Limerick Tunnel Closed

Jofspring

Its hard to see from the picture but I reckon the driver has broken the barriers that come down. The fact he is in the middle seems to suggest they were down and he went through the middle to try avoid them. Maybe he was driving too fast and after ignoring the warnings he didn't see the barriers till late and hadn't time to stop. I can't see any other reason why he would continue to drive bar him ignoring the warning signs/signals that must have been going off.

Some road users ignore all road signs but you'd expect someone doing it for a living would be aware of whats going on around him.

flazio

flazio wrote: »

There must be some driving offence the Gardaí can charge that sod with.

Without due care and attention?

Irish_rat

Avoids all the warnings and goes through the barrier, ffs.

Traffic will be hellish for the week so.

Cookiemunster

Not too bad this morning at 8am. The contraflow is working well.

air

Instead of a fancy barrier system with automatically descending signs I can't see why they didn't just install a good solid steel gantry well back before the tunnel entrance.
Preferably one with a nice sharp leading edge to efficiently trim loads down to size.

Cookiemunster

air wrote: »

Instead of a fancy barrier system with automatically descending signs I can't see why they didn't just install a good solid steel gantry well back before the tunnel entrance.
Preferably one with a nice sharp leading edge to efficiently trim loads down to size.

Because that would be highly dangerous for other road users.

pcuser

I feel sorry for the 5 people that use the tunnel every day.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Atlantic Dawn

Truck should be seized and sold off, 5 year driving ban for the driver and a €100k fine for the company at a minimum.

Poxyshamrock

pcuser wrote: »

I feel sorry for the 5 people that use the tunnel every day.

You clearly didn't see the volumes of traffic forced to use the dock road yesterday then! The tunnel has really picked up in recent years.

air

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Because that would be highly dangerous for other road users.

No more dangerous than for the road users that are in the vicinity when a driver ploughs on through the fancy automatic barriers and then hits the tunnel anyway.
Why not keep the fancy automatic barriers then but install them before the gantry?
Absolutely no safety difference from the current setup but no tunnel repairs required ever.

pcuser

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

You clearly didn't see the volumes of traffic forced to use the dock road yesterday then! The tunnel has really picked up in recent years.

Just a joke.
But all jokes aside. I have used that tunnel about 10 times this year and it was eerily quiet. The majority of the time I met no traffic on either side.

grogi

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

This might be a stupid question.

How could you perform a contraflow in the tunnel? Aren't both tunnels physically separated from each other?

A crazy idea - outside of the tunnel?

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Can't see how northbound traffic could drive through the southbound tunnel, unless it was driving the wrong way up the N18

A small gap in the median is created and traffic goes back...

I am pretty sure the tarmac is already in place, just the barier needs to be opened. Tunnels are designed to allow temporary measures like that.

Cookiemunster

pcuser wrote: »

Just a joke.
But all jokes aside. I have used that tunnel about 10 times this year and it was eerily quiet. The majority of the time I met no traffic on either side.

I bet you never went through during either morning or evening rush hours when queues are normal at the toll booths.

freedominacup

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I bet you never went through during either morning or evening rush hours when queues are normal at the tool booths.

A kind of gloryhole job?

Jofspring

I use the tunnel fairly regularly. Like every road it has busy times and quiet times. The traffic is always flowing through it at ease. That's a positive surely? Also the Condell road bar the speed limit has been a pleasure to use since the tunnel opened up.

pajoguy

The work at setrights is also to facilitate a median crossover to install contra flow operation. The truck drivers insurance will be paying for this.

Atlantic Dawn

pajoguy wrote: »

The work at setrights is also to facilitate a median crossover to install contra flow operation. The truck drivers insurance will be paying for this.

You never really hear that this actually happens, I hope it does and the tunnel is covered for the full financial loss in tolls for the days it is shut down.

zulutango

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

You never really hear that this actually happens, I hope it does and the tunnel is covered for the full financial loss in tolls for the days it is shut down.

I've no doubt that with the cushy deal the tunnel operators have they'll be getting reimbursed either by the insurance company or the State.

grogi

zulutango wrote: »

I've no doubt that with the cushy deal the tunnel operators have they'll be getting reimbursed either by the insurance company or the State.

Why the sarcastic tone? That's exactly what the TPL insurance is for...

pajoguy

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

You never really hear that this actually happens, I hope it does and the tunnel is covered for the full financial loss in tolls for the days it is shut down.

I have personally seen cases where crash barriers have been damaged from accidents and the insurance has paid out to the local authority to fix it. This case of sheer stupidity might be different. Although I doubt it.
Its on days like today that forward thinking engineers and designers of these things need to be commended. If the cintra flow could not be installed there would be plenty people way too early or way too late for work this morning. Contra flow is an extensive enough operation to install.

OfTheMarsWongs

Jofspring wrote: »

I use the tunnel fairly regularly. Like every road it has busy times and quiet times. The traffic is always flowing through it at ease. That's a positive surely? Also the Condell road bar the speed limit has been a pleasure to use since the tunnel opened up.

+1 on this. Before the tunnel, there'd often be a tailback from LIT to the bottom of Brookville Avenue at rush-hour. Rarely behind even a couple of cars at the LIT roundabout now.

fryup

Derbhoy wrote: »

Some Thicko Farmer pulling a trailer of Hay caused it , although I thought the Tunnel Barriers would have prevented his getting in to it if it was detected as being over height!

moleyv wrote: »

Farmers shouldn't be let out of their fields.

Ruin the roads for everyone.

whoa whoa hold your horses!

how do we know it was a farmer driving the truck??

phog

zulutango wrote: »

I've no doubt that with the cushy deal the tunnel operators have they'll be getting reimbursed either by the insurance company or the State.

Is there a reason why you think they shouldn't. If a truck crashed into your property wouldn't you have a claim of the driver and their insurance?

Irish_rat

pcuser wrote: »

I feel sorry for the 5 people that use the tunnel every day.

No traffic counter for Tunnel but Friday had 45,000 cars at N18 Cratloe and 50,000 at M7 Ballysimon over 24 hours .......

zulutango

phog wrote: »

Is there a reason why you think they shouldn't. If a truck crashed into your property wouldn't you have a claim of the driver and their insurance?

I was referring to the much-publicised cosy deal the operators got from the State, whereby the get re-imbursed if not enough cars go through the tunnel.

phog

zulutango wrote: »

I was referring to the much-publicised cosy deal the operators got from the State, whereby the get re-imbursed if not enough cars go through the tunnel.

There was a reason for that too but your OP did mention insurance.

bazz26

fryup wrote: »

whoa whoa hold your horses!

how do we know it was a farmer driving the truck??

I think the initial report mentioned an articulated tractor unit got stuck in the tunnel that was hauling baled hay. Most people associate a tractor as being a farm vehicle of some sort rather than the driving unit of a HGV truck.

mart 23

Hi

Just curious as to what is the official name for the Tunnel. Is it the Limerick or Shannon Tunnel or other

grogi

mart 23 wrote: »

Hi

Just curious as to what is the official name for the Tunnel. Is it the Limerick or Shannon Tunnel or other

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_Tunnel