably around half of the end-to-end traffic
2
Comparing the lowest point of one with the lowest point of the other isn't the same thing as comparing the busiest point of one with the busiest point of the other. Upgrades are concerned with the sections of the road which see high usage, not low usage.
3
Some sections at the midpoint of the N20 are dangerous and relatively slow moving and are thus no more attractive to local users than the other dangerous and slow route options available to them.

I think on balance you're probably right to call it an "injustice narrative". An incompetence narrative may be closer to the reality, to be fair. The shelving of the M20 plans in 2011 was an extremely poor decision.

irishgeo

Hey Sam. The m17/m18 was supposed to be finished a long while ago and was put on hold too.

It also comeccts 2 cities. You have experts saying a motorway isn't needed between Cork and limerick.

Just curious if your angry because your in pain from carrying around the massive chip on your shoulder.

hans aus dtschl

irishgeo wrote: »

It also comeccts 2 cities. You have experts saying a motorway isn't needed between Cork and limerick.

I would refer any expert saying a motorway isn't needed between Cork and Limerick to TII, possibly would also question their credentials as an expert.

marno21

irishgeo wrote: »

Hey Sam. The m17/m18 was supposed to be finished a long while ago and was put on hold too.

It also comeccts 2 cities. You have experts saying a motorway isn't needed between Cork and limerick.

Just curious if your angry because your in pain from carrying around the massive chip on your shoulder.

I didn't realise Tuam was a city.

There are no experts saying that a motorway isn't needed between Cork and Limerick. There have been economists suggesting that the money spent on the M20 would be better spent in the cities themselves, but that's an argument for more money for capital spending, not against a motorway per se

Sam Russell

irishgeo wrote: »

Hey Sam. The m17/m18 was supposed to be finished a long while ago and was put on hold too.

It also comeccts 2 cities. You have experts saying a motorway isn't needed between Cork and limerick.

Just curious if your angry because your in pain from carrying around the massive chip on your shoulder.

I am not a bit angry - not at all.

I am just commenting on the empty motorways I see when I go west of Athlone. When I go south of Limerick, like Adare, I get stuck in stationary traffic, just after coming off the motorway from Limerick - all 9 km of it.

And that was under Michael Noonan's watch while he was Minister for Finance.

red bull

marno21 wrote: »

I didn't realise Tuam was a city.

There are no experts saying that a motorway isn't needed between Cork and Limerick. There have been economists suggesting that the money spent on the M20 would be better spent in the cities themselves, but that's an argument for more money for capital spending, not against a motorway per se

Yes, Tuam is a city. Designated so by the fact that it has two Cathedrals

JCX BXC

red bull wrote: »

Yes, Tuam is a city. Designated so by the fact that it has two Cathedrals

I think when we're talking about infrastructure, we'll use the administrative status of Tuam as a town and not some la-de-da historical BS.

red bull

JCX BXC wrote: »

I think when we're talking about infrastructure, we'll use the administrative status of Tuam as a town and not some la-de-da historical BS.

Ok, but the motorway does join two cities Galway and Limerick

marno21

red bull wrote: »

Ok, but the motorway does join two cities Galway and Limerick

Indirectly so. This scheme directly connects Gort Athenry and Tuam. A Galway connection doesn't seem to be primary objective of the scheme judging by its routing

Carol25

Have been following this thread with interest over the years. A family member was involved in the blasting on this motorway, and it's a motorway that was in the pipeline long before a shovel went into the ground. It runs two fields away from my house, but not much noise from it as we've a small wood in between. I for one am delighted it is built. It finally gives a motorway connection between Galway and Limerick and north to Tuam. Anyone who travelled the old M18 route will know how slow and cumbersome that journey was to get to Gort. I also use it frequently to go North. As far as I know, objectors closer to the city caused it to route further East. However during the week I happened to have to travel into the city from the Abbeyknockmoy area. The advice was to 'take the motorway to Rathmorrissey and go in at Briarhill rather than go through Claregalway and Tuam Rd junction...their advice proved correct! So it does serve a purpose and is a very useful intercity connector. People moaning about it will just have to get over it, and concentrate on future designs. Speaking of, Rathmorrissey was designed by inexperienced motorway interchange designers in my opinion. It does work, and people with tales of cars going the wrong way need to ask the question as to who on earth are behind the wheel in those instances, the signs are all there. It's pretty simple but a spaghetti type junction would be quicker and more effective.