M18 Gort/Crusheen Bypass to close for five days next week

MarkR

The M18 will close for five days next week to allow the National Roads Association (NRA) to carry out a safety assessment following a spate of recent accidents.
The northbound carriageway of the motorway between Barefield (Junction 14) and Crusheen (Junction 15) will be closed from next Monday morning, March 10, until next Friday, March 14, to allow for “drainage assessment and improvement works” to take place.

http://www.clarepeople.com/2014/03/05/m18-gortcrusheen-bypass-to-close-for-five-days-next-week/

Fairly big step, closing the road for that long. Haven't driven on it in bad conditions, is it noticeably bad?

dharma200

it is shocking.... numerous crashes there....

Balagan

Reports of some of the numerous accidents, one very sadly fatal, on that stretch

Driver has miracle escape...
http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/driver-rescued-car-fire-m18-2944557

'Lake of water' on road led to death
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/lake-of-water-on-road-led-to-death-29604229.html

glineli

i think they also need to close it North of Crusheen exit, just by the Tubber flyover. Any bit of hail on this road makes it very difficult to drive. Of course the problem there is that you are diverting traffic by quite a distance, Barefield to Crusheen isnt too bad. This section of the road is very hard to drive, water just sits on the road. I was told by someone locally that the wrong size pipes were put down so the existing drainage system gets backed up very quickly. Not sure how true that is though

dr.fuzzenstein

I drive that road every day (exiting at Crusheen) and don't find it too badly flooded or anything.
But maybe there are a few spots, but I certainly don't recall there to be any lakes on that road.
It does seem to act as some kind of wind tunnel though sometimes.
One very bad crash I came across was due to loose cattle and horses on the road.
The hardest time driving on that road was due to slush and that can't be blamed on drainage.
For some reason there seem to be a lot of crashes there, I wonder sometimes if people just steer straight for the ditch at the first sign of rain.
Maybe it's unfamiliarity with motorways as well.
But there has been a lot of crashes, undeniably. It's freaky.

ger664

I have aquaplaned on that section several times. My own fault driving @ 120K in rain is asking for trouble regardless.

999/112

ger664 wrote: »

I have aquaplaned on that section several times. My own fault driving @ 120K in rain is asking for trouble regardless.

Hi Ger, have you wide tyres on the car by any chance?

dr.fuzzenstein

ger664 wrote: »

I have aquaplaned on that section several times. My own fault driving @ 120K in rain is asking for trouble regardless.

I find it's not just that section, there's standing water just before the Bunratty exit going to Limerick and again just before Cratloe.
For some reason people seem to be able to keep out the ditches on those sections.
Is it always the same spot you find you're skidding?

Radio5

Driving at a speed appropriate to the weather conditions can make a difference. Can't understand the mentality of driving at 120 in bad weather.

Saw so many people speeding through the fog this morning, even in places where visibility was really poor. Crazy stuff.

Cookiemunster

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I find it's not just that section, there's standing water just before the Bunratty exit going to Limerick and again just before Cratloe.
For some reason people seem to be able to keep out the ditches on those sections.
Is it always the same spot you find you're skidding?

That's a completely different section of road built decades before the Ennis bypass, so it's to be expected (Although I drive Limerick Shannon every day and have never noticed standing water in those locations). The Ennis bypass however is a modern, recently opened road where it shouldn't be happening.

dr.fuzzenstein

Cookiemunster wrote: »

That's a completely different section of road built decades before the Ennis bypass, so it's to be expected (Although I drive Limerick Shannon every day and have never noticed standing water in those locations). The Ennis bypass however is a modern, recently opened road where it shouldn't be happening.

Well, it's nothing too bad, it can get a bit wet in those locations, but nothing too dramatic.
But I also hadn't noticed huge lakes accumulating on the new bit of road either.
There was an unfortunate fatality last year (or was it the year before?) just before the Crusheen exit and recently loose cattle and horses, but also some more weather related accidents.
But to my mind that road isn't exactly horrendously dangerous.

dr.fuzzenstein

So, does anyone know what the outcome of that closure was?
Maybe it's to soon to tell, but did anyone hear anything?

tagoona

Given the rain this morning, someone north bound should have some comments

dr.fuzzenstein

tagoona wrote: »

Given the rain this morning, someone north bound should have some comments

If I go that way I'll let ye know...:) (always heading other way round)

glineli

I am always going from Crusheen to Galway so can't comment.

I did notice they dug up the road at the Ballyline alright