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

m17 · 25-10-2018 9:50pm

Rathmorrisy 25/10/18

EmptyTree · 29-10-2018 9:26pm

The motorway is open over a year and and the continued popularity of this thread baffles me. On a daily basis it is in the top 2-3 threads in the roads forum. It almost has cult like status at this stage:D

unit 1 · 29-10-2018 10:24pm

And rightly so.
As someone who has started to reuse a mayo limerick trip it has proved to be a massive game changer, and will no doubt have great knock on effects in the future.
One can only wonder at the benefits this route must have for hgvs and the like in terms of time and fuel savings.

Sam Russell · 29-10-2018 10:44pm

unit 1 wrote: »

And rightly so.
As someone who has started to reuse a mayo limerick trip it has proved to be a massive game changer, and will no doubt have great knock on effects in the future.
One can only wonder at the benefits this route must have for hgvs and the like in terms of time and fuel savings.

And what a game changer it would have been had it been built a few hundred Kms south - like between Limerick and Cork.

unit 1 · 30-10-2018 1:27am

Agreed, it certainly would have been less pressing than limerick/cork.

I suspect that ultimately politics had a role, not that many would appear to think that EK did anything for castlebar/mayo/the west/ireland yada yada yada.

Ultimately politics plays a big part in these major schemes in Ireland, either to speed them up for progression (galway bypass recently) or slow them down because of lack of funding (metro north).

Just like the n5 in castlebar is inevitable because it was progressed quitely behind the scenes to be shovel ready, because its a matter of timing. For instance a delay or review of the n5 were kenny to be gone would have doomed the project with the money siphoned off for the m20.

The bedevilment of this country is the clientilist nature of our politics that allows politicians to interfere in all and sundry with a straight face which leads to large scale mediocracy in the very things they try to improve for the public good.

30-10-2018 1:47am

The Limerick and Cork lads need to get over it. This was built at the time because it was further along the process than the M20 and there was money to do only 1..... That's it.

Had the opposite been true, the M20 would have been built first

For anyone who believes there was some other reason, can I interest you in a tinfoil hat?

Kevwoody · 30-10-2018 9:23am

Sam Russell wrote:

And what a game changer it would have been had it been built a few hundred Kms south - like between Limerick and Cork.

Ah here, seriously!

mikeymouse · 30-10-2018 9:44am

EmptyTree wrote: »

The motorway is open over a year and and the continued popularity of this thread baffles me. On a daily basis it is in the top 2-3 threads in the roads forum. It almost has cult like status at this stage:D

It's a motorway between two cities that doesn't involve Dublin at all, at all.

m17 · 30-10-2018 10:09am

EmptyTree wrote: »

The motorway is open over a year and and the continued popularity of this thread baffles me. On a daily basis it is in the top 2-3 threads in the roads forum. It almost has cult like status at this stage:D

It must be all the pics I'm posting

Shyboy · 30-10-2018 12:25pm

mikeingalway wrote: »

Finally, I see the mast is nearing completion at Annagh Hill! Here hoping it will knock out the black spots each side of it ... I’d say they will still need another one near Cartymore.

After an impressive fast build of the mast over a month ago, it does not seem to be live as yet? Actually on closer inspection (from the car when passing) there does not seem to be any antennas/panels on it as yet? (maybe I am wrong?)

m17 · 31-10-2018 8:40pm

Shyboy wrote: »

After an impressive fast build of the mast over a month ago, it does not seem to be live as yet? Actually on closer inspection (from the car when passing) there does not seem to be any antennas/panels on it as yet? (maybe I am wrong?)

Your right there nothing done since the tower went up there's just a red light on the top and that's it for now all this should be done before the motorway opens

mikeingalway · 04-11-2018 12:37am

m17 wrote: »

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

Still not live!

Ruhanna · 10-11-2018 6:14pm

Deleted User wrote: »

For you, at those times, it will likely work out the same timewise. One will be a further distance but higher speed limit.

This will have a major impact on those used to 40 min tail backs in Claregalway or spending 20 mins trying to get through Tuam during peak times

LOL.

marno21 · 10-11-2018 6:28pm

Ruhanna wrote: »

LOL.

I drove from Limerick to Tuam last week and completed it in 1 hour. I don't recall being in any Claregalway related tailbacks so I don't see what the LOL is about?

Ruhanna · 10-11-2018 6:35pm

marno21 wrote: »

The N6 at Coolagh is backed up for about 100m this morning, the queue on the old N17 is about 10 times as long approaching Bothar na dTreabh and there's a queue in Claregalway too.

Is there any reason why people aren't using the M17?

marno21 wrote: »

I drove from Limerick to Tuam last week and completed it in 1 hour. I don't recall being in any Claregalway related tailbacks so I don't see what the LOL is about?

What was your route, and what was the approximate time of day?

nim1bdeh38l2cw · 10-11-2018 6:39pm

Ruhanna wrote: »

What was your route, and what was the approximate time of day?

One assumes the M18 & M17 at any time of the day or night, as it doesn't go via Claregalway anymore

Sam Russell · 10-11-2018 7:18pm

Seth Loose Medal wrote: »

One assumes the M18 & M17 at any time of the day or night, as it doesn't go via Claregalway anymore

Nor does it go near Galway.

Ruhanna · 10-11-2018 7:26pm

May 2016:

Sam Russell wrote: »

gridlock in Claregalway (population 562) will soon be solved with the new M17.

April 2018:

marno21 wrote: »

Yesterday, Thursday 19th April, 19.6k vehicles passed through Claregalway. 11.2k vehicles used the M17 east of Claregalway. Whilst the M17 figure is up 1000 on the equivalent figure from October 2017, in my opinion we can conclude on this data so far that the M17 has failed to live upto its purpose of relieving the N17 and providing a bypass of Claregalway.

10-11-2018 9:15pm

Those numbers lead credence to the dire need for a bypass of Claregalway

Chris_5339762 · 10-11-2018 9:53pm

We all knew that would be the case 620 pages ago when this scheme was first mooted. It won't solve Claregalway.

Claregalway will be solved with the Claregalway Inner Relief Road, which seems to have gone very quiet. Then the Tuam Road junction on the N6 will be utter carnage.

Ruhanna · 11-11-2018 1:23pm

It was sold to us (at a cost of €550 million) as, among other things, "a bypass of Claregalway".

Who was one of the senior salesmen making such claims? Fred Barry, CEO of the NRA, perhaps one of the biggest promoters of motorways in the country (though he has many rivals for top billing in that regard).

http://clarechampion.ie/taoiseach-digs-gort-tuam-road

JCX BXC · 11-11-2018 1:25pm

Because who wants to spend the extra money on fuel for absolutely minimal to no time saving?

Ruhanna · 11-11-2018 1:27pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Those numbers lead credence to the dire need for a bypass of Claregalway

So a wee town needs a motorway AND a bypass?

Deleted User wrote: »

This [M17 motorway] will have a major impact on those used to 40 min tail backs in Claregalway

Ruhanna · 11-11-2018 1:28pm

JCX BXC wrote: »

Because who wants to spend the extra money on fuel for absolutely minimal to no time saving?

Sorry, I don't understand that. Can you elaborate?

AugustusMinimus · 11-11-2018 1:34pm

A fool could see that the M17/M18 was built too Far East. Much too Far East.

What a waste of money this whole scheme has become.

dubhthach · 11-11-2018 1:41pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Those numbers lead credence to the dire need for a bypass of Claregalway

Was on the 2005-2011 LAP plan, but it seems to be missing in the 2015-2021 Gaeltacht zoning plan document:
http://www.galway.ie/en/media/1.%20Variation%20No.2b%20to%20GCDP%20-Gaeltacht%20Plan.pdf

marno21 · 11-11-2018 1:47pm

^^ That screams "development opportunity" to me.

When the new N6 Ring Road is open and Claregalway has bus priority measures people won't be long flocking to the M17.

Sam Russell · 11-11-2018 2:19pm

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

A fool could see that the M17/M18 was built too Far East. Much too Far East.

What a waste of money this whole scheme has become.

It was built too far North.

It should have been built to extend the M18, not North but South, to join the M20 and go towards Cork.

Kevwoody · 11-11-2018 2:51pm

Sam Russell wrote: »

It was built too far North.

It should have been built to extend the M18, not North but South, to join the M20 and go towards Cork.

Seriously you say this every few weeks here now, can you take your bitter views somewhere else?
Anyone else would be told they're trolling at this stage.
Cork people really need to get over it!

kippy · 11-11-2018 3:32pm

Sam Russell wrote: »

It was built too far North.

It should have been built to extend the M18, not North but South, to join the M20 and go towards Cork.

Look, there's need for a "Western Corridor Route" and so long as eventually Cork to Sligo (and further North) has near motorway standard road at some point in the future, its a positive thing for the country.
I'd have preferred to see the Cork/Limerick section get priority but for numerous reasons it wasn't ready to go. At least SOMETHING has been happening with major roads in the west of the country the past decade or so.

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

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