St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin

I thought St Stephens green had hit the ceiling literally a long time ago…

Here’s the text describing the works…

Pursuant to the requirements of the above, notice is hereby given of proposed Revised Southside Traffic Management Measures to Facilitate LUAS Broombridge on St Stephens Green North and St Stephens Green East, Dublin 2. The revised traffic management arrangements are required to facilitate construction works on Dawson Street and the operation of Luas once constructed.

The proposed works will comprise the reconfiguration of the road space along St Stephens Green North and St Stephens Green East to provide the following:
Removal of existing build out at the junction of St Stephens Green East, St Stephens Green North and Merrion Row.
Provision of island at the junction of St Stephens Green East and St Stephens Green North and a median along St Stephens Green North for approx 50 meters.
Relocation of the Grace Weir sculpture approx 8 meters to the west on the new proposed island. Revised arrangements for eastbound traffic on St Stephens Green North between Kildare Street and Merrion Row to include: -Reconfiguration of traffic lanes to provide one straight ahead lane onto Merrion Row. -Provision of a loading bay along Shelbourne Hotel frontage. -Widening of footpath between Kildare Street and Merrion Row from 2.6 meters to a maximum of 6 meters. Revised arrangements for westbound traffic on St Stephens Green North between St Stephens Green East and Kildare Street to include: -Reconfiguration of traffic lanes to provide one straight ahead lane onto St Stephens Green North. -Provision of one right turn lane onto Kildare Street. -Provision of a 1.75 metre wide cycle lane. Revised arrangements for southbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Merrion Row and Hume Street to include: -Widening of footpath from 2.50 meters to 3.8 meters. -Provision of a 1.75 meter wide cycle lane.
Revised arrangements for northbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Hume Street and Merrion Row to include: -Reconfiguration of traffic lanes to provide one turning lane onto St Stephens Green North. -Provision of two right turning lanes onto Merrion Row. -Removal of 12 no. pay and display car parking spaces. -Provision of a 1.75 meter wide cycle lane. Revised arrangements for southbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Hume Street and Leeson Street to include: -Provision of a dedicated left turn bus lane onto Leeson Street. -Provision of a straight ahead lane onto Earlsfort Terrace for buses and vehicles exiting the existing private car park approx 34 meters from the junction of St Stephens Green East and Leeson Street.
Revised arrangements for northbound traffic on St Stephens Green East between Leeson Street and Hume Street to include: -Reconfigure traffic lanes to provide 3 no. lanes approaching the new signalised junction. -Provision of a 1.75 meter wide cycle lane. Signalisation of the junction of Hume Street and St Stephens Green East to include: -Removal of pedestrian crossing in the centre of St Stephens Green East. -Provision of pedestrian crossing at the Hume Street junction. -Provision of an advanced stop line for cyclists at the traffic lights on St Stephens Green East. Relocate the existing dublinbikes stand from the centre of St Stephens Green East to the north of new signalised junction at Hume Street. The provision of 10 no. additional dublinbikes stands to the south of the new signalised junction.
Relocate existing bicycle parking from existing build out to Hume Street and St Stephens Green North.
Alterations to egress arrangements for private car park on St Stephens Green East allowing left only.

Were you expecting Bordeaux-style vision?

I see all the windows of the Hume Street Hospital are now open giving some impressive glimpses of some very fine pasterwork.

It looks like the refurb has begun!

The Arches sculpture on St Stephens Green is being dismantled and relocated as part of the new traffic layout on the east side of the Green. Its part of a huge city wide process of wrecking due to take place as part of Luas CrossCity 🙂

The endless bridge works on Marlborough Street …endless… and the just begun work to fill in cellar etc along the proposed route will surely mean that Dublin City Centre will look like a dump for a couple of years to come.

One for Mr Smart

Changes to St Stephen’s Green traffic by November – Altered routes will divert cars and buses from new Luas line
Olivia Kelly

The biggest traffic changes on St Stephen’s Green since the Luas Green Line was constructed almost a decade ago, are to come into force in two month’s time.
New traffic routes are being introduced to divert cars and buses away from the site of the Cross City Luas line ahead of the start of work to lay the tracks.
The new Luas will connect the existing Green and Red lines through the city centre before continuing north to the new DIT campus planned for Grangegorman, then onto Phibsborough and Cabra where it will terminate at the Irish Rail station at Broombridge.
The Molly Malone statue on Grafton Street in Dublin, due to be moved to facilitate the development of the cross-city Luas link.
The line begins at the terminus of the existing Green line on St Stephen’s Green West, turns right on to St Stephen’s Green North and then exits the green left on Dawson Street. Two new turns off the green are being introduced to divert traffic from this area.
The first will be a right hand turn from St Stephen’s Green East on to Merrion Row. Currently traffic heading north on the east side of the green must turn left passing in front of the Shelbourne Hotel. Motorists who want to access Merrion Row to head for Baggot Street or Merrion Square must currently take a right onto Dawson Street and use either Molesworth Street or Nassau Street to loop back around to the green and on Merrion Row.
The new system will give two right turning lanes on to Merrion Row from the green and one left turning lane continuing around the green. This new system will be in place in late October or early November.
The second major change is at the diagonally opposite corner of the green with the creation of a new turn from St Stephen’s Green South onto the west side of the green. Traffic taking this new turn will cross the existing Luas line and then run parallel with the line as far as York Street. This turn allows motorists access to the Royal College of Surgeons and St Stephen’s Green car parks, or they can continue on to Mercer Street and take Noel Purcell Walk to access Drury Street and the car parks in that area. This new turn should also be in place by early November.
The changes, which will be permanent, provide additional routes for motorists and no routes are being closed off to traffic at this stage, Brendan O’Brien of the council’s traffic department said.
“We are not banning traffic from any current route along the green, or closing off any streets, but with all the construction activity we want to give people an alternative to being in that area.”
Restrictions and traffic bans will however come into force from next year onwards, when the left turn from Dawson Street to Nassau Street, used by buses and for deliveries at certain times, will be eliminated.
“Dawson Street will be quite problematic. When the major work starts it won’t be able to accommodate much traffic,” said Mr O’Brien
In anticipation of the laying of the line down Dawson Street, Kildare Street, currently one way heading south only, will be reconfigured over the next two months into a two-way street. Buses will be able to go both ways for the full length of the street, but cars heading north will have to turn into Molesworth Street.
Once the Luas line is operational the right turn at the end of Dawson Street will be a bus lane only so motorists who decide to turn from the green into Dawson Street will have to turn right into Molesworth Street.
In addition to these major changes the council will be reconfiguring traffic lanes, junctions and traffic islands and removing some car parking spaces from the green. It will also provide cycle lanes and widen footpaths.
Traffic changes required onwards from Nassau Street to College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street will be the subject of discussions with the contractors when they are appointed Mr O’Brien said.
However, he said it was likely some extension of the Bus Gate, which sees cars banned from travelling north through College Green at peak times, would be required.