M50 motorway (Ireland)

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For other uses, see M50 motorway (disambiguation).

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M50 motorway

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Mano cursor.svg Clickable image
Route information
Length: 45.5 km (28.3 mi)
Existed: 1990 – present
History: Completed 1990–2005
Upgraded 2006–2010
Major junctions
From: Dublin Port
  Motorway Exit 3 Ireland.PNGM1 reduced motorway IE.png
Motorway Exit 5 Ireland.PNGN2 national IE.png
Motorway Exit 6 Ireland.PNGN3 national IE.png
Motorway Exit 7 Ireland.PNGN4 national IE.png
Motorway Exit 9 Ireland.PNGN7 national IE.png
Motorway Exit 11 Ireland.PNGN81 National IE.png
Motorway Exit 14 Ireland.PNGN31 national IE.png
Motorway Exit 17 Ireland.PNGM11 reduced motorway IE.png
To: Shankill
Location
Primary
destinations:		 Dublin, Finglas, Blanchardstown, Ballymount, Tallaght, Sandyford
Road network

The M50 motorway (Irish: Mótarbhealach M50) is a C-shaped orbital motorway in Dublin and the busiest motorway in Ireland. The current route was built in various sections over the course of 27 years, from 1983 to 2010. It begins at Dublin Port, running northward through the Dublin Port Tunnel and along a portion of the Airport Motorway. It then turns west at its junction with the M1, circling the northern, western and southern suburbs of Dublin, before merging with the M11 at Shankill in South East Dublin. The road forms part of European route E01.

An orbital motorway for Dublin was first proposed in the Dublin Transportation Study of 1971. Construction began on the first section, the Western Parkway (J6-J11) in 1987, and opened to traffic in 1990. This was followed by the Northern Cross Route (J3-J6) in 1996, the Southern Cross Route (J11-J13) in 2001, and the Southeastern Motorway (J13-J17) in 2005. The M50 route was extended to Dublin Port in 2006, via a section of the 1985 Airport Motorway (up to then a part of the M1) and the newly opened Dublin Port Tunnel.

A massive upgrade project commenced in early 2006 due to the motorway's chronic capacity problems. Lanes were added J3-J13, and many of the low-capacity roundabout interchanges were replaced with free-flowing interchanges. These upgrades were completed in 2010.

Layout

4-lane section of M50

The M50 was originally planned to divert traffic travelling on National Primary Routes away from the city (a full bypass of Dublin). Due to urban expansion it now runs through Dublin's suburbs and serves a route for Dublin itself, connecting the suburbs.

All of the National Primary Routes leaving Dublin have junctions with the M50. The junctions were originally in the form of grade-separated signal-controlled roundabout junctions, not free-flowing interchanges. The M50 mainline itself was free-flow through all junctions. The other primary routes served are the N2 to Derry/Monaghan, N3 to Navan/Cavan/Northwest, N4/M4 to Galway/Sligo/Mayo, N7/M7 (M8) to Cork/Limerick/Waterford, and the N11/M11 to Wexford. Additional junctions along the motorway serve other suburbs of Dublin such as Ballymun, Tallaght, Naas, Dundrum, Sandyford and Cherrywood.

Most of these interchanges were subject to high levels of traffic congestion, as was the former toll-plaza north of the West-Link bridge. The busier roundabout junctions were signal-controlled, with tailbacks extending for several kilometres at rush hour. The most infamous was the Red Cow roundabout junction with the N7, formerly dubbed the "Mad Cow Roundabout".[1] 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 used to cross two slip roads at-grade, before continuing city-bound in the median of the R110 (formerly N7). As part of the M50 upgrade works (see below), these at-grade crossings were removed, and on December 2008, the completely reconstructed interchange was open. This greatly reduced the congestion at the once-notorious traffic black-spot.

The roundabout at the N3 is also notable as the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line pass through its centre.

The original speed limit on the M50 was 70 mph (112 km/h). The Southern Cross Route from J12-J13 was given a lower limit of 60 mph (96 km/h), due to its more undulating, twisting route. The route from J3-J13 was changed to 100 km/h after the Republic of Ireland's speed limits became metric in 2005, while the Southeastern Motorway section (J13-J17) became 120 km/h. The Airport Motorway-Port Tunnel section of the route from J1-J3 has a speed limit of 80 km/h due to the closely packed junctions and heavy volume of weaving traffic.

Junctions

M50 access ramp
Between J1 and J2
M50 Dundrum exit at evening rush hour.
M50 reduced motorway IE.png
Anti-clockwise ("Southbound") Junction Clockwise ("Northbound")
Start of motorway Terminals 1&2 Motorway Exit 1 Ireland.png End of motorway Dublin Port Terminals 1&2
Dublin Port Tunnel Ireland Road Toll Symbol.png
No exit Motorway Exit 2 Ireland.png Coolock, Santry R104, City Centre N1 Non-Tunnel traffic
Belfast, Dublin Airport M1, (Malahide) N32 (R107) Motorway Exit 3 Ireland.PNG Belfast, Dublin Airport M1, (Malahide) N32 (R107)
Ballymun R108 Ballymun Road Motorway Exit 4 Ireland.PNG Ballymun R108 Ballymun Road, Santry Avenue, IKEA
Finglas, Phibsboro, Dublin N2 (R135) Motorway Exit 5 Ireland.PNG (Ashbourne), Derry N2 (R135) North Road, Finglas Road
Cabra, City Centre N3 (Blanchardstown Bypass) Tyrrelstown Boulevard Motorway Exit 6 Ireland.PNG Castleknock, Blanchardstown, The NORTH WEST N3 Navan Road, Phoenix Park Tyrrelstown Boulevard
West-Link Ireland Road Toll Symbol.png
Palmerstown, Lucan, The WEST N4 (N5-M6) (Lucan Road) Motorway Exit 7 Ireland.PNG Palmerstown, Lucan, The WEST N4 (N5-M6) Chapelizod Bypass, Con Colbert Road, Victoria Quay.
Clondalkin, Naas, Crumlin R110, The SOUTH N7 (M8-M9) Naas Road, Monastery Road, Newlands Cross, Belgard Road, Luas Park n Ride, Kingswood Interchange, Citywest. Motorway Exit 9 Ireland.PNG Clondalkin, Naas, Crumlin R110, The SOUTH N7 (M8-M9) Naas Road, Long Mile Road, Walkinstown Avenue.
Ballymount R838 Parkhill Heights Boulevard Motorway Exit 10 Ireland.PNG Ballymount R838 Parkhill Heights Boulevard
Tallaght, Templeogue, Blessington, Tullow N81 Templeogue Road, Springfield Avenue. Motorway Exit 11 Ireland.PNG Tallaght, Templeogue, Blessington, Tullow N81 Tallaght Bypass.
Firhouse, Knocklyon, (R113) Motorway Exit 12 Ireland.PNG Firhouse, Knocklyon, (R113)
Dundrum (R826), Sandyford (R133), Ballinteer (R113) Motorway Exit 13 Ireland.PNG Dundrum (R826), Sandyford, Dún Laoghaire N31
Dún Laoghaire N31 Motorway Exit 14 Ireland.PNG No exit
Leopardstown / Carrickmines Motorway Exit 15 Ireland.PNG Leopardstown / Carrickmines
Loughlinstown, Shankill N11 (Northbound) Motorway Exit 16 Ireland.PNG Loughlinstown / Cherrywood
Motorway continues as M11 for The SOUTH EAST Motorway Exit 17 Ireland.PNG Shankill, Dublin M11

The South Eastern Motorway section, a radial route, was originally meant to be part of the M11. It curves away from the city centre and instead joins the N11 at junction 17 heading south. The next opportunity to exit the motorway at the Bray North exit of the M11.

There is no Junction 8, the junction number having been reserved for a potential extension of the M7 motorway from Lucan/Clondalkin to Naas. This is unlikely to be built given that the N7 Naas Road has been upgraded to dual three lane with at grade junctions converted to grade-separated interchanges or left-in, left-out (LILOs) junctions. 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.[citation needed] 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.

Future plans

M50 J13/J14 overlap
M50 widening (Southern Cross section between J12 and J13), looking west (northbound) in June 2008

Completion of Dublin's ring road by the building of an Eastern Bypass of the city has been proposed. This plan is 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 was included in the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Development Plan, with space allowed for an interchange where it crosses the N11. The Dublin Port Tunnel, which opened on 20 December 2006, would form the northern half of the Eastern bypass. This project was cancelled in 2009.

Another outer orbital road has been proposed for the Dublin region. It will, if approved, run approximately from Drogheda via Navan, Trim and Kilcock towards Naas.

See also

External links

References

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