Limerick Transport

Can somebody clarify something to me here.

Do the dinosaur county council want to build a monotrosity off the Newport interchange and have direct access to it.

That is not going to happen, No fucking way.

Limerick County Council ~ N21 ADARE BYPASS

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

CONSTRAINTS STUDY & ROUTE CORRIDOR OPTIONS

Limerick County Council announces that it is to revisit and review the Route Corridor Selection for the N21 Adare Bypass. Changes in national infrastructural policy along with the recent announcement of the Emerging Preferred Route for the M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway Scheme have led to the reevaluation of the original preferred route of the Adare Bypass.

As part of the review process, Limerick County Council will host a public consultation event – entitled “Adare Bypass: Constraints Study and Route Corridor Options” – in the Dunraven Arms Hotel, Adare on Thursday 2 April from 2.00pm to 8.00pm.

The current review once completed will result in an Emerging Preferred Route for Adare Bypass being announced in May 2009. Following completion of the relevant statutory procedures, it is anticipated that the construction of the Adare Bypass will commence as part of the overall M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway scheme.

It has long been an objective of Limerick County Council to bypass the town of Adare, removing through traffic from the town centre, improving journey times both locally and on the strategic National Road network, thereby promoting local and regional development.

In March 2005 following an extensive study, Limerick County Council announced the Preferred Route Corridor for the N21 Adare Bypass, the Black Route Option to the north of the town of Adare.

In the intervening years, changes in infrastructural policy have occurred in the development of the strategic National Road network. Following the publication of Transport 21, the Western Corridor, linking the west coast with Waterford via the N24, was replaced by the Atlantic Road Corridor, linking the west coast to Waterford via the N20 and the N25.

The M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway scheme forms an integral part of the Atlantic Road Corridor, and is a priority scheme under Transport 21 and the National Development Plan. In October 2008 the Emerging Preferred Route for the M20 Cork to Limerick Motorway Scheme was announced by Cork County Council.

The provision of the associated M20 infrastructure in the vicinity of Adare has necessitated a review of the N21 Adare Bypass route corridor selection process. It is now essential that Limerick County Council revisit and review the Route Corridor Selection for the N21 Adare Bypass in order to ensure that the most appropriate route option is taken forward to the statutory processes, and that the return on public investment is optimised.

In light of these new developments, Limerick County Council, in conjunction with the National Roads Authority (NRA) is working with consultants Jacobs Engineering to examine and develop route corridor options for a bypass of the town of Adare. A revised Constraints Study Area has been developed which extends further south and east of Adare than the 2004 Constraints Study Area.

A brochure outlining the constraints study area and route corridor options along with a questionnaire will be available at the public display on the 2nd April 2009 and then from Limerick County Council’s Mid West National Road Design Office in Lissanalta House, Dooradoyle. The brochure will then also be made available for viewing online at http://www.midwestroads.ie .

The closing date for submissions is Monday 20th April 2009.

For further information contact:

Mid West National Road Design Office,
Limerick County Council,
Lissanalta House, Dooradoyle, County Limerick

Telephone: 061 496 800; Fax: 061 583 150 Email: adare@midwestroads.ie Web

N21 Adare Bypass

New Preferred Route Corridor Selection: May 2009

Originally the northern route along the railway line was the preferred choice. Though it does make sense to integrate it with the planned M20 Limerick / Cork (Atlantic Corridor). That could mean the bypass would run south of Adare instead?

• Red dots, are overbridges, interchanges
• Black line – is preferred old route
• Blue line, is new route incoporated into M20

There is an excessive amount of overbridges and structures to be built on the Old preferred route. This was my favourable of routes, in the previous Adare route selection.

But I think it’s to much hassel skirting the N21 north of Adare when the Current M20 goes far south. Bear in mind, the Old N21 has to be upgraded. The M20M21 interchange is not in a suited location. I’d rather the M20/M21 placed in my new layout, And defer Adare and local N21 traffic exit at Patrickswell N20 interchange. This makes the route far more efficient and direct. The preferred old route, will cause urban sprawl around Adare also. I think the N21 incoporated into the M20 make’s more sense.

What are your views?

Limerick Southern Ring Road Phase II Construction (Dooradoyle)

The following pictures were taken by Zoney at boards.ie

View from Dooradoyle Road roundabout (Crescent shopping centre to the right)

View from Dooradoyle Road side of rbout (Dooradoyle Road has a link to N20 junction 1)

View of bridge from shopping centre car park, note the railway locomotive emerging from under the bridge – this is the Mungret line which has a level crossing on the existing St. Nessan’s Road (such as remains for the next couple of days). Nice timing. There is a slip off the ramp into the shopping centre carpark – just off frame to the left.

View of the southwest ramp. There is a bus bay just to the right, and the aforementioned slip is where the red car is. The dooradoyle roundabout is behind the vantage point of the photo. Note the temporary lane markings and studs for diverting both lanes of traffic over the complete half of the ramp.

View on existing St. Nessan’s Road of the bridge and diversion under. The northeastern bridge ramp sits right where the old road used to be – until last week the traffic was diverted to the left of this in the photo (while the initial diverting of Ballinacurra Creek and construction of the bridge took place). SRR still to be built under bridge once the traffic is diverted over it.

View of the SRR mainline taking form to the west – the Ballinacurra Creek is just on the left edge of the frame.

View of the bridge from the east, and the traffic diversion beneath – where the SRR mainline will be constructed. Mungret railway line is under the furthest span in the frame, the creek is in a culvert.

View of SRR mainline to the east.

Northeastern end of the bridge – there is a junction with the South Circular Road immediately left of the frame – complicating matters just a tad! The surface and pavement is pretty much entirely tied in on the northern side of the ramp – just left of frame.

The M20 is now being progressed as a PPP, split up into 2 seperate projects (northern & southern sections). The preferred route is due to go on display in the next week or so.

Another major PPP scheme will be going out to tender pretty soon and if the money cant be secured for that project, then unfortunately things will look pretty bleak for the M20 aswell.

Fingers crossed!

@dodgyman wrote:

On the midwest roads map, which option for the Adare bypass seems the most obvious, red, green or blue?

From what I make out the original option 1 (Black Route) looks the better choice for the N21 bypass. It seems the bypass options 2, 3 and 4 will only connect the N21 with the old N20 road and not directly with the M20. One would eventually get onto M20 at the Attyflin (Patrickswell) junction. The NRA illustrations need more detail!

Which route do you preferr yourself?

Limerick County Council is to revisit and review the Route Corridor Selection for the N21 Adare Bypass as a result of changes in national infrastructural policy along with the recent announcement of the Emerging Preferred Route for the M20 Cork – Limerick Motorway Scheme.

Option 1 (Black Route)
Commences west of Adare on the N21 at Garraunboy, then departs from the existing road heading north east, crossing the L-8025 and the Greanagh River, before crossing Blackabbey Road and the Limerick-Foynes railway line and
heading east across Kildimo Road, then crossing the River Maigue and the railway before continuing parallel to the railway line to tie-in to the N21 at Gorteen.

Option 2 (Green Route)
Commences west of Adare on the N21 at Rower Beg, then departs east, running parallel to the existing N21 before crossing the R519 and heading south east towards the townland of Boulabally, bridging the River Maigue. The route
continues eastward crossing both the L-1420 and L-8053 before tying into the N20 at Fanningstown.

Option 3 (Red Route)
Commences west of Adare on the N21 at Rower Beg, then departs from the existing road heading south, before turning east and crossing the R519.
The route then traverses the townlands of Graiguesparling and Boulabally, where it bridges the River Maigue. The route turns north eastward
crossing both the L-1420 and L-8053 local roads before tying into the N20 at Garranroe.

Option 4 (Blue Route)
Commences west of Adare on the N21 at Garraunboy, then departs from the existing road heading south east. The route crosses the R519 in the townland of Granard, before turning north eastward, crossing the River Maigue at Castleroberts and then the L-1420 before tying into the N20 at Fanningstown.

The M21 Should not go at a right angle, whoever came up with these route options, needs to order a new brain and a pair of binoculars.

The green combined with My route on the previous page.

Why would you put, the N21 route options at right angles to the N20 and N21? Are the planner’s this incapable of carrying out proper route selections.?

My route is the red/green combined, with a better curve towards the M20, as It should be. The new interchange would be Half way between Croom and the present N20/N21 interchange. The black route is fine, but there is a waste of an interchange with two beside each other. The M20/M21 interchange should be a single motorway/motorway interchange on a greenfield location half way between Croom and Patrickswell. There is no real benifet putting the motorway interchange right beside the existing one. That’s a pure waste.

Whichever route is chosen, the Adare bypass will commence at a new interchange with the proposed M20. Thankfully common sense appears to have prevailed and the two schemes will be constructed as part of the same contract. This is the reason why potential new routes for the bypass are being considered!

As we can see from the map, the new M20 follows the line of the existing Croom bypass, which will be widened from its current WS2 arrangement. Just before the end of the bypass it veers off on a new allignment, west of the existing N20 (where the green route begins). Once completed, the current N20 will be de-trunked to become a regional road (re-coloured in orange below).

The black and green routes are probably the most likely options. If I had to choose, I’d go for the original black route as it provides better access to the village. Option 4 (Blue) is a total non-runner!

@CologneMike wrote:

Tuborg, looking at the map above yes, but they also write above that options 2, 3 and 4 of tying them into the N20 at Fanningstown / Garranroe. No direct mention of the M20. :confused:

I wouldn’t take any notice of that. Of the three alternative routes, its only the red option that dosent connect directly with the M20 corridor. For some reason it terminates on a substandard, undulating part of the current N20 that is littered with private accesses etc. It makes absolutely no sense and I’ve no idea why they included it!:confused:

Realistically, the route options map hints at what we already know, that the new M20/N21 interchange will be built just to the south west of the current Attyflin junction. You can basically see the parameters of it mapped out already. My take on it is attached below.

@CologneMike wrote:

Is this definite that the existing Croom bypass will become part of the M20?

The Croom bypass (see attached) opened in the Summer of 2001. It was built as a wide 2 lane road, a format that the NRA have since abandoned. There is certainly scope to widen the bypass to motorway although the existing bridges will be problematic.You’d squeeze a D2 carriageway under them but you would probably have to lose the hard shoulder! A similar scenario occurs on the recently upgraded Nenagh bypass.

@CologneMike wrote:

I took another look in at the Cork National Road Office and found this image with various routes from the proposal stage. Interestingly enough they show only a half grade seperated junction at Fanningstown.

However the so called “emerging preferred route corridor” for the M20 between Charleville and Patrickswell shows the Croom Junction at the southern end of the Croom Bypass.

There is a need here for more detailed maps denoting motorway / junction types / primary roads from Charleville to Limerick and Adare to Limerick.

The current Croom junction is a compact LILO (left in, left out) at the beginning of the bypass. Upgrading this would be troublesome enough so I wouldn’t be surprised if a new junction at another location is being considered.

I attended one of the public consultations back in October I think it was and I spoke briefly to an NRA official. He basically explained that detailed plans of junctions etc wont be available until the Motorway Order is published sometime during the Summer!:( I would be particularly interested to see the plans for the new M20/N21 interchange, Im guessing it will have limited access?

Croom bypass image courtesy of Chris 533976