M50 upgrade

M50 UPGRADE IS ON SCHEDULE AS DRIVERS ASKED TO SLOW DOWN AND FOLLOW NEW ROAD LAYOUT AT N7 RED COW

12th April 2007: New local diversions at the N7/Red Cow Interchange will be well signposted as we begin new major works to construct the new freeflow Interchange. Were asking drivers to slow down and follow the new road layout, said Mr Frank Coffey, Director of Transportation, South Dublin County Council at a briefing to announce details of the M50 Upgrade work programme for the coming months on the M50 and at the N4, N7 and Ballymount Interchanges.

Mr Hugh Creegan, Head of Programme Management, National Roads Authority confirmed the M50 Upgrade project is on schedule and working well. He asked drivers to keep to the 60km speed limit through the stretch of road currently being upgraded, between the N4, N7 and Ballymount Interchanges. Speed cameras, monitored by An Garda Siochna, are in operation along the route. He said construction work will begin next month on the left hand lanes of both sides of the mainline M50. Drivers will move to the newly completed central section of this stretch of motorway, so that construction work can begin on the outer verges.

Items of note among the work programme for the coming months include;

N7 /Red Cow Interchange

Traffic layout changes will be made in two stages at the N7/Red Cow Interchange, to facilitate major works that are due to begin next month. Stage 1 takes effect from 13th April 2007. Stage 2 takes effect from 30th April 2007.

N7 Westbound traffic exiting the Red Cow Interchange will transfer onto a new temporary road through the Luas Car Park (Stage 1)

The existing signalised Luas access will be modified to allow westbound traffic to access Monastery Lane. (Stage 1)

A section of the N7 junction roundabout will be removed and certain traffic movements will be diverted to make a U-turn at the modified Monastery Lane traffic signals. This diversion will affect traffic exiting the city and wishing to turn north onto the M50, as well as M50 northbound traffic wishing to turn right towards the city (Stage 2)

The junction between Monastery Road and the N7 will be closed, and Monastery Lane will be widened and made two-way (Stage 2)

The traffic lights on the Northwest of the roundabout will be removed (Stage 2)

Vehicular access to the Luas Park and Ride Facility will be maintained.

Pedestrians will be rerouted to cross the N7 at the Luas access junction to avoid the works (Stage 2)

The Bus Stop at IBIS will be relocated to Monastery Lane (Stage 2)

The new M50 Southbound to N7 Eastbound (towards the city) Freeflow Slip Road will be open to traffic in May 2007

N4 Interchange

The N4 Westbound to M50 Southbound Freeflow will close later this month for approximately three months. Traffic will access the M50 via the traffic signals at the roundabout until the new Free-flow opens in July.

Works on the west side of the N4 Interchange continues. The M50 Northbound to N4 Westbound Free-flow will open in June 2007.

Between now and August 07 there will be a number of traffic layout modifications made to the east side of the roundabout leading up to the opening of the new M50 southbound to N4 Freeflow.

Traffic heading east on N4 toward Dublin City Centre will move into its final alignment later this month.

Ballymount Interchange

Two new Freeflow Slip Roads, one north and one south, will be opened to traffic at the Ballymount Interchange by the end of May 2007

The new Ballymount Bridge will be completed in September 2007.

M50 Mainline

The current works to create a new traffic lane, each side of the central median area, between N4 and N7, will be completed in May 2007. Traffic will then transfer onto the newly constructed lanes and construction work will commence in the two outer verges on either side of the motorway.

When the work on this section of the M50 is completed in 2008, each side of the motorway between the Ballymount and N4 junctions will have three main lanes and a fourth auxiliary lane between major junctions, says Frank Coffey, Director of Transportation, South Dublin County Council. The interchanges will be upgraded to Free-flow or near Free-flow, eliminating or minimising the need for traffic lights.

The entire 32km M50 motorway between the M1 Interchange and the Sandyford Interchange will be upgraded by 2010. There will be

                     Three lanes in each direction on M50

                     An additional fourth lane linking junctions

                     Barrier-free tolling

                     Freeflow traffic movements at major junctions ( no roundabouts or traffic lights).

ENDS

For further information: Mary Murphy 087 233 6415