N40 - Cork South Ring Bandon & Sarsfield Flyovers

alaimacerc

DerMutt wrote: »

Passed through in both directions this morning, almost all road markings are complete with the remainder dotted out for the line painting crew. This Thursday doesn't seem beyond the bounds of possibility...

Noticed this on the westbound separated carriageway sections I mentioned before, which are also no longer fenced off, just coned. Just needs the catseyes and the lines, and they're in business.

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Any sign of them resurfacing the outside carriageway between Bandon Roundabout and Sarsfield's Roundabout. As it is the road is still using the original surface laid down nearly 20 years ago.

And that they've "disimproved" in the process of these works, to boot, with several poorly-patched lateral trenches. Not something they're working on so far, so seems a long shot before the flyover opening.

This eastbound stretch was down to one lane an hour ago, and hence with a tailback all the way to BRR. They'd closed the flyover, so where those two lanes previously "split", they just narrow instead. I assume that's a very short-term thing, since they could otherwise have reopened the second lane of the N71 section. Depending on what's happening further east, I suppose. They might think it's better to have jam waiting to get onto the SRR, than waiting to get off it, if they can have only one lane there.

Outkast_IRE

So both flyovers open in the morning, but I must admit there is a nice amount of work left finishing off the surrounding works especially around the sarsfield rd roundabout that site is a mess still.

alaimacerc

Wellwellwell. Ruddy great big surfacing machine stopped making a racket a couple of hours ago, and what do you know... both flyovers are open eastbound! Just cycled over them, for the craic. The N71->N40 on-slip seems to be open again, too.

Westbound's not quite a done deal yet: flyovers weren't open, they'd opened the second slip-carriageway between SRR and BRR, but not the first one. Both of them now painted... no catseyes yet. The "normal N71" was coned completely off, though, as were all but one lane past the Togher overpass.

ETA photo, and link to a few more. Very murky though, sorry.

neddynasty

Drove over the both flyovers heading eastwards this morning. Flyovers heading west were open too. First time in 9 years going to work I haven't had to negociate the roundabouts! It'll take a few weeks for people to get used to them and the layout but all good so far.

moyners

Had to be at something in Bishopstown earlier and the BRR was empty when I hit it around 9. Doubled back to the Curraheen Road entrance afterwards just so I could go over both flyovers heading east

Also, great to see they've started putting up streetlights on the section between SRR and togher. I always found that section disorientating due to the lack of lighting.

phatmanwc

moyners wrote: »

Had to be at something in Bishopstown earlier and the BRR was empty when I hit it around 9. Doubled back to the Curraheen Road entrance afterwards just so I could go over both flyovers heading east

Also, great to see they've started putting up streetlights on the section between SRR and togher. I always found that section disorientating due to the lack of lighting.

There was a procession of cars doubling back from the Curaheen Road all day, out for a look! Did it a couple of times myself, with a big grin on my face. Lovely section of road to drive on I have to say.

munchkin_utd

will be interesting to see if the situation now at Dunkettle deteriorates with all the rush hour traffic now landing to it at a quicker rate.

hoodwinked

will also be interesting to see Wilton when all the schools go back, will this unclogg sarsfields roundabout, wilton roundabout and dennehy's cross....

Ludo

phatmanwc wrote: »

There was a procession of cars doubling back from the Curaheen Road all day, out for a look! Did it a couple of times myself, with a big grin on my face. Lovely section of road to drive on I have to say.

Or they missed their new turn off for the bandon round about and had to turn back.

AugustusMinimus

1. A lot of people here think it won't affect Dunkettle. I'm of the opposite view. I can't see how it won't be worse.
2. This IMO will help Wilton - Bishopstown a lot. People used to use the area as a rat-run alternative the South Ring Road. The whole traffic in the area will improve drastically IMO.

MrDerp

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

1. A lot of people here think it won't affect Dunkettle. I'm of the opposite view. I can't see how it won't be worse.
2. This IMO will help Wilton - Bishopstown a lot. People used to use the area as a rat-run alternative the South Ring Road. The whole traffic in the area will improve drastically IMO.

I'm one of those people, but I'm not saying it won't affect Dunkettle. What I've said is that some people will have a worse experience of the system, but the majority will have it improved.

My contention is that it won't just 'move the problem down the road', a position I hold based on the following:
1. Not every car travelling eastbound from SRR is going to Dunkettle, there are not insignificant population and leisure centres along the route which take a lot of the traffic
2. Regularly timed traffic, such as evening peak traffic, will arrive at the system earlier, having shaved minutes off their journeys due to uncongested SRR and BRR. This means more cars getting through before queue building begins at Dunkettle.
- To be technical, the system utilization will increase earlier, using up capacity while System Utilization is <1.0 (0-1.0 implies service rate handling or matching arrival rate, >1.0 more arriving than can be processed, queue builds).

The problem for those with a worse experience of Dunkettle will be that the peak begins earlier.
- Some that may have been first to dunkettle before (e.g. coming from Mahon) may now find that the queue is bigger than it used to be. They will say that the problem moved down the road, but really the overall improved throughput will have simply had the queue build earlier at Dunkettle.
- But the first peak traffic cars coming through the improved SRR will get to Dunkettle earlier, and will find they are spending less time at Dunkettle, because they got there 10 minutes earlier or whatever
- Some of the last peak traffic cars will find the traffic less at Dunkettle, because it started processing the peak earlier


The number of cars arriving at Dunkettle through the tunnel, over the afternoon/evening, remains unchanged.

becost

From the evening echo:

Prowetod

It really is fantastic, drove it both ways today. I'm looking forward to them putting the finishing touches over the next few weeks.

corblimey

I'm looking forward to people figuring out which lane they want sooner

Is it me or is the western side of the BRR particularly badly road marked? Road markings seem to lead inexorably towards the flyover, and the cutover to the left for the roundabout seems quite late. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it too.

run_Forrest_run

corblimey wrote: »

I'm looking forward to people figuring out which lane they want sooner

Is it me or is the western side of the BRR particularly badly road marked? Road markings seem to lead inexorably towards the flyover, and the cutover to the left for the roundabout seems quite late. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it too.

yep, very poor (or late) signage. At the moment it's quite hard to see the exit because of the large number of traffic cones before and after the exit which kinds of creates a maze affect and hides the actual exit road...I was prepared for it this morning though

run_Forrest_run

Ludo wrote: »

Or they missed their new turn off for the bandon round about and had to turn back.

that was me on morning #1 anyway!

The Browser

Some photos of the signage and mainline would be appreciated

Ludo

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

that was me on morning #1 anyway!

Actually did it myself this morning...was humming and hawing about overtaking a truck as I couldn't remember just where the turn off for Bandon road was...ended up having to go to Curraheen :-)

Ah well..got to drive the whole thing anyway.

crc

Took a spin on it last night, and then uploaded this short video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nED0PphoboE

serfboard

I see someone has updated OpenStreetMap as well. That was quick!

Boots234

If you are coming from the Ballincollig direction is there any exit for Wilton if you go over the BRR or do you still have to take the old route? i.e. take the exit for the BRR and go parallel to the new road

bg07

Boots234 wrote: »

If you are coming from the Ballincollig direction is there any exit for Wilton if you go over the BRR or do you still have to take the old route? i.e. take the exit for the BRR and go parallel to the new road

Yes

neddynasty

Boots234 wrote: »

If you are coming from the Ballincollig direction is there any exit for Wilton if you go over the BRR or do you still have to take the old route? i.e. take the exit for the BRR and go parallel to the new road

Have to take the exit for thr BRR and go parallel to the new road.

The new road might actually save me a few quid. Whenever my wife is driving near the SRR she takes a quick detour to Pennys and "gets a few bits". She'll have to plan a trip there now with the road setup as it is so she might just not bother!

Ludo

serfboard wrote: »

I see someone has updated OpenStreetMap as well. That was quick!

Looks like it was done quickly also...pretty rough dodgey looking effort. Exits missing also. Looks like someone wanted to be first to do it and raced through it.,

AugustusMinimus

If you are coming from Ballincollig and going to Wilton or Doughcloyne, you must come off at the BRR and use the outside feeder road to access the SRR.

Similarly, if you are coming from Wilton or Doughcloyne and going Westbound on the South Ring Road, you'll have to go through both roundabouts.


They decided that the asymmetrical sliproad system would favour accessing the N71 to Bandon as its a National Route. Hence, all movements to and from the BRR are independent of the SRR, but not the other way around.



Anyways, heady days indeed for Cork.

I like to think that within 10 years, with the Newlands Cross, Dunkettle Interchange and N22 schemes in place, there will be access between Lisburn and Macroom with any traffic lights or any at-grade roundabouts in the way. You will have to go off the mainline 3 times at slip junctions but I don't mind.

Outkast_IRE

neddynasty wrote: »

The new road might actually save me a few quid. Whenever my wife is driving near the SRR she takes a quick detour to Pennys and "gets a few bits". She'll have to plan a trip there now with the road setup as it is so she might just not bother!

She will just carry on to mahon point instead

corblimey

Be careful, coming from the west, if you want to go straight through SRR (to get to Togher, for example), only the middle lane now goes straight thru. I'm guessing the right lane will eventually merge onto the flyover. I was caught out this afternoon, and had to go all the way around again :rolleyes:

Outkast_IRE

They need to alter the timing of the lights at the SRR. They are set up to allow maximum flow traffic east-west, west-east on the roundabout. Obviously with the flyovers done, there isn't as much traffic using it for that. Priority needs to be given to traffic from wilton and sarsfield rd.

AugustusMinimus

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

They need to alter the timing of the lights at the SRR. They are set up to allow maximum flow traffic east-west, west-east on the roundabout. Obviously with the flyovers done, there isn't as much traffic using it for that. Priority needs to be given to traffic from wilton and sarsfield rd.

Priority needs to be equalised on the junction. There will be as many cars trying to access Wilton as coming out of Wilton.

I'd imagine they will eventually weight the traffic lights to favour traffic in and out of wilton ahead of in and out of Doughcloyne.

Boots234

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

They need to alter the timing of the lights at the SRR. They are set up to allow maximum flow traffic east-west, west-east on the roundabout. Obviously with the flyovers done, there isn't as much traffic using it for that. Priority needs to be given to traffic from wilton and sarsfield rd.

They also need to do the same with at the BRR with traffic coming from the Bandon direction as there will be a large build up of traffic there compared to the other junctions at the roundabout