M1 New Section of D3 (three lanes) at Swords

Bluetonic

Here's some heading south bound at 8am yesterday morning, not great quality but will give some indication as to the work.

Some sections have the top layer and central ditch completely removed both north and south bound, whilst others have had no work carried out yet at all.

Poor quality due to 2 megapixel camera and poor light!

celticbest

Some from Friday afternoon heading NB,

spacetweek

I remember there being disagreement on the length of time the works would take - is there a final statement on this?

Bluetonic

spacetweek wrote: »

I remember there being disagreement on the length of time the works would take - is there a final statement on this?

Mid Feb.

They are making good progress with around half of the central median stripped of top soil to around a foot.

Will post a few more photos later.

celticbest

Why does the NRA website have no details of this upgrade?

L1011

celticbest wrote: »

Why does the NRA website have no details of this upgrade?

Being fully done by Fingal CC I believe.

Carawaystick

MYOB wrote: »

Being fully done by Fingal CC I believe.

The nra were proud to trumpet the fact it was going to take over a year to build the pedestrian bridge over the N11 at the Enniskerry junction back in the happy days though.

Bluetonic

I see there are services right down the middle of the M1, along with manhole covers. I suppose this will make the job a little more complicated.

celticbest

According to the AA's roadwatch site works are due to finish some time in Mid April 2011,

cargo

April may be correct as the works seemed a few weeks / months late in starting so the Feb date moving out to April may be about right.

Also what I was enquiring about a few posts up looks like it is the case. They seem to have a hardcore base just under the sod and as such are just peeling back the surface and not having to remove & fill a large amount. they are digging deeper in some places presumably for services / drainage etc. they have started putting fill back into some areas already.

sdanseo

Will people please STOP TAKING PICTURES WHILE DRIVING ON A MOTORWAY.

Blithering idiots.

Bluetonic

sdonn wrote: »

Will people please STOP TAKING PICTURES WHILE DRIVING ON A MOTORWAY.

I would suggest that they just learn how to crop their pictures to avoid the mildly abusive and highly entertaining comments.

sdanseo

Bluetonic wrote: »

I would suggest that they just learn how to crop their pictures to avoid the mildly abusive and highly entertaining comments.

So you've no problem with people aiming their camer phone at the central median while doing somewhere between 60-120km/h?

Mildly abusive is not enough if that's the case. All it takes is a tiny lapse of concentration and you'd be over the barrier in the median yourself. Motorways are for driving on - if people want to take pictures, pop up onto Stockhole Lane overbridge and shoot away from up there.

Bluetonic

sdonn wrote: »

So you've no problem with people aiming their camer phone at the central median while doing somewhere between 60-120km/h?

I've no opinion on it to be honest, although I don't condone dangerous driving of course.

I do agree that photos from Stockhole lane would be great though, fingers crossed someone can get a few.

Bluetonic

New camera active online shows the site

http://www.dublincity.ie/dublintraffic/



New also are load of M1 cameras, brilliant if they stay on the site.

Bluetonic

What are the implications for traffic when this short widening is finished?

At the moment Tues, Wed, and Thurs traffic takes on average 25 minutes to travel the 6km from Lissenhall to the Airport. It should take 3 minutes.

If it's successful in reducing some of the congestion will this make the already congested N1/Collins Avenue junction tail back to the entrance of the Port Tunnel? Will it lead to congestion on the M50? Will it encourage more people to use their car and negate any effect? Will it encourage less people to use short cuts out of Airside/Hollywell and negate any effect? Will the widening even have any effect on congestion?

What are people's opinions leaving aside the fact that a widening all the way to and from Lissenhall is needed, what are the implications of this widening?

Jayuu

Inbound I do think there may be potential problems at the N1/Collins Avenue junction if more traffic is getting there sooner. However I don't think the M50 will be particularly affected because of the freeflow nature of the merge at that point.

celticbest

The M1 SB should not be affected as this has a freeflow junction from the M1 SB to M50 SB, people could go onto the M50 SB & ten through Ballymun instead of using the N1.

I hope that M1 NB will be much improved in the evenings with the extra lane to allow a smoother transition from the M50 NB to M1 NB, it will give a lot more time for traffic to be in its correct lane by the time you get to J3 Drynam, however these widening works should have been continued to J4 Lissenhall because you can be guaranteed that in a few years time this widening will happen at twice the cost of doing it now.

KevR

Bluetonic wrote: »

What are the implications for traffic when this short widening is finished?

At the moment Tues, Wed, and Thurs traffic takes on average 25 minutes to travel the 6km from Lissenhall to the Airport. It should take 3 minutes.

If it's successful in reducing some of the congestion will this make the already congested N1/Collins Avenue junction tail back to the entrance of the Port Tunnel? Will it lead to congestion on the M50? Will it encourage more people to use their car and negate any effect? Will it encourage less people to use short cuts out of Airside/Hollywell and negate any effect? Will the widening even have any effect on congestion?

What are people's opinions leaving aside the fact that a widening all the way to and from Lissenhall is needed, what are the implications of this widening?

It's difficult to say. I know some people say that traffic will arrive onto the N1 and M50 at a faster pace but what might actually happen is that traffic arrives at those places at a more steady/controlled rate.

As it stands, traffic slows down and bunches heavily on the non-widened M1 approaching the N1 and M50. Hopefully when the M1 has been widened traffic will arrive at the N1 and M50 at a more steady/controlled rate.

I don't think it will make traffic on the N1/M50 any worse, hopefully it will improve it slightly (we'll have to wait and see though). The most noticeable improvement should definitely be on the M1 NB.

sk8board

....bump

how has the snow affected this project? doesn't look close to being ready in Feb as planned. they are almost finished clearing the top soil from what I can see.

cargo

sk8board wrote: »

....bump

how has the snow affected this project? doesn't look close to being ready in Feb as planned. they are almost finished clearing the top soil from what I can see.

Yeah it was looking good early on as they didn't seem to be digging down but now they are trenching along the SB section in places and putting in ducting as well as concrete bases etc probably for OH gantry poles. Still reckon it'd be a quick finishing once they get all services etc done and start putting base and surface back in.

Anyone spot any updates over the Christmas on the local press / web?

celticbest

cargo wrote: »

Anyone spot any updates over the Christmas on the local press / web?

It is very hard to come across any information on this upgrade, it's not even on the NRA website.

Carawaystick

celticbest wrote: »

It is very hard to come across any information on this upgrade, it's not even on the NRA website.

Nor Fingalcoco.ie

They(fingal) had decent websites for the N(now M2) and the Airport to 5 roads scheme on the M1

The NRA used to proudly claim a bridge over the N11 at Fassaroe as one of their projects... but nawthin about this.

cargo

Is this now the only project underway on our Motorway (HQDC) except for signage swapouts?

Not really sure what the situation with the Athlone works are at the minute but other than them this is the only scheme that springs to mind.

Bluetonic

cargo wrote: »

Still reckon it'd be a quick finishing once they get all services etc done and start putting base and surface back in.

There were pouring concrete on site this evening at around 6pm.

Looked like filling in some of the recently moved services.

In fairness to them, both before the snow and since the new year, their has been busy activity on site round 6.45am and 6.45pm, so presumably in between those hours. Should be done in no time at all.

p.s I'd say this thread is the official site for works!

sk8board

Bluetonic wrote: »

There were pouring concrete on site this evening at around 6pm.

Looked like filling in some of the recently moved services.

In fairness to them, both before the snow and since the new year, their has been busy activity on site round 6.45am and 6.45pm, so presumably in between those hours. Should be done in no time at all.

agree; at 7.30am this morning there was a convoy of easily 6 or 7 tipper trucks squeezed into the central margin in 2 rows being filled by diggers and they whole place was busy

once done, this should free up (a fair bit, anyway) the morning run southbound from lissenhall to the airport, and the evening run from the port tunnel to the airport

Jayuu

Surprised to hear they were pouring concrete that late in the evening. I remember being told that you couldn't pour concrete when the weather was in and around freezing point.

kravmaga

I see from the signage that the Speed restriction is 60kmph during the construction period.

Never ceases to amaze me the amount of idiots doing twice that everyday thus endangering themselves and other road users.

I am surprised there have been no major pile ups yet?

Bluetonic

kravmaga wrote: »

I see from the signage that the Speed restriction is 60kmph during the construction period.

Never ceases to amaze me the amount of idiots doing twice that everyday thus endangering themselves and other road users.

I am surprised there have been no major pile ups yet?

I would imagine there have been no major pile ups yet as doing 120 through this section is quite safe.

It's not doing 120 or 60 that cause pile ups, it's stupidity. You still get that no matter what the speed limit, and whilst speed does decrease reaction times it doesn't detract from the point.

If the speed limit was 40 and people were doing 60 does that make 60 not safe all of a sudden?

kravmaga

Well with the poor standard of driving I have observed especially during the recent cold snap 120 kmph imo is not a safe speed to drive at.

M1 is 80kmph from Port tunnel section to Airport interchange and has been set for a reason by the relevant authorities.

You can drive at 120kmph is you like as its your licence and with the lack of Garda enforcement your likely to get away with it.