M3 Motorway (for discussing COMPLETED section)

bauderline

Opening a new thread for the M3

So does anyone else have any observations about this road, I still think it is fantastic and saves a lot of hassle/time. I also note on the southbound section of the second 2+2 road just before you hit the roundabout there appears to be some sort Y junction leading to an access road, anyone know what this is... haven't had the time to venture up it yet....

P.

ardmacha

Still a link to the old one for reference purposes
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055514626

Tech3

I have recieved one or two pm's re the M3 thread being closed.

Every scheme under construction has had it's thread closed once the road has opened to traffic. This is done in order to preserve it for those who will surf back many years down the line to find the hisorical progress on how it was built. Since the construction period is over it is time it should be locked to prevent off topic posts such as general driving behavior etc on the new road ruining what has been a fantastic thread.

To find all completed schemes covered here on Infrastructure please have a look at this thread:

The road-building archive thread: a pictorial record of a changing Ireland .

Discussing the completed sections can be done by creating a new thread like the M7,M8, M18 etc..

GeneHunt

bauderline wrote: »

I also note on the southbound section of the second 2+2 road just before you hit the roundabout there appears to be some sort Y junction leading to an access road, anyone know what this is... haven't had the time to venture up it yet....

P.

This Y junction leads to a local road which leads back to the R163, I must get back up around Kells and map these local roads onto OSM, but you can see this local road on the OSI map for now.

Amtmann

"Interesting" article here:

THEY came as usual to the Hill of Tara, the former seat of the High Kings, to mark the summer solstice.

The M3 motorway could not be seen or heard from the hill, but the controversy has created negative energy at the site in Co Meath, according to a number of pagans who gathered there yesterday.

Among them were three generations of the Kelly family from Templeogue in Dublin. "I have been coming here on the solstice nearly every year for 20 years. I know some people who have been coming here for 50 years," said Eilish Kelly.

Her daughter Aoife led her own daughter, three-year-old Sophia, around the Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, which is the focal point for many of the ceremonies and rituals on the hill.

Aoife and Sophia danced around the stone and then Eilish sprinkled a bottle of oil and water around it.

The contents were plant based and "because it is organic the bottles change colour and when that happens we return the oil to the earth", she explained.

Both women were worried about the possible effects of the M3.

"I thought it would be noisy and there is no noise, I am delighted," said Eilish.

Aoife added: "I brought my daughter here to introduce her to something that is uniquely Irish."


Preservation

Kishore Kamath travelled from New Orleans to holiday in Ireland and was impressed by the folklore and druidic traditions attached to Tara.

"I felt drawn here. I am big on history and preservation of the past that links us to the present. Anyone who is willing to give up on its past is wrong."

Planes were the only sounds interrupting the rhythmic drumming of pagan Aileen McKerr, who travelled from Tyrrellspass in Co Westmeath.

She said that "the drumbeat is earth energy so this is just raising the energy. The M3 motorway created a lot of negative energy. It was the motorway itself and the controversy around it and Tara doesn't seem as peaceful to me".

The coffee shop at the bottom of the hill was opened by Michael Maguire at 6am yesterday to provide refreshments to those who camped there to see the summer sun rise on the longest day of the year.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/m3-has-created-negative-energy-say-tara-pagans-2229540.html

bauderline

Furet wrote: »

"Interesting" article here:


http://www.independent.ie/national-news/m3-has-created-negative-energy-say-tara-pagans-2229540.html

I say lock 'em in a room with Willy McCrea until they change their pagan ways... or at the very least discover what negative energy really is !

Jayuu

Drove up this way last night and I think somebody (maybe me!) needs to write to the NRA to clarify the speed limits because it is very confusing at the start of the motorway.

When you hit junction 4 and see the first M3 route confirmation signs on either side of the road there are 100 kph signs on both. This limit is further confirmed around 100 yards down the road. It is possible that these limits are correct as there is the concept of a 100 kph motorway (the M50).

There are however no further speed limit signs on the motorway until you hit the 80 kph sign just before the toll plaza. However if you look up at Junction 5 before the plaza you can see that traffic entering here is given a 120 kph sign so clearly at some point the limit must change if the previous 100 kph signs are correct. It would seem logical that the speed limit changes at the start of the new section but there is nothing to confirm that. Its a rather annoying anomoly and one that I suspect the Gardaí are exploiting.

On the plus side I've noticed they have removed the "End of Motorway" sign that was present just at the start of the new section so maybe they are still retro-fitting signage. Going up that route again this evening so I'll check for an update. If there isn't anything I'm going to see if there is some e-mail address in the NRA that I can drop a line to.

Jayuu

The Gardaí were once again parked just at the start of the motorway, no doubt catching people doing 120 kph and fining them. They're clearly doing this on a regular basis so caution is advised to anybody driving out the M3 by Junction 4.

What annoying about this is that on the way back into town I didn't see any lowering of the speed limit to 100 kph and I think that if you enter the motorway at Junction 4 the speed limit signs there say 120 kph so clearly something is wrong somewhere.

I'm going to do a bit more investigation and if this is the case I'm going to let the NRA know about this. If the signs are wrong then potentially people and being fined (or given penalty points) in the wrong.

bauderline

You are not wrong, its a mess, they need to clearly define where the 100/120 speed limits start and finish. I think there is one lonesome sign inbound to Dublin after the end of the motorway, but you have to look for it and it is covered in dirt....

Jayuu

bauderline wrote: »

You are not wrong, its a mess, they need to clearly define where the 100/120 speed limits start and finish. I think there is one lonesome sign inbound to Dublin after the end of the motorway, but you have to look for it and it is covered in dirt....

I didn't notice it.

What I'm more confused about is that according to the signage the speed limit is 120 kph to the end of the motorway inbound (Junction 4) but 100 kph for some unspecified period of the motorway outbound (between Junction 4 and 5). This makes no sense whatsoever. The more I think about this it would seem that the incorrect speed limit signs have been errected.

Edit:
I contacted the NRA directly about this. I was put through to the voicemail of one of the M3 engineers and left a message explaining my concerns. I wonder if he (or anybody else) will get back to me.

Jayuu

Just had a phone call back from the guy in the NRA. I explained the issue to him and he said he'd contact the site team to see whether there is incorrect or missing signage.

Seemed like a nice guy. He thanked me for the call and said he'd get back to me.

bauderline

Well... as you say there is a 100 kmh sign at J4 .... and then ...... nothing.

So what is the start of the 120 kmh zone ? "Welcome to Eurolink" ?

Yeah... I think they might be missing a sign or two alright....

Thanks for your efforts !

P.

big mce

They've sorted this,Came that way today, the 120k sign is now just after the clonee exit on what use to be the old n3 just before the Garda layby northbound. It's hard to miss now. It's position leads me to believe that all those people who were done for speeding are now actually in the right, it will be an interesting argument in court !

Jayuu

big mce wrote: »

They've sorted this,Came that way today, the 120k sign is now just after the clonee exit on what use to be the old n3 just before the Garda layby northbound. It's hard to miss now. It's position leads me to believe that all those people who were done for speeding are now actually in the right, it will be an interesting argument in court !

So have they removed the 100 kph signs that were on the M3 route confirmation signs? Good to hear that they have sorted this. Its nice to know that when it was pointed out to them, they sorted it and fairly quickly as far as it seems.

But yes it will be interesting to hear from anybody who was caught. You could argue that the speed limit should have been 120 kph but then again it could be said that whether it was wrong or not people should follow the speed indicated on the signs.

I also wonder have they informed the Gardaí of the change. I'd almost be tempted to drive out that way at just under 120 kph in the hopes of being pulled over so that I could inform them that they're wrong!

GeneHunt

Fair play to you Jayuu for following this up with the NRA.

I think the Judge will probably throw these cases out - once he is made aware of the full story. :rolleyes:

mackerski

Jayuu wrote: »

So have they removed the 100 kph signs that were on the M3 route confirmatioYou could argue that the speed limit should have been 120 kph but then again it could be said that whether it was wrong or not people should follow the speed indicated on the signs.

Certainly not - road safety isn't a matter of obedience, but of doing the right and safe thing. Signs have never been sufficient to impose a limit, the signs only inform of a legal limit imposed by bye-law or road works limit. And as far as we can tell, no such limit applied in this case.

JupiterKid

Drove on the new M3 today for a spin to take a look at it. I went as far as the N51 Navan West interchange and then turned around (I wasn't going to pay for the 2nd toll). I also exited the M2 at the Navan South junction and rejoined at this junction.

It's a good road.:) Very curvy but some of the landscaping is good, good surface and the Navan spur is quite spectacular, especially the very high overbridge at the deep cutting.

csd

Folks,

I've uploaded some pics of the N3/M3 between Blanchardstown and north of Kells here. Boards has a 15-pic limit for posts, so I put them on SSC instead!

/csd

Amtmann

JupiterKid wrote: »

Very curvy but some of the landscaping is good, good surface and the Navan spur is quite spectacular, especially the very high overbridge at the deep cutting.

The landscaping is excellent, by far the best on any of the roads that have opened in the past 5 years.

Ren2k7

One thing that struck me the most as I stood on top of the Hill of Tara looking out across Meath and Dublin was how quiet and scenic it was. And then it struck me. What exactly were all the "Save Tara" lot on about?

I had finally had my first go on the new M3 motorway yesterday and it had to have been the best motorway experience in this country yet, apart from the tolls of course. Very smooth and great scenery to be enjoyed. Coming back from Dublin I saw the exit for Scryne and the Hill of Tara. With plenty of time to get home and never before actually visiting this part of the country I went up there to see what the fuss was about. Within 10 minutes I was up there and was sure I would have been able to see and hear the controversial motorway but the only thing I saw were rolling hills beyond and the sound of the wind.

What I'm trying to get at is maybe all those anti-motorway types should actually do like me and take a visit up to the Hill of Tara and they will find it to be the same as before the M3 was built. Then again I'm kind of biased as I've been waiting eagerly over 10 years for this to be built.

But the Hill of Tara will be affected over time by the motorway however. The new M3 will bring more visitors and wealth to the area than the old N3 could ever have done which can only be a good thing ultimately.

Now, all they have to do is get started on the N3 North of Kells to Cavan project and the entire Cavan to Dublin route will be 10/10.

Pete_Cavan

Ren2k7 wrote: »

Now, all they have to do is get started on the N3 North of Kells to Cavan project and the entire Cavan to Dublin route will be 10/10.

Personally Id settle for a bypass of Virginia, which should have been built the new road. The existing N3 between Virginia and Cavan is not too bad, 100kph the whole way, fairly wide with hard shoulder most of the way, the main junctions have turnoff lanes and there are no dangerous bends. Cavan town is already bypassed anyway. With the current state of public finances I cant ever see the money being made available for a new road to a small town when the existing road can already handle the traffic on it.

I cant understand why they just didnt bypass Virginia by continuing the duel carriageway from where it ends at the roundabout on the Dublin side of Virginia, north of the town to a new roundabout somewhere around Lisgrea. This would be less than 10km of road and if it was part of the M3 contract would not have cost too much extra. New roads to Bailieborough and Ballyjamesduff should also be built from this roundabout. Like I said, I dont think we will ever get the funding for a new road from Virginia to Cavan so this would be a reasonable compromise.

Just on that, Jayuu suggested that the new road should be build onwards bypassing both Virginia and Cavan on their eastern side. Then have the road turn back eastwards to pass Clones on the east and Monaghan on the west and reach the border where the exiting N2 does. Exits could be provided for all of these towns and link roads in. Here is the link to that thread, http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055514626&page=50, (see post #746 for the map he/she prepared). This would make sense as the road would be more feasible as it would serve a greater population, although I dont know if this would happen because it would be faster for Monaghan traffic to travel to Dublin via the M1.

Jayuu

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

(see post #746 for the map he/she prepared)

he !

T Corolla

I heard that the surface of the M3 is not great. I not yet travelled but a work mate said it was poor

Nuno

Haven't seen any mention of it in the boards, so apologies if this has already been discussed in another thread. My Father and I where travelling from Cavan to Dublin on the M3 and we noticed a lot of plastic lined pits surrounded by green fencing in the grass areas along the route. Does anyone know what these pits are and what their function is?
My wife suggested they were used for collecting rain water as part of some drainage/flood prevention scheme, which does sound very plausible, but I would be interested to hear other people's opinions.

The attached pic shows one of the pits on the right hand side of the pic (credit paddymana)

Amtmann

Nuno wrote: »

Haven't seen any mention of it in the boards, so apologies if this has already been discussed in another thread. My Father and I where travelling from Cavan to Dublin on the M3 and we noticed a lot of plastic lined pits surrounded by green fencing in the grass areas along the route. Does anyone know what these pits are and what their function is?
My wife suggested they were used for collecting rain water as part of some drainage/flood prevention scheme, which does sound very plausible, but I would be interested to hear other people's opinions.

The attached pic shows one of the pits on the right hand side of the pic (credit paddymana)

Your wife is correct. They are called 'attenuation ponds'.

Nuno

Your wife is correct. They are called 'attenuation ponds'.

Thanks for that.. just put 'Attenuation Pond' into Google and all was revealed

JupiterKid

On the subject on drainage and the new M3 motorway, I was driving back from Enniskillen to Dublin this evening around 5.30pm and there were very heavy showers of rain. The roundabouts at the terminus of the M3 at Kells (where it meets the N52) were flooded with about 1 foot of water in places.:(

Surely this is a problem that should have been forseen when they were building this junction?

L1011

JupiterKid wrote: »

On the subject on drainage and the new M3 motorway, I was driving back from Enniskillen to Dublin this evening around 5.30pm and there were very heavy showers of rain. The roundabouts at the terminus of the M3 at Kells (where it meets the N52) were flooded with about 1 foot of water in places.:(

Surely this is a problem that should have been forseen when they were building this junction?

It is, but as its under a PPP concession, they still have to fix it... get on to Eurolink and/or the NRA about it.

big mce

The famous bridge outside Navan is having work done on it today. The hard shoulder was closed and guys were up on a cherry picker doing work on it. They had netting up protecting the cars passing by. A bit dodgy I think!

medoc

I had the chance to drive the N3/M3 southbound from Cavan today. Its an impressive road alright. The 2+2 Section is a good idea and deffinately should be high on the list of options for any new lightly trafficed Primary and the stragecially important National secondary roads. Just one question to ask What is the logic behind the transition from 2+2 to the Motorway? Why did the M3 not flow straight into the N3 2+2. The M3 itself was a pleasure to drive and bussier than I expected but the express lane was a bith slow opening (the one nearest Dublin).


Off Topic but I was not impressed with the N52 Kells Bypass, it has no hard shoulders and felt a poor effort for a new build road.

L1011

The N52 Kells BP is, generally, of a lower standard than the R159 Dunboyne BP built on the same scheme! The small section of S3 on the Kells BP is higher standard by virtue of having more lanes though...