Waterford Bridge open day

fricatus

shapez wrote: »

Wow, so much for doing our bit for the environment. :rolleyes:

So, there is pedestrian access and no cycles lanes. Some way to move forward with the times alright.

shapez wrote: »

Genius. Clearly the Greens didn't have much of an input when this was planned. :rolleyes:

Kahless wrote: »

Cars cause the congestion, not cyclists or pedestrians.

For God's sake will ye all stop bellyaching... :rolleyes:

It's a bypass of the city, the idea of which is to provide a reasonably quick route for vehicular traffic that doesn't need to be in the city centre.

Its effect will be to make the city centre safer and more pleasant for cyclists and pedestrians, among others.

Where energies need to be directed now is at the city council... they need to completely remake the Quay. So as not to pull this thread off the topic of the new bridge and its open day, I'll open a new thread on that subject now.

soldering iron

I tried to walk across the bribge last saturday afternoon, but I was stopped by security guards.The more adventourous of us will make it across, next saturday i will try again.

renraw

Guys, the bridge opens on monday. Buses will be leaving the clock tower from 13:00 PM on monday for people who wish to see it. Cars will not be allowed access until 17:00 on monday when it is officially opened for traffic. Martin Cullen ius due to open it. The fun run will not be taking part there despite media information.

jo06555

i hear theirs no option for pedestrians after open day. what happens if i break down do i have to walk on road?

renraw

The toll plaza has 6 lanes on each side, both east and west. There is a hard shoulder on the main dual carriageway but not on the bridge. Speed has been set ast 50kph through the plaza, 80 after 300 metres and then 100 kms on main carriageway.

deise4ever

All I can say is thanks a bunch to whoever organised the open day for Monday. Don't they realise that those of us who are, thankfully, still in work would have loved the opportunity to walk across the bridge? Personally, I have really been looking forward to it since it was first announced that there would be an open day for the public. We have little enough in Waterford at the moment to give us a bit of cheer and now we can't even walk across the bridge.

As regards the name, I think it should be called the Charles Bacik Bridge because, if he had not come to Waterford, we would not have had the revival of Waterford Glass and, as we all know, not only Waterford people benefitted from 'The Glass' but half of South Kilkenny did also.

Sully

Lads, treat the road as a motorway. That is why your not permitted to be on a bike or walk it.

fricatus

Sully wrote: »

Lads, treat the road as a motorway. That is why your not permitted to be on a bike or walk it.

If the NRA had any sense, they'd have treated it as a motorway too and designated it as such! :mad:

fricatus

deise4ever wrote: »

All I can say is thanks a bunch to whoever organised the open day for Monday. Don't they realise that those of us who are, thankfully, still in work would have loved the opportunity to walk across the bridge? Personally, I have really been looking forward to it since it was first announced that there would be an open day for the public.

I'd expand a little on your point there and include the fact that there has been very little coverage in the media of the whole construction of what is an amazing structure.

Is it because engineers are apt to hide their light under a bushel? Or is it that those in the media, with their tinted glasses and VW Beetles, are too blasé about something as nerdy as, loike, a bridge... I mean not once have I seen any reference to this bridge in the national media, and I read the Indo and the Times daily, and most days watch RTE and TV3 news.

Loads of people I know have watched with a mixture of amazement and delight as the bridge took shape. They pounced on, and devoured, every scrap of information as to how it would look, how it was being constructed, and so on. Had there been open days every three months, I'd have gone up there. I'm going to work an early shift on Monday so that I can walk the bridge with my uncle, who was my (tender) age when the second-bridge idea was first put forward in the '70s.

The idea that they can spend three years building this and not have the open day one day earlier to suit the majority of people just makes me despair. Do they not care, or do they not think we care, about the wonderful work they do?

alpha2zulu

Guys and Gals ,wait till you see it lit up at night. As I was coming in on the N24 Limerick Road last night around 730 they had part of the lighting on that side of the bridge switched on. Basically it looks like a strip of very bright white LED's along the whole length of the concrete tower. I'm guessing this is only part of what the finished lights will look like.
Looked incredible,much more striking than any of the night pics of the M1 Boyne Bridge...Roll on Monday:D

deise4ever

Fricatus, they don't call us 'the gentle county' for nothing!! Don't want to start sounding paranoid but if this beautiful stucture had been built in Cork or Galway, we would have been sick to the teeth of hearing about it. I agree with you, it was such a joy watching its progress. Wonder if there will even be any decent coverage about the actual opening.

Daysha

I remember quite a hefty amount of coverage when the Boyne bridge opened a good few years ago, so we should see something similar.

I expect the government to try lap it up as much as possible too, they won't let a good news story like this go to waste given the current situation.

kilkennycat2004

what is the toll?

This is what will determine the success, or not, of the second river crossing

alpha2zulu

1.00 for motorbikes,1.90 for cars each way and up to 6.10 for multi axle trucks apparently

Sully

Not much advantage of paying now when the road goes nowhere really.

Where does it connect on the Dublin side, when it opens? The Limerick road and back onto the N9?

tonc76

Sully wrote: »

Not much advantage of paying now when the road goes nowhere really.

Where does it connect on the Dublin side, when it opens? The Limerick road and back onto the N9?

So if you are driving from Rosslare/Wexford etc to Cork/Kerry etc there is no advantage of using the toll road over travelling through the city?

Have you driven through the city recently?:rolleyes:

gscully

tonc76 wrote: »

So if you are driving from Rosslare/Wexford etc to Cork/Kerry etc there is no advantage of using the toll road over travelling through the city?

Have you driven through the city recently?:rolleyes:

I think Sully means that while the bridge is opening, it is the ONLY section opening and the full advantage won't be seen until all sections are open. As it stands, from Monday, you can cross the bridge and then end up on the crap road to Mullinavat!

Aquos76

Yes that may well be so, however, the bridge is actually part of the Waterford by-pass and not the M9. The by-pass is fully opening from Monday. The M9 will however complement our new bridge once completed

tonc76

Aquos76 wrote: »

Yes that may well be so, however, the bridge is actually part of the Waterford by-pass and not the M9. The by-pass is fully opening from Monday. The M9 will however complement our new bridge once completed

Agree completely

It's the N25 Waterford Bypass

fricatus

Sully wrote: »

Not much advantage of paying now when the road goes nowhere really.

Sully, just because it doesn't lead to Dublin, doesn't mean that it goes nowhere now, come on! :rolleyes:

As others have said... Wexford to Cork/Kerry for example? Also, anyone say living in New Ross, or out Kilmacow way, and working in the Waterford Industrial Park or WIT will be glad of it.

I do - kind of - understand what you're saying though, in that if Waterford is your origin or destination, then you won't use the road. But for those of us lucky enough to live in the city, it will take a lot of through traffic off the streets, and that will be a huge benefit to us.

Sully

fricatus wrote: »

Sully, just because it doesn't lead to Dublin, doesn't mean that it goes nowhere now, come on! :rolleyes:

As others have said... Wexford to Cork/Kerry for example? Also, anyone say living in New Ross, or out Kilmacow way, and working in the Waterford Industrial Park or WIT will be glad of it.

I do - kind of - understand what you're saying though, in that if Waterford is your origin or destination, then you won't use the road. But for those of us lucky enough to live in the city, it will take a lot of through traffic off the streets, and that will be a huge benefit to us.

I was more saying it from the Waterford POV - the only use it will be is from folk coming from the Wexford direction. Not really sure it was worth tolling people until the M9 opened.

But.. where does the road come out if your going to Dublin? Limerick roundabout and go down the hill as we currently do?

Bards

Sully wrote: »

I was more saying it from the Waterford POV - the only use it will be is from folk coming from the Wexford direction. Not really sure it was worth tolling people until the M9 opened.

But.. where does the road come out if your going to Dublin? Limerick roundabout and go down the hill as we currently do?

It was Built as part of the N25 Cork to Rosslare Euroroute. It has NOTHING to do with the Waterford to Dublin Route albeit a small section which links into it from the Grannagh Interchange.

People on the N25 will pay to use it as it will save them about 30 minutes. The Advantage for Waterford people is to take traffic out of the City (Isn't that what bypasses are meant to do?) it is not to encourage Waterford drivers to use it

road_high

That was Waterford's last Friday evening of heavy traffic and indeed last evening rush hour before this long awaited bypass opens. Things will not be the same again when you think about it...I don't be in Waterford too often for exactly that reason; traffic and just too much hassle. So I look forward to heading down a bit more often .
The bypass will be a relief also for the many people who head down to Tramore during the Summer and often had to undure the very worst of the city's taffic. Roll on the M9 now next

JohnC.

fricatus wrote: »

I'd expand a little on your point there and include the fact that there has been very little coverage in the media of the whole construction of what is an amazing structure.

Is it because engineers are apt to hide their light under a bushel? Or is it that those in the media, with their tinted glasses and VW Beetles, are too blasé about something as nerdy as, loike, a bridge... I mean not once have I seen any reference to this bridge in the national media, and I read the Indo and the Times daily, and most days watch RTE and TV3 news.

It's too far from Dublin or Cork to matter to them.

Psychedelic

fricatus wrote: »

I'd expand a little on your point there and include the fact that there has been very little coverage in the media of the whole construction of what is an amazing structure.

Is it because engineers are apt to hide their light under a bushel? Or is it that those in the media, with their tinted glasses and VW Beetles, are too blasé about something as nerdy as, loike, a bridge... I mean not once have I seen any reference to this bridge in the national media, and I read the Indo and the Times daily, and most days watch RTE and TV3 news.

Never mind our national media, this bridge has international eyes upon it:

Dilbert75

Psychedelic wrote: »

Never mind our national media, this bridge has international eyes upon it:

Very good. Was half expecting to see the Playboy one boasting about Ireland's most impressive erection...:D

Irish and Proud

Psychedelic wrote: »

Never mind our national media, this bridge has international eyes upon it:

...but our media have such great pride in this country, don't they? :rolleyes:

Irish and Proud

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Very good. Was half expecting to see the Playboy one boasting about Ireland's most impressive erection...:D

...now we only need a tunnel nearby, and upon interaction we'll have a richter 9.0!!! :D:D

spartacus93

Psychedelic wrote: »

Never mind our national media, this bridge has international eyes upon it:

Way to much time on your hands

Thanks for them, gave me a good laugh.

I'm very disappointed that the opening day is not on Sunday. It was Sunday for the Jack Lynch tunnel iirc and they got a huge turn out. Plenty of people I spoke to were hoping to walk on the bridge before it opens to traffic. There'll also be plenty like me that won't get a chance to do it on Monday.

wellbutty

Sully wrote: »

Not much advantage of paying now when the road goes nowhere really.

Where does it connect on the Dublin side, when it opens? The Limerick road and back onto the N9?

Don't think you'll be able to take the Limerick Road and go around the roundabout to get back to the N9. It looks like if you come across the toll bridge, you'll have to exit the bypass at the Grannagh interchange, head to the Newrath roundabout, go around that and then back out the existing N9. Obviously this assumes the 10 meter temporary road linking onto the Kilmacow Road has been closed off. So yeah, the real benefit of the bridge won't be obvious until the M9 opens.