Tag Archives: M18

WHEN it came to the crunch, a planning application by Applegreen Ltd to build a motorway service station on the Limerick to Ennis motorway has been refused permission by Clare County Council. A decision has been made on the controversial planning application, which received a number of local objections, including one from Ennis Chamber. In January, Applegreen Services Area Ltd submitted an application to Clare County Council for the development of a motorway service area at Latoon South and Latoon North, Dromoland on the M18. In making their decision to refuse permission, the planning authority noted other proposed service stations along the M18. Pat McDonagh, CEO of Supermacs, was granted planning permission for a motorway service station at junction 12 of the motorway. This decision has since been appealed to An Bord Pleanála. Meanwhile, Transport Infrastructure Ireland has undertaken public consultations in relation to the provision of an online service station between Ennis and Sixmilebridge. Clare County Council’s planning authority …

There were considerable tailbacks on the M18 Ennis to Limerick motorway this morning (Tuesday) following a seven-vehicle pile-up. The accident occurred  on the north-bound lane near Manus, Clarecastle during a heavy hailstone shower. Emergency services from Ennis and Shannon attended the scene. There were no fatalities but a number of people were treated for minor injuries. Ennis-bound traffic was diverted on the old road through Clarecastle.

UPDATE:15:00 A multi-vehicle car accident on the south-bound lane of the M18 motorway, on the Ennis side of Crusheen early today (Tuesday) resulted in the road being closed for over an hour. The crash occurred at approximately 7.30am and resulted in major diversions while the scene was being cleared and gardaí investigated. No one was seriously injured in the crash. Drivers heading from Ennis to Galway were initially asked to divert at the Tulla road junction, while, those travelling from Galway to Ennis as asked to divert at Gort through Tubber. However the route has since reopened. This morning’s crash is understood to have involved cars stopping to help a motorist who had skidded before a further vehicle skidded in the slippery conditions. Gardaí have issued an appeal to all road users to exercise particular care as the cold weather is set to continue over the coming days. “We would remind all motorists to drive as the conditions determine. We …

THE sod turning for the M17/M18 motorway project will take place outside Gort this Friday after which work will  begin on the €550 million extension to the Atlantic Corridor. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin signed contracts last week for the road with consortium Direct Route, which includes Roadbridge, John Sisk, Lagan, three large Irish civil engineering firms, and Strabag of Austria. When completed  it will extend from Gort to Tuam and include bypasses of Tuam, Ardrahan, Kilcolgan and Clarinbridge in the south. It will also effectively bypass Claregalway. The project will create up to 450 jobs and, according to the Government, will “boost local economies in the West and ease congestion”. The jobs are expected to be created during the construction and post-construction phases. When complete, there will be motorway from Shannon past Ennis, Gort and  Galway as far as Tuam. The road will not be tolled.

FOLLOWING  weeks of speculation, Ministers Leo Varadkar and Brendan Howlin signed the contract for the M17/M18 Gort to Tuam motorway this week.The €550 million project is a public-private partnership, which will see the M18 extended 57km beyond Gort.  Work is to begin on the motorway from Gort to Tuam in the coming weeks. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin signed a contract with consortium Direct Route, which includes Roadbridge, John Sisk, Lagan, three large Irish civil engineering firms, and Strabag of Austria. The project will create up to 450 jobs and, according to the Government, will “boost local economies in the West and ease congestion”. The jobs are expected to be created during the construction and post-construction phases. “This is further evidence of the Government’s commitment to improving transport infrastructure outside of the Greater Dublin Area,” Minister Varadkar said. Minister Howlin said, “I am very pleased we have achieved …

CONTRACTS for the construction of the Gort to Tuam motorway are being finalised this week. There were indications that the contracts could be signed this Thursday but this has not been confirmed by the National Roads Authority, who will be signing the contracts with the Public Private Partnership Company. NRA spokesperson, Sean O’Neill said he “expects the signing of the contracts to take place in the coming weeks”. The project is valued at €550 million and will extend the M18 motorway from Shannon to Tuam. Local Fianna Fáil councillor, Gerry Finnerty said he wants to see the contracts signed as quickly as possible and is hopeful local people will be employed on the project. “People want to know what is going on with this and people want to get working. People here want the contract signed so that the work could be advertised and contractors be taken on. We have a lot of lorry drivers, machine drivers and so on, …

PART of the M18 is to close for five days next week to allow for “drainage assessment and improvement works”. Clare and Galway County Councillors have been calling for a safety audit to be carried out on the motorway since 10 car accidents took place on the route on one day last December. Now the National Roads Authority has said that from Monday to Friday next the Northbound lane of the M18 between Junction 14 (Barefield) and Junction 15 (Crusheen) will be closed. The Southbound carriageway will remain open during that time. The lane closure begins on Monday at 9am and the road will reopen on Friday at 2pm. Traffic will be diverted from the M18 Northbound onto the old N18 at Barefield but will be able to rejoin the motorway at Crusheen.    

A GALWAY County Councillor has called for the local authority to request a full safety audit on the M18 between Gort and Ennis after 10 car accidents on the route in just one day last December. While the crashes on December 19 resulted in the closure of that part of the motorway, Councillor Gerry Finnerty believes there is an ongoing problem on the route. “It is consistent that there are a lot of tips happening along it. If you drive along it any day you see evidence of that. It is widespread that there are accidents on it. I am listening to the general public’s concerns as well and you nearly feel that people are afraid to use it,” he said. Councillor Finnerty proposed at a recent meeting of the council that it contact the NRA and ask them for a full safety audit because “during a recent spell of poor weather, a number of serious accidents occurred on the …