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

harr

I attend Crumlin hospital 7 or 8 times a year with my son and last Week was the first time we missed an appointment. The appointment was for 12 and we left kildare at 9.30.
This week another appointment and it only took an hour which meant we were two hours early.
It’s nearly impossible to judge how long it’s going to take us.
Will need to use alternative routes for the foreseeable.

WhatsGoingOn2

harr wrote: »

I attend Crumlin hospital 7 or 8 times a year with my son and last Week was the first time we missed an appointment. The appointment was for 12 and we left kildare at 9.30.
This week another appointment and it only took an hour which meant we were two hours early.
It’s nearly impossible to judge how long it’s going to take us.
Will need to use alternative routes for the foreseeable.

Use Google Maps to give you an indication of how long the journey will take at any given point.

simons104

Cazale wrote: »

There was a crash or breakdown yesterday evening too. It took me an hour and ten minutes to get from junction 12 to Grange Castle. I've told my manager I'll probably be late a couple of times a week until the roadworks are done in March. It's just too hard to judge at this rate.

Is there a timeline of completion of works somewhere handy?

Mantis Toboggan

simons104 wrote: »

Is there a timeline of completion of works somewhere handy?

March

simons104

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

March

The whole thing will be finished by March 2019?

2020

simons104

[Deleted User] wrote: »

2020

None of it will be complete/opened up before then?

Cazale

simons104 wrote:

None of it will be complete/opened up before then?

The lane widening is due to complete in March 2019. The new exits and Salins bypass etc will be early 2020.

SoupyNorman

Cazale wrote: »

The lane widening is due to complete in March 2019. The new exits and Salins bypass etc will be early 2020.

So we could potentially see a portion or all or the widening open then?

Cazale

SoupyNorman wrote:

So we could potentially see a portion or all or the widening open then?

Yeah the plan is for the three lanes to be open in both directions by the end of March 19.

NedNew2

From yesterday's Leinster Leader:

The contract for work on the M7 motorway is on schedule, Kildare County Councillors have been told after expressing frustration with traffic delays.

Questions were raised about the delays on at the Council’s monthly meeting on October 22.

Cllr Suzanne Doyle asked about progress and the possibility of increasing work hours to complete it “at the earliest time possible.”

She asked if the work was on target and said it was extending journey times for a lot of people.

Cllr Teresa Murray questioned weekend work and was told that there was none at the moment but it was possible there will be.

Cllr Anthony Larkin suggested trucks should not be allowed on the outside lane during the works, as was a practice abroad.

Members were told the M7 works are scheduled for completion in April 2019, while the M7 Osberstown interchange is scheduled for completion by the end of October 2019.

But officials said there are problems with trying to speed up the contract, including health and safety at night time, the law on working hours and extra costs due to overtime.

In a report to members, Evelyn Wright, SEO, said the contractor is contracted by Kildare County Council to complete the project within the period they tendered (contract period). “The contractor is responsible for both managing the programme and resourcing the project to complete within the contract period. Instructing the contractor to increase operational hours would result in additional costs (overtime payments and overhead contributions) to the Contract. These are unquantifiable at this point but could potentially expose Kildare County Council to significant additional liabilities.

Increasing operational hours may include additional night working. Night working can provide productivity gains but also has potential drawbacks in terms of reduced safety, poorer quality, reduced productivity, etc. It is up to the contractor to consider these factors.

She said on the M7, upgrade night working is occurring for some activities eg. constructing drainage crossings and placing pavement layers. “The Working Time Directive restricts the operational hours individuals are legally allowed to work to an average of 48 per week (unless they voluntarily choose to opt out).

Therefore the contractor cannot force workers to increase their working hours above 48 per week on average and Kildare County Council cannot insist on increased operational hours.

“As previously stated the contractor is responsibility for resourcing the project. Managing a project of this size includes significant site overheads. This provides a
significant incentive to complete the project as quickly as possible.”


https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/news/343542/contract-issues-raised-in-discussion-to-speed-up-kildare-m7-works-delays.html

Mantis Toboggan

I see they've moved the end date from March to April now.

Kamili

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

I see they've moved the end date from March to April now.

Which would suggest that they are delayed... unless I am missing something.

Kevwoody

Mantis Toboggan wrote:

I see they've moved the end date from March to April now.

I always thought it was April originally, someone here mentioned March ages ago and it stuck.

benny79

The contractor said on RTE news that the 3 lane widening is on schedule to be finished in March.

Just the widening. The new junctions will obviously take longer.

SoupyNorman

“Expressing frustration at traffic delays”


I despair sometimes. As a daily N7 commuter I have been relatively happy to endure the delays because the the N7 is actually being upgraded. It’s not in planning or tender its happening. The day it opens all these complainers will be singing the praises of all involved.

Such a major upgrade to one of the countries busiest roads is going to cause pain. The traffic delays COULD be dramatically reduced if even half stuck to the 60kph limit but we all know people are going to try drive 100kph and more…end of story. I would personally love to see average speed cameras and would put money on seeing a reduction in accidents.

To me, they seem to be making good progress.

Emme

SoupyNorman wrote: »

To me, they seem to be making good progress.

Really? In any civilised country the project would have been finished within a year. It would have been worth spending a little extra for that. But no, the contractors and those working on the roads want to spin the project out as long as possible and it will cost more in the long run. How many hours a day do they work on that road? What time do they start, what time do they finish? Like what many others say, it should have been a 24/7 operation.

Cazale

NedNew2 wrote:

Cllr Teresa Murray questioned weekend work and was told that there was none at the moment but it was possible there will be.

No weekend work over 14 months is 120 days wasted.

Avatar MIA

SoupyNorman wrote: »

“Expressing frustration at traffic delays”


I despair sometimes. As a daily N7 commuter I have been relatively happy to endure the delays because the the N7 is actually being upgraded. It’s not in planning or tender its happening. The day it opens all these complainers will be singing the praises of all involved.

Such a major upgrade to one of the countries busiest roads is going to cause pain. The traffic delays COULD be dramatically reduced if even half stuck to the 60kph limit but we all know people are going to try drive 100kph and more…end of story. I would personally love to see average speed cameras and would put money on seeing a reduction in accidents.

To me, they seem to be making good progress.

Lol, the accidents are happening in areas where they'd not be getting close to 60kph never mind 100. It's down to driver error for sure, but not speed.

Left Dublin today at 9:30 is. Another accident on the m7.

And just because a project has been greenlighted doesn't mean it's been managed well. They are exclusive.

harr

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Lol, the accidents are happening in areas where they'd not be getting close to 60kph never mind 100. It's down to driver error for sure, but not speed.

Left Dublin today at 9:30 is. Another accident on the m7.

And just because a project has been greenlighted doesn't mean it's been managed well. They are exclusive.

Drove from Portlaoise to Naas yesterday lunch time , most drivers flying along some over 100kh one white Kia 4x4 was particularly fast and sure enough he got to the point where the road turns a little towards the left and bang straight into The barrier he didn’t even have time to break , he ended up spinning and ended up well into the ditch so traffic could get by at least.
Wasn’t only cars lorries and buses were tipping along,it’s a very narrow road for larger vehicles to be doing any sort of speed.
I was doing 80 because I felt 60 was unsafe at the speed other cars were coming up behind me.

SoupyNorman

Emme wrote: »

Really? In any civilised country the project would have been finished within a year. It would have been worth spending a little extra for that. But no, the contractors and those working on the roads want to spin the project out as long as possible and it will cost more in the long run. How many hours a day do they work on that road? What time do they start, what time do they finish? Like what many others say, it should have been a 24/7 operation.

I agree with all of this, my overall point is at least it's underway.

Avatar MIA

harr wrote: »

Drove from Portlaoise to Naas yesterday lunch time , most drivers flying along some over 100kh one white Kia 4x4 was particularly fast and sure enough he got to the point where the road turns a little towards the left and bang straight into The barrier he didn’t even have time to break , he ended up spinning and ended up well into the ditch so traffic could get by at least.
Wasn’t only cars lorries and buses were tipping along,it’s a very narrow road for larger vehicles to be doing any sort of speed.
I was doing 80 because I felt 60 was unsafe at the speed other cars were coming up behind me.

I suppose I'm biased to the time I'm on the road which is rush hour (both ways), I don't think those accidents where they are happening are speed related. Traffic crawls along.

road_high

Hard to see how/where they'd get the 3 lane widening totally fisnished by March going by current progress- you're heading into much short days now, worse weather etc. I just don't see it...

regedit

I drove past the construction site at around 07:30 and there were a few machines ready to roll and then later on this afternoon on my way back I thought there were quite a few machines in some stretches doing work but also many 'abandoned'/idle heavy machinery-clearly brought in for work in the future.
Not sure what your thinking is but, to me, it appears that they are planning to cut the tape on the entire strip in April and not open section by section.
Someone mentioning variable speed cameras here. I wonder if they had installed them a few years ago, will we have needed them in the first place.

BuzzFish

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/council-rules-longer-working-hours-m7-speed-project/254461

barneygumble99

https://www.facebook.com/TheNaasBall/photos/a.1476591989318497/2063938700583820/?type=3

Nice overview of the bypass

Mantis Toboggan

barneygumble99 wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/TheNaasBall/photos/a.1476591989318497/2063938700583820/?type=3

Nice overview of the bypass

That's just taken from Google maps.

serfboard

barneygumble99 wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/TheNaasBall/photos/a.1476591989318497/2063938700583820/?type=3

Nice overview of the bypass

Thanks for posting that.

I'm wondering, looking at Google Street View, whether there are any plans to widen the existing Millbank road at Sallins? That road looks very narrow in places to be feeding a bypass.

jmkennedyie

serfboard wrote: »

I'm wondering, looking at Google Street View, whether there are any plans to widen the existing Millbank road at Sallins? That road looks very narrow in places to be feeding a bypass.

Yes: http://jameslawless.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Sallins-Bypass-Proposed-Route.png

Also according to that diagram the Osberstown road will overfly the new bypass...so that's another bridge needs to be built. Interesting they decided not to make it an at grade junction.

Also in Google maps you can see the temporary bridge over the Liffey at Clane end: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2594926,-6.6783514,246m/data=!3m1!1e3

murphaph

jmkennedyie wrote: »

Yes: http://jameslawless.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Sallins-Bypass-Proposed-Route.png

It also suggests the bypass will go under the railway...is that correct?