Port Tunnel to open soon

[pete]

Reading AA magazine yesterday & they said it was Irelands version of the Boston Big Dig. :D

The big dig was 3.5 mile tunnel under the city with a believe 6 lanes in each direction.

Will be some interesting traffic flow north bound on the tunnel as traffic cuts across lanes to make the M50 exit. :eek:

[drummerboy]

Clonliffe Harriers are holding a run through the tunnell. Think it would be a good idea if EL fans, wore the club colours and raced in this. Good way of raising a few bob for charity.

[Student Mullet]

There's a 10k road race in it the day before it opens. It's probably the only chance we'll get to see it close up.

http://www.clonliffeharriers.com/

Edit: Snap.

[paul_oshea]

ok so can someone tell me the full route, where is the entrance at the port tunnel?i actually haven't a clue i thought there were 3 entraces, one at santry, one out near islandbridge ( or was this just talk?!?! ) or further down at the m50 turn off on the west link road, and one at port tunnel is that correct? if its their for HGVs going from dublin port out west or southwest to join up with the M50 that makes no sense as the trucks are going around in a semicircle rather than going straight through the diameter. if that were the case to me that seems illogical, but hold on its ireland...

the big dig went 20 billion over budget and 15 years late....

[pete]

ok so can someone tell me the full route, where is the entrance at the port tunnel?i actually haven't a clue i thought there were 3 entraces, one at santry, one out near islandbridge ( or was this just talk?!?! ) or further down at the m50 turn off on the west link road, and one at port tunnel is that correct?


What country do you think this is? :D



if its their for HGVs going from dublin port out west or southwest to join up with the M50 that makes no sense as the trucks are going around in a semicircle rather than going straight through the diameter. if that were the case to me that seems illogical, but hold on its ireland...


Thats the one.



the big dig went 20 billion over budget and 15 years late....


Can't imagine how much would be over budget if we tried similar project. Port Tunnel is approx 30% over budget but not decided who will pay for yet as still in Arbitration.

[Dr.Nightdub]

ok so can someone tell me the full route, where is the entrance at the port tunnel?

Only two entrances, one's in Whitehall / Santry, the other's near, err, the port. Logistically, to dig out a route under the city centre would have been a complete non-starter so that's probably the quickest route to get traffic out from the port and onto the M50, . How the trucks get off the M50 and out of Dublin is their problem. :D

[BohsPartisan]

Also no one has pointed out that now that the port tunnel is opening the government wants to move the port out to Balbriggan an area without the sufficient infrastructure to deal with thousands of trucks every day. Meanwhile if Tom Morrissey's Dublin Madhatten plan goes ahead, the hoi polloy will have a lovely tunnel route to avoid the traffic on their way to their millionaire penthouses.
Planning how are ye?

[Student Mullet]

Also no one has pointed out that now that the port tunnel is opening the government wants to move the port out to Balbriggan an area without the sufficient infrastructure to deal with thousands of trucks every day. Meanwhile if Tom Morrissey's Dublin Madhatten plan goes ahead, the hoi polloy will have a lovely tunnel route to avoid the traffic on their way to their millionaire penthouses.
Planning how are ye?The motorway goes past Balbriggan, hoi polloy are commonors not rich people and 'hoi' means 'the' so it is incorrect to say 'the hoi polloy'.

[BohsPartisan]

The motorway goes past Balbriggan, .

A long way from Balbriggan though. It goes nowhere near the proposed port at Bremore which is right out in the country and only accessable via country roads.


hoi polloy are commonors not rich people and 'hoi' means 'the' so it is incorrect to say 'the hoi polloy'.

Fair enough, mistake noted, however basic point stands. We've spent a fortune on this tunnel for what? So that it can be a private road for the upper crust - while the already overcrowded and poorly serviced town of Balbriggan has to put up with even more traffic?

[Poor Student]

BP, this is probably naivete on my part but isn't the planned move of the port at least a decade away and is it possible they'll upgrade infrastructure to meet the eventual move?

[Schumi]

We've spent a fortune on this tunnel for what? So that it can be a private road for the upper crust - while the already overcrowded and poorly serviced town of Balbriggan has to put up with even more traffic?Isn't it some huge price for cars to use the tunnel, €12 or something?

[drummerboy]

Yes, its €12 at peak times. There are lower rates at different times of the day and night, down as low as €3!!!!

[pete]

I look forward to elimination of trucks from the city quays as they are a menace at the moment.

Moving the port away from the City is a good idea but would have been better off using the 750m upgrading facilities to new location. Making the current port area a residential one would add an East side to the city centre.

The organisation of the traffic cominh north out of the tunnel gets worse the more I look at.

[onceahoop]

I look forward to elimination of trucks from the city quays as they are a menace at the moment.

Moving the port away from the City is a good idea but would have been better off using the 750m upgrading facilities to new location. Making the current port area a residential one would add an East side to the city centre.

The organisation of the traffic cominh north out of the tunnel gets worse the more I look at.

Not alone does the organisation get worse, it's positively dangerous both entering and leaving the tunnel at the Coolock interchange, Trucks will be going from the inside to the outside across three lanes of traffic within a kilometre going south and from the outside to inside going north to get onto the M50. Look out for chaos. AA Roadwatch will be going overtime on the radio. And here I was thinking that new road laws forbade HGV's from overtaking and travelling in the outsde lanes on motorways

[pete]

And here I was thinking that new road laws forbade HGV's from overtaking and travelling in the outsde lanes on motorways

Ah sure its ok they'll add lights onto the motorway to regulate the traffic :eek:

If someone in the NRA or City Council had even half a brain they would have ensured the traffic travelling north through Whitehall would join the tunnel traffic on the right side so HGV would at least start on the inside lane of the motorway.

:rolleyes:

[BohsPartisan]

People on the city councl having half a brain? And to think you called me utopian! :D

[onceahoop]

Ah sure its ok they'll add lights onto the motorway to regulate the traffic :eek:

If someone in the NRA or City Council had even half a brain they would have ensured the traffic travelling north through Whitehall would join the tunnel traffic on the right side so HGV would at least start on the inside lane of the motorway.

:rolleyes:

They are putting traffic lights in to regulate traffic. Most of the accidents that I see on the M1 occur at interchanges. The tunnell is just after the Coolock interchange and about 1k from the M50 interchange. I can see absolute havoc and motorists been forced back to using the secondary roads.:mad:

[paul_oshea]

Logistically, to dig out a route under the city centre would have been a complete non-starter


Why?!

[Dr.Nightdub]

I'm guessing for much the same reason the tube in London doesn't go out around Hackney - high water table underground, which they'd've ran into if drilling under the river from the port to out beyond Heuston which would've been the only logical city-centre route.

Let's face it, if they couldn't keep the tunnel dry where they did build it, what hope would they have had of keeping the Liffey out?

[BohsPartisan]

I know what you are saying but how are they going to manage with the Metro?

[paul_oshea]

Hackney - high water table underground

hmm, i often wondered why this was the case, i just thought it was a hole and the ballymun of london where all the bad yokes get sent too.....and no transport means harder for them to get back out of there.....reverse that round and you have a bohspartisan-esque logic to it, which could be the reason it is the way it is.......

Having said that the tube goes underground in one of the widest areas ( it goes down an extra 100ft there alone ).....london bridge to bank....so I am not so sure that hackney would have the same "high water table underground" ( even though i dont really know what that is....) can you explain more?

[BohsPartisan]

reverse that round and you have a bohspartisan-esque logic to it, which could be the reason it is the way it is.......




Wow I love having a type of logic named after me! Cheers! :cool:

[pete]

You can tell an election around the corner as the government releasing all those lovely maps with different coloured lines in attmept to lure the votes in with projections of all those future transport plans.

:rolleyes:

I remain dubious of the effectiveness of the Tunnel. Where exactly is the entry/exit at the docks? Is it inside the docks or outside? Unless trucks are forced to use the tunnel there is no chance traffic from the West & South will use it.

[onceahoop]

You can tell an election around the corner as the government releasing all those lovely maps with different coloured lines in attmept to lure the votes in with projections of all those future transport plans.

:rolleyes:

I remain dubious of the effectiveness of the Tunnel. Where exactly is the entry/exit at the docks? Is it inside the docks or outside? Unless trucks are forced to use the tunnel there is no chance traffic from the West & South will use it.

The city will be parlalysed if it all comes to pass. It took me over 30minutes to get of the M50 onto the Mad Cow roundabout to-day.

The Tunnell comes out somewhere near where the old Tolka Quay was. This might help.

http://www.dublinporttunnel.ie/route_and_location_maps/south_tunnel_entrance/

[pete]

The Tunnell comes out somewhere near where the old Tolka Quay was. This might help.

http://www.dublinporttunnel.ie/route_and_location_maps/south_tunnel_entrance/

Cheers. That looks ok as seems to have direct route into the Port so not adding that much extra traffic congestion.

I like the safety notice on website. :D


Remove sunglasses and turn on headlights (dipped) before entering the Tunnel. Also check that you have sufficient fuel for the 5.6 km journey and tune into FM radio to hear any instructions the Operator may issue while you are within the Tunnel.

[onceahoop]

This is what bothers me though. http://www.dublinporttunnel.ie/route_and_location_maps/north_tunnel_entrance/

The map doesn't show the traffic coming off the M50 and having to cross three lanes of the M1 in under a kilometre to access the tunnel. It's hard\to explain if you don't know the area but believe me I can see chaos.

[Dr.Nightdub]

The sensible thing would've been to have the tunnel extrance to the left of the inside lane of the M1, not to the right of the outside lane. Of course, that being the sensible thing is probably the reason they didn't do it. :rolleyes:

[pete]

The sensible thing would've been to have the tunnel extrance to the left of the inside lane of the M1, not to the right of the outside lane. Of course, that being the sensible thing is probably the reason they didn't do it. :rolleyes:

Its surprising how many ordinary non-experts can come with this but the experts did not think of or choose not to design like that.

[Superhoops]

The sensible thing would've been to have the tunnel extrance to the left of the inside lane of the M1, not to the right of the outside lane. Of course, that being the sensible thing is probably the reason they didn't do it. :rolleyes:
If the tunnel entrance was to the left of the inside lane of the M1, where would the tunnel exit to the M1 northbound be situated? I'm no engineer, but if the entrance was to the left of the M1, would this not have meant tunnel traffic would have to go under the M1 to join the main tunnel?

[pete]

If the tunnel entrance was to the left of the inside lane of the M1, where would the tunnel exit to the M1 northbound be situated?

Traffic would join the M1 on the inside lane as normal. Traffic north biund from the city could join the M1 on the right of the north bound tunnel & to the left of the south bound opening. There are effectively 2 tunnels at the opening section.

[pete]

Anyone used this yet?

Did anyone hear if this was closed for a while in December?

[Student Mullet]

Anyone used this yet?I've ran through it.

[Limeref]

Just on a quick point.

For a HGV to use the port tunnel, they must use the outside lane on the motorway to enter it?

Driving a HGV or bus on the outside lane on a motorway incurs 1 penalty point (or 3 penalty points on conviction) fact courtsey www.penaltypoints.ie

Bright spark our Minister Martin Cullen:rolleyes:

[Macy]

Did anyone hear if this was closed for a while in December?
It's been closed twice so far. One "technical" problems and once when a truck broke down (so they closed the whole tunnel).

[pete]

It's been closed twice so far. One "technical" problems and once when a truck broke down (so they closed the whole tunnel).

It has 2 lanes. If they going to close it everytime a vehicle breaks down not going to be open much...

[Macy]

It has 2 lanes. If they going to close it everytime a vehicle breaks down not going to be open much...
The truck breaking down closed the tunnel totally, both directions.

[pete]

The truck breaking down closed the tunnel totally, both directions.

Thats bizarre as there essentially no separate tunnels. :confused: