M7 - Naas/Newbridge Bypass Upgrade [Junction 9a now open]

One_Of_Shanks

marno21 wrote: »

Not everyone currently commuting via the N7 wants to commute via car. A lot have to because the alternatives are no better. Put alternatives in place and the traffic left on the N7 is those who actually want to drive. I'd imagine a lot of people would take a 45 minute Kildare - Sandyford commute via DART/Metro rather than 2 hours in the car on the M7/N7/M50.

The "alternatives" are getting worse not better. It's embarrassing that there isn't even a toilet in Athy train station.
It might sound like a minor thing but it isn't. My wife's mum minds kids for us at times and I have to drive her closer to home because we dont want an elderly woman getting dropped off at a station without a toilet waiting for a train that may not turn up on time.
That's pretty unacceptable imo and shoddy crap like this just adds to needless journeys, which in turn add to traffic.

marno21

spacetweek wrote: »

It's all about the disruption due to having only 4 lanes but 6 further on. According to the 2016 traffic counts, the number of vehicles at Newbridge isn't even that high - only 40,000. It's just the Naas bypass that is maxed out.

Though the overdevelopment of the corridor for housing is messing everything up.

Whilst this upgrade will solve the mess between the M9 and the Naas North junction inbound, it'll effectively move the jam inwards because the M50 is still jammed at the Red Cow every morning. It will of course help outbound in the evenings.

But long term it's still not much of a solution. The N7 corridor itself is maxed out and there's no room for traffic growth.

marno21

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

The "alternatives" are getting worse not better. It's embarrassing that there isn't even a toilet in Athy train station.
It might sound like a minor thing but it isn't. My wife's mum minds kids for us at times and I have to drive her closer to home because we dont want an elderly woman getting dropped off at a station without a toilet waiting for a train that may not turn up on time.
That's pretty unacceptable imo and shoddy crap like this just adds to needless journeys, which in turn add to traffic.

The lack of a toilet in Athy train station isn't the main reason the N7 is full every morning. It's the total lack of development in rail infrastructure. Until that changes the radial routes into Dublin will be jammed every morning.

One_Of_Shanks

marno21 wrote: »

The lack of a toilet in Athy train station isn't the main reason the N7 is full every morning. It's the total lack of development in rail infrastructure. Until that changes the radial routes into Dublin will be jammed every morning.

Ah well I never claimed it was. The point was that there is a reason why people dont use public transport and it was just an example.

I thought that was fairly obvious. Maybe not eh?
Just to be clear, I never thought that my mother in law's toilet habits could stop traffic

marno21

One_Of_Shanks wrote: »

Ah well I never claimed it was. The point was that there is a reason why people dont use public transport and it was just an example.

I thought that was fairly obvious. Maybe not eh?
Just to be clear, I never thought that my mother in law's toilet habits could stop traffic

Apologies, my post was more attacking than it should've come across.

Perhaps when we have a properly funded, 21st century rail service into Dublin it'll be an attractive to the N7 for a lot more people. The N7 in the mornings is soul destroying, and the same outbound in the evenings.

spacetweek

Aaaand... back to talking about the widening of the motorway. Investment in rail is OT.

One_Of_Shanks

marno21 wrote: »

Apologies, my post was more attacking than it should've come across.

Perhaps when we have a properly funded, 21st century rail service into Dublin it'll be an attractive to the N7 for a lot more people. The N7 in the mornings is soul destroying, and the same outbound in the evenings.

ha, no worries fella. I over-reacted anyway to be fair.

Agreed on the "soul-destroying" bit. It really grinds you down. Sure I suppose if it didn't then we wouldn't be reading the same thread and I fully agree that rail could potentially be a huge help if they poured resources into it but there's a better chance of David Moyes hiring an all female coaching staff or Carlow winning Sam.

One_Of_Shanks

spacetweek wrote: »

Aaaand... back to talking about the widening of the motorway. Investment in rail is OT.

Sorry. Quite right, only saw this after my post.

testicles

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marno21

testicles wrote: »

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That's a journey that the N7, M50 and N2 were built to handle. Not mass volumes of commuters. There are effective transportation modes for mass commuting, one of which is not single occupant cars.

I drive from Limerick to Coolock, Santry, Rathmines and Citywest often too, so I understand the problem. Exponential commuter growth along the radial routes into Dublin just isn't feasible.

marno21

Deedsie wrote: »

Ya because we should plan our entire transport network around random individual requirements like that. Marno is 100% correct in what he says, only a moron would think continuously building more roads will improve transport in Ireland

That's not to say that this scheme has its benefits as well, I do welcome the M7 upgrade. However, the M7 upgrade cannot be seen as a starting point for more car commuting.

Lets say I live in Kildare town and work in Sandyford. With a proper transportation network, I could take the train + DART to St Stephens Green and then the Metro to Sandyford. I could also commute by car along the N7 and M50.

When there IS a VIABLE alternative in place, by all means put a congestion charge on the M50 and people who aren't dead set on commuting by car will take the rail option freeing up the N7/M50 for something other than mass commuting.

Anatom

I for one cannot wait until the Sallins by-pass is completed. To say it snarls up the village several times a day is an understatement, so that's my priority!

The widening of the M7 will seriously help the movement of traffic in the area, without a shadow of a doubt. I'm not sure it'll make any difference to the Dublin-bound traffic at the Red Cow, as it will have been moving along on a three-lane motorway for almost twenty miles at that stage so any "lumps" of traffic should have been ironed out by then. The problem there is actually that, even at current levels, the turn-offs for the M50 north- and south-bound are too short, which backs the traffic back up to the top of the new bridge. Leaving Dublin won't make any difference at all, but will help further down when you reach Kill on a busy evening - especially if there's been a crash.

When can we realistically expect to see it completed?

marno21

Anatom wrote: »

I for one cannot wait until the Sallins by-pass is completed. To say it snarls up the village several times a day is an understatement, so that's my priority!

The widening of the M7 will seriously help the movement of traffic in the area, without a shadow of a doubt. I'm not sure it'll make any difference to the Dublin-bound traffic at the Red Cow, as it will have been moving along on a three-lane motorway for almost twenty miles at that stage so any "lumps" of traffic should have been ironed out by then. The problem there is actually that, even at current levels, the turn-offs for the M50 north- and south-bound are too short, which backs the traffic back up to the top of the new bridge. Leaving Dublin won't make any difference at all, but will help further down when you reach Kill on a busy evening - especially if there's been a crash.

When can we realistically expect to see it completed?

The whole thing (widening, 2 junctions, Sallins bypass) is expected to be open by 2020. No firmer date than that so far

OldMrBrennan83

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rameire

Patww79 wrote: »

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10pm to 5am

marno21

During peak times 2 lane running with a reduced limit will be in place, by either shifting traffic to the H/S when they're working on the median or closer the median when they're working in the H/S and verge.

tommyboy26

anyone know when the work is meant to start on this. i see they have cleared a load of trees away near the bridge but dont see much more happening

rameire

seems to be a few small jobs being completed before the major works start.
trees cleared at bridge.
improved structure and stability of hard shoulder.
new crash barriers over the canal
some fencing completed at Naas
and now the latest work is fencing over the first small bridge southbound on the M7.
probably start the last week in August to coincide with the return of the schools.

One_Of_Shanks

Was on that road this evening and it made the national go slow day seem bitterly ironic.

Gonna be some craic when these works start in earnest. Might start sleeping in the office in work

jmkennedyie

Archeaological investigations underway last few months at least where Sallins Bypass nears Bodenstown cross

gilly0512

Yeah starting the work in August/September is the usual wonderful Irish logic, you think they would have started this month, thereby using the Summer months to get a good head-start on these works. Either way I think we are in for three years of hell, not to mention that when completed this work will probably exacerbate the traffic on the M50 in the morning, although it should make the evening jams at Johnstown/Kill or even further back a thing of the past.

rameire

More preparatory works ( or could be not linked ) to start Friday 2nd june 8pm until July 28th. Northbound, Southbound, eastbound and westbound at the m9 m7 merge. Roughly 1km in each direction.
edit, did I mention speed limits involved.

spacetweek

Indeed at current growth rates widening of M7 to Kildare J13 will be needed before long.

Pablod

spacetweek wrote: »

Indeed at current growth rates widening of M7 to Kildare J13 will be needed before long.

True, sure works haven't even started and already everyone (except the ones in power) can see that 1 additional Lane between jn9 and jn11 won't be enough, need at least 2 additional lanes each way.
I know the Sallins bypass will eleviate a small portion of traffic but by the time work is done in (realistically 2022/2023) volume will have grown and we'll be back to square one. ðŸ˜

CeilingFly

Pablod wrote: »

True, sure works haven't even started and already everyone (except the ones in power) can see that 1 additional Lane between jn9 and jn11 won't be enough, need at least 2 additional lanes each way.
I know the Sallins bypass will eleviate a small portion of traffic but by the time work is done in (realistically 2022/2023) volume will have grown and we'll be back to square one. ðŸ˜

Qualified engineers will say otherwise.

A lot of traffic exits at Naas north and Naas south in the mornings, but no matter how many lanes are put in, it will still have congestion closer to Dublin.

Where the big difference will be is going south in the evening rush hour as the biggest clog is again at Naas north and Naas south.

As for Sallins bypass - its part of the same project and is scheduled to finish at the same time in 2019.

From what I read, the moving of the Naas south junction by 500m will be completed first and preparation work which is a separate contract is all but complete.

CeilingFly

http://atkinsireland.ie/news/atkins-wins-m7-upgrade-contract/

marno21

CeilingFly wrote: »

Qualified engineers will say otherwise.

A lot of traffic exits at Naas north and Naas south in the mornings, but no matter how many lanes are put in, it will still have congestion closer to Dublin.

Where the big difference will be is going south in the evening rush hour as the biggest clog is again at Naas north and Naas south.

As for Sallins bypass - its part of the same project and is scheduled to finish at the same time in 2019.

From what I read, the moving of the Naas south junction by 500m will be completed first and preparation work which is a separate contract is all but complete.

The N7 approaching Newlands Cross/Red Cow is going to become some mess in the mornings after this. Along with the removal of the Naas bypass bottleneck, traffic from Sallins now freeflows onto the M7 meaning extra traffic quicker eastbound.

Outbound in the evenings will be much improved though, along with the Naas ring and the Sallins Road, along with the Naas south junction.

marno21

CeilingFly wrote: »

http://atkinsireland.ie/news/atkins-wins-m7-upgrade-contract/

This is only preparatory work. The construction tender hasn't been awarded yet.

Sam Russell

marno21 wrote: »

The N7 approaching Newlands Cross/Red Cow is going to become some mess in the mornings after this. Along with the removal of the Naas bypass bottleneck, traffic from Sallins now freeflows onto the M7 meaning extra traffic quicker eastbound.

Outbound in the evenings will be much improved though, along with the Naas ring and the Sallins Road, along with the Naas south junction.

Perhaps variable speed limits might help with traffic flow in the morning - keeping it all going - but slower.

marno21

Sam Russell wrote: »

Perhaps variable speed limits might help with traffic flow in the morning - keeping it all going - but slower.

It's more the M50 is the problem, even variable speed limits will be a struggle.

Hopefully the works will put more and more people onto the PPT services and cut down the M7 volumes. DART Underground is the only solution to this problem long term.