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EspañolM50 MOTORWAY (IRELAND)
The 'M50 motorway' is a motorway and National Primary Route ('N50') in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. One end of the route is located at Dublin Port, with the Dublin Port Tunnel connecting it the M1 motorway (running north to Belfast). It crosses the dual West-Link toll bridges over the River Liffey west of Dublin, and loops around south east of the capital to meet the M11 route (running south to Wexford) at Bray, County Wicklow.
The M50 was first proposed by the Dublin Transportation Study of 1971. The completed (to the original plans) M50 motorway opened on 30 June 2005, although the Dublin Port Tunnel, opened 20 December 2006 also forms part of the route. Work commenced in early 2006 on upgrading the earlier sections of motorway. Many of the current grade-separated signal-controlled roundabout interchanges will be replaced with free-flowing junctions and much of the road will be widened to three lanes in each direction with the section between the N4 road and N7 road widened to four lanes.
The M50 is the busiest road on the island of Ireland.
The N50 is the only National Primary Route that is entirely motorway (hence apart from on the statutes, the road is designated M50). The non-motorway ring-road continuing eastward from Junction 3 is not the N50 (as this follows the M50 route south), but rather a separate National Primary Route, the N32. Between the construction of the Western Parkway and the Southern Cross Route, a short section of road south of the then Tallaght roundabout (now Tallaght interchange) was a single carriageway road and was the only section to ever publicly carry the designation 'N50', although this was only on road maps - no signage reading "N50" was ever erected.
| Contents |
| Layout |
| Future plans |
| Exit list |
| External links |
| References |
Layout
M50 in Sandyford
The M50 was originally planned to divert traffic travelling through on National Primary Routes away from the city (a full bypass of Dublin) and it now also serves as an arterial route for Dublin city itself, connecting the various outlying suburbs. Though often viewed negatively by some, the M50 is a victim of its own success and has been responsible for much investment and economic activity in the Dublin area. Its benefit to cost ratio is in the order of at least 10.
Each of the National Primary Routes leaving Dublin have junctions with the M50. As of 2005 these are in the form of grade-separated signal-controlled roundabout junctions, not free-flowing intersections. The other primary routes served are the N2 to Derry, N3 to Navan/Cavan/Northwest, N4/M4 to Galway/Sligo, N7/M7 to Cork/Limerick/Waterford, and the N11/M11 to Wexford. Additional junctions along the motorway serve other suburbs of Dublin such as Ballymun, Tallaght, Dundrum and Sandyford.
Most of these interchanges are subject to notorious levels of traffic congestion, as are the toll-plazas at the West-Link bridge. The busier roundabout junctions are signal-controlled, with tailbacks extending for several kilometers at rush hour. The most infamous is the Red Cow roundabout junction with the N7, also dubbed the "Mad Cow Roundabout". As well as being the junction of two of the busiest roads in the State, the Luas tram Red Line from Tallaght to the city centre runs level across two slip roads, continuing city-bound in the median of the R110 (formerly N7).
The roundabout at the N3 is also notable as the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line pass through its centre.
Due to agreements to overcome planning objections, between Junctions 12 and 14 a lower speed limit (100 km/h) is in force for cars. Special speed limits for other vehicles (buses, lorries etc) are unchanged.
Future plans
M50 J13/J14 overlap
The M50 motorway consists of two-lane dual carriageway, though auxiliary/weaving lanes are provided at several junctions. Plans are in progress under the National Development Plan to upgrade several of the roundabout junctions, including the Red Cow, to free-flowing grade-separated interchanges. The upgrade project also includes widening the surrounding motorway to three or four lanes each direction from the M1 to Sandyford with the extra driving lanes replacing the existing wide grass-covered median. The upgrade programme has been planned to include at least three stages – the upgrade of the section between the N4 road and N7 road (along with replacing the interchanges with freeflow layouts), followed by upgrading the northern and then southern motorway sections.
Completion of Dublin's ring road by construction of an Eastern Bypass of the city has been proposed. This plan is highly controversial, as it would require a tunnel across Sandymount Strand to or possibly through Booterstown Marsh bird sanctuary. A motorway reservation from Sandyford to Booterstown has been included in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Development Plan, with space allowed for an interchange where it crosses the N11. The Dublin Port Tunnel, opened on 20th December 2006, would form the northern half of the Eastern bypass.
Controversy has recently arisen over a plan to buy out NTR plc's rights to the West-Link toll bridge.
Works to add three or four lanes each-way commenced on August 15, 2006 and will last five years.
Another outer orbital road has been proposed for the Dublin region in 2006, to be finished by about 2020. It will run approximately from Drogheda via Dunshaughlin and Kilcock towards Naas.
Exit list
M50 access ramp
Between J1 and J2
"Southbound" and "Northbound" are erroneous, especially with the opening of the Dublin Port Tunnel, as these labels were created for the initial Western Parkway section. "Northbound" refers to clockwise and "Southbound" refers to anti-clockwise relative to Dublin city centre . The South Eastern Motorway section, a radial route, was originally meant to be part of the M11. It curves in the "wrong" direction relative to the city centre).
After Junction 17, the motorway mainline continues as the M11 motorway southbound, with the next opportunity to exit the motorway at the Bray exit.
There is no Junction 8, the junction number having being reserved for a potential extension of the M7 motorway from Lucan/Clondalkin to Naas. This is extremely unlikely to be built given that the N7 Naas Road has been upgraded to three lanes with at grade junctions changed to motorway style filter lanes. However, it is an objective of South Dublin County Council to construct a new junction and use to it provide local access to the Cloverhill area of Palmerstown. This is also very unlikely to happen as the NRA have stated they are against the provision of new interchanges on the existing M50 as they are seen to contribute to traffic congestion on the route and undermine its function as a motorway.
External links
Roadworks Signage on M50 during widening
★ M50 Motorway Upgrade
★ M50 Route Map (from NRA)
★ Environmental Impact Statement on M50 Upgrade Scheme
★ Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006 (PDF)- Department of Transport
References
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
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