M17/M18 Tuam to Gort

Curious Geroge

Thought I'd start a thread on the progress of the new M17 route from Tuam to Gort (Galway) now that its approved by An Bord Pleanala and work is due to start this month.

Any sign of it starting in your area ?
Will it reduce your journey time ?
Has the NRA had completed the CPO ?

http://www.galway.ie/RoadProjects/m17/
http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/RoadsTransportation/RoadProjects/N17N18GorttoTuamScheme/

"Minister for Transport Mr Noel Dempsey T.D. today announced that the preferred tender has been selected for the M17/M18 Gort to Tuam PPP Motorway. The National Roads Authority has confirmed that the BAM Balfour Beatty Consortium is the preferred bidder and they are expected to finalise project acceptance in the coming weeks with construction to commence early in the new year. It is expected that work will begin early 2011 and be completed by the end of 2014. "

Tuam85

The NRA or the county council would need to sort out the road conditions in both towns first if you ask me... If you rang bin laden he'd have thousands of hiding spots in some of the potholes in these towns

Mars Bar

They are doing up Ennis Rd. in Gort at the moment and I imagine they'll be doing the road into the town from the Galway side. Once the big dig is done in Tuam, the roads should be patched up.

I remember the days when I was young and going to Gort to see the family would feel like a days journey. Sick bags and all were brought for the long haul!
Now it's gonna be just down the road!

Tuam85

The big dig will be another 12-18 months thou

galwayrush

Pity it's so far from Galway, something like 11 miles east of the city, when it came to Limerick, it brings you close to the city centre.

Tech3

We have a huge thread on the roads forum about this road scheme. Contract has not been signed yet by Balfour Beatty but they hope to by end Q1.

Traffic will also become much heavier on the M6 from Athenry to Galway as Tuam, Dublin and Limerick/Shannon traffic will be entering Galway this way. Tuam85 what are thought on the locals about commuting into Galway when this road is finished? Will it be via the old road through Claregalway or the longer route on the M17/M6?

dok_golf

I'm sure this has been covered before, but can s'one tell me exactly where this new "super junction" outside of Athenry is going to be? I live nearby and cant see any activity. Someone told me that the Rathmorrisey junction is going to be upgraded. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the existing exit for Claregalway off the M6?

Tech3

dok_golf wrote: »

I'm sure this has been covered before, but can s'one tell me exactly where this new "super junction" outside of Athenry is going to be? I live nearby and cant see any activity. Someone told me that the Rathmorrisey junction is going to be upgraded. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the existing exit for Claregalway off the M6?

No it's only a few km's from the Athenry junction. The hardshoulder is at it's widest on the M6 to accomadate construction. It wont start for another while but it will be a 3 level stack. The levels will have the M17/M18, M6 and a massive roundabout. Something like this:

Tuam85

tech2 wrote: »

We have a huge thread on the roads forum about this road scheme. Contract has not been signed yet by Balfour Beatty but they hope to by end Q1.

Traffic will also become much heavier on the M6 from Athenry to Galway as Tuam, Dublin and Limerick/Shannon traffic will be entering Galway this way. Tuam85 what are thought on the locals about commuting into Galway when this road is finished? Will it be via the old road through Claregalway or the longer route on the M17/M6?

Hmmm I have to disagree about Tuam traffic commuting this route... It doesn't make sense to commute that route... If I have it right in my own head... Using that route means travelling away from your destination to come back on yourself...

It's like the new motorway to Dublin.. Every sat nav says travel from Tuam to Dublin you should travel to oranmore and go via the motorway... It's actually quicker to travel the bog road in mountbellew to athlone and go the motorway from there

dok_golf

Tech3 wrote: »

No it's only a few km's from the Athenry junction. The hardshoulder is at it's widest on the M6 to accomadate construction. It wont start for another while but it will be a 3 level stack. The levels will have the M17/M18, M6 and a massive roundabout. Something like this:

many thanks

TWIN1

Bog road is way quicker from Tuam to Dublin and meet motorway in Athlone, esp in the mornings with such heavy traffic on N17. (Most of the time having to divert by Mystical Rose and across Creggmore) very dangerous for both traffic and pedestrians.

Looking at the proposed super junction in the above posts, will Irish drivers be able to deal with such a thing, hell most of them have still to master the humble roundabout! ha ha :eek::eek::eek:

ScumLord

Tuam85 wrote: »

Hmmm I have to disagree about Tuam traffic commuting this route... It doesn't make sense to commute that route... If I have it right in my own head... Using that route means travelling away from your destination to come back on yourself...

If your able to go at 120 without stopping it may still be quicker.

Tech3

Tech3 wrote: »

No it's only a few km's from the Athenry junction. The hardshoulder is at it's widest on the M6 to accomadate construction. It wont start for another while but it will be a 3 level stack. The levels will have the M17/M18, M6 and a massive roundabout. Something like this:

I can see that roundabout ending up like the old red cow in dublin, a nightmare at busy times

ciaranmac

Deleted User wrote: »

I can see that roundabout ending up like the old red cow in dublin, a nightmare at busy times

The old red cow had all the traffic in and out of Dublin actually going onto the roundabout, it was only if you were on the M50 and staying on it that you could avoid the roundabout. This one at least only uses the roundabout for traffic changing between the M6 and M17/M18. That isn't to say there won't be a problem anyway.

antoobrien

Mods, there's already a thread for this in infrastructure (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055673984)

Any chance we can merge & possibly sticky a link to major road projects (and any other useful info) from this forum?

JupiterKid

I don't like the planned layout of the M17/M6 junction at Rathmorrissey. The stacked roundabout will probably be able to handle the traffic levels but a whirlpool would have been so much smarter...




The sooner this project gets underway, the better.

westgolf

This is also why the present M6 has no junction number 18, just 17 and 19 at the mo, the new one will be 18:)

westgolf

galwayrush

The entire plan is somewhat flawed, the M17 could have doubled up as a Claregalway by pass if it was closer to the city and i read that the existing N17 will not have an access road to the city bypass. Apparently, any traffic approaching from the north can access the bypass at Rathmorrisey, as said by mr F Fahey.

joedomvince

From Feb 4th 2015

Jobs boost as works begin on Gort-Tuam motorway

Preliminary works are underway on the long-awaited Gort to Tuam motorway – with work on the massive project expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

It is estimated that it will create between 700 and 800 jobs directly, but will generate hundreds of millions of euro for the local economy.

Works commenced in the middle of January with the fencing off of the 57 kilometre route. It is expected that the heavy machinery will move in at the beginning of April.

This is according to Tony Collins of the National Roads Authority in Galway who said that works had commenced on the route and this mainly involved the erection of fencing.

He said that the National Roads Authority was currently setting up compounds along the route to facilitate its construction.

Mr Collins said that around 100 jobs had been created so far but he expected this figure would grow significantly in the months ahead.

According to Deputy Ciaran Cannon, there is a major recruitment drive underway. Dublin-based recruitment companies have been hired for this purpose.

“I am delighted to see recruitment getting underway and, in particular, it is heartening to see the jobs being made available in a construction sector that was so badly affected during the recession.

“Since the announcement of the motorway contract signing last April my offices in Gort, Loughrea and Athenry have been inundated with requests for information on new job opportunities and, up to this point, I was directing people to the three Irish companies who are involved in the contract.

“Now they have collectively outsourced their recruitment for the project to three specialist recruitment companies and MCR was first out of the blocks this week with their recruitment drive,” said Deputy Cannon.

Preparatory works have commenced on the 57 kilometre scheme which will start at three locations along the route.

It will employ between 700 and 800 workers directly but the spin-off for local businesses will be phenomenal, it has been claimed.

Apart from the cost of constructing the motorway, a senior official told the Galway City Tribune that it has the potential to generate hundreds of millions of income for local businesses.

Tony Collins of the National Roads Authority said that the potential was huge. “We are talking about quarries, concrete manufacturing companies, shops and even restaurants benefiting from this scheme,” he said.

At the moment operating compounds are being established in Tuam, Cartymore and Kilcolgan by the three companies involved in the consortium that have been appointed to construct the motorway.