An Bord Pleanála Ref.: HA0046 / MA0013 An Bord Pleanála ASSISTING INSPECTOR’S REPORT TO SENIOR INSPECTOR NATURE AND PURPOSE OF REPORT: To inform the report of the Board’s Senior Inspector on traffic and transport issues arising, including the adequacy of baseline information, the assessment of the likely impacts on traffic and transportation and the appropriateness and validity of traffic modelling; the need for the scheme having regard to policy provision, the strategic function of the road and road safety; and detailed design issues having regard to relevant roads standards. Local Authority : Kildare County Council. Proposed scheme : M7 Osberstown Interchange and R407 Sallins Bypass scheme. Dates of Site Inspection : 08/05/14 and 15/05/14 Date of oral hearing : 3rd , 4 th and 6th of June 2014 Inspector : John Desmond HA0046 / MA0013 An Bord Pleanála Page 1 of 65 Part A 1.0 SITE DESCRIPTION 1.1 The application site, comprising those lands contained within the indicated boundary in drawings figure 1.2 ‘Proposed Scheme Layout’, of EIS Volume 3, can be best described in three sections. • The proposed Osberstown Interchange entails work along a c.1.6km length of the M7 extending west / southwest from the underbridge to the Grand Canal Naas line. The proposed interchange is located at approximately the point of an existing agricultural access overbridge. The site extends to (and includes part of) the existing roundabout on the Western Distributor Road in Millennium Park, Naas, c.250m from the existing edge of the M7 mainline and c.200m to the north of the existing edge of the mainline where it will connect to the Sallins bypass. • The proposed Sallins bypass extends for a length of c.3.65km, connecting to the M7 via the proposed Osberstown Interchange at the southern end of the scheme and to the Clane Road, at the northern end of the scheme, c.200m from the edge of the built up area of the town, although improvements will be undertaken on Clane Road up to the built up area. The route runs along the western side of Sallins town, following a path approximately parallel with the M7 mainline for c.500m before a taking sweeping 90-degree turn north, running west of the Grand Canal Naas line (Corbally), crossing the Osberstown Road L2006, the Dublin – Cork railway line, the Grand Canal Leinster line and the River Liffey before returning c.90-degrees in an easterly direction and crossing the River Liffey a second time. • The site also includes the line of a link road between the proposed bypass, from a point located approximately centrally between the Grand Canal (Leinster branch) and the River Liffey, to the junction of Clane Road (just north of Main Street) and Millbank at ‘Home Farm’. The route of the proposed link road follows the line of Millbank Road up to (approximately) the easternmost entrance to Millbank housing estate, before diverging gradually in a northwest direction, cutting over the access to the football fields (to the north), and running between and encroaching to a relatively small degree on the Castlesize housing estate to the north and the utility site (a sewage works) to the south. The route then sweeps west, south and west again over agricultural fields. The total length of the route measures c.1.25km. A revised access road is proposed for the Millbank west access and to the western end of Millbank Road. HA0046 / MA0013 An Bord Pleanála Page 2 of 65 2.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: 2.1 The proposed development comprises, as follows: • A grade separated junction, of typical dumbbell design, on the M7 providing connectivity between the national road network (M7) and the R407 Sallins bypass to the north and the existing local and regional road network in Naas to the south. The interchange design has capacity to cater for future traffic needs to 2030 design year. • Segregated slip lanes are proposed to the four proposed slip lanes to the interchange to facilitate free-flow movements and increased capacity at the interchange and are designed with auxiliary lanes to the motorway. • A western bypass (new R407) to Sallins extended to c.3.6km in length. The western bypass includes: o three overbridge crossings - two bridges over the River Liffey and one bridge over the Grand Canal; o two underbridges - one beneath (in a tunnel) the existing Dublin-Cork railway line and the other beneath a partly realigned section of L2030 Osberstown Road. • The southern section of the bypass is dual carriageway in design up to the junction with the proposed link road to the centre of Sallins. The northern section is single carriageway up to the Clane Road junction. • Cyclist and pedestrian facilities are proposed along the northern section of the route between the railway crossing (the road will be contained within a tunnel under the Dublin-Cork rail line 1) and the Clane Road junction. The said pedestrian and cyclist route will connect to the Canal Road on the northern side of the railway line. An additional dedicated pedestrian and cycle connect is proposed to connect the Canal Road to the existing pedestrian and cyclist facilities at Western Distributor Road, although the Canal Road falls mostly outside of the site. • A link road is proposed to connect the bypass (R407) to the centre of Sallins, which will include pedestrian and cyclist facilities in both directions. • A distributor road is proposed to connect the proposed Osberstown Interchange to the Western Distributor Road in Millennium Park, Naas. 1 Cycle/pedestrian facilities are not proposed within the proposed tunnel. HA0046 / MA0013 An Bord Pleanála Page 3 of 65 • The proposed R407 Sallins bypass may facilitate an additional junction in the future to provide for a planned ‘public transport interchange’ (objective PT5 Sallins LAP). • The L2030 Osberstown Road will be partly realigned and will traverse the proposed Sallins bypass via an overbridge. • The Canal Road to the east of the proposed bypass will be partly realigned to provide a replacement junction with the L2030 Osberstown Road. 2.2 Phasing: It is possible that the interchange may be developed first and the bypass constructed at a later stage. 2.3 Road design details The design detail of the proposed Osberstown Interchange is as follows: • Dumbbell layout with two roundabouts either side of a single overbridge. • Full connectivity is proposed with two merge and two diverge slips, in addition to segregated slip roads at the top of the slips to enable traffic to avoid the roundabouts. • Slip lane with auxiliary lanes to the M7. • The cross-sections are as follows: Merge slip roads - 1.5m nearside hard-strip, 4.0m carriageway and 0.5m offside hard-strip; Diverge slip roads - 1.0m hard-strip, 2 X 3.0m carriageway and 0.5m offside hard-strip; Segregated slips – 1.5m hard-strip, 4.0m carriageway and 0.5m offside hard- strip. Auxiliary lane – 3.0m hard-shoulder and 3.5m carriageway • Slip roads to interchange are of 70kph design speed • The overbridge cross-sections are as follows: o 2 X 1.5m raised verge, 2 X 0.5m nearside hard-strip, 2 X 7m carriageway (2 X 3.5m lanes in each direction) and 1.5m central reserve – total width is 19.5. Note: table 4.2 of EIS states total width is 18.6m as the eastern verge width is totalled incorrectly as 1.1m, not 2.0m, when it includes 1.5m raised verge and 0.5m nearside hard-strip. HA0046 / MA0013 An Bord Pleanála Page 4 of 65 Sallins bypass has a design speed of 85kph (posted limit of 80kph). The proposed cross-section is as follows: • Type 2 dual carriageway (between interchange and south of junction with link road) with the following cross-section: 2 X 3.0m verge inclusive of 0.5m nearside hard-strips, 2 X 7m carriageway (2 X 3.5m lanes in each direction) and 1.5m central reserve inclusive of 2 X 0.5m hardstrips – total width is 21.5. • Type 1 single carriageway (between Clane Road R407 and north of junction with link road) with the following cross-section: 2 X 3.0m, 2 X 2.5 hard-shoulders, 1 X 7.3m carriageway (2 X 3.65m lanes) – total width is 18.3. The western verge will reduced to 0.6m as per NRA DMRB TD 27/11 at the River Liffey and Grand Canal crossings. • North of the railway tunnel the eastern verge will be 4.5m to include cycle and pedestrian facilities, consisting of 1.5m segregation verge, 2.5m combined cyclist and pedestrian facility and 0.5m grass verge. Sallins link road has a design speed of 50kph (posted limit of 50kph). The EIS submits that the design of the Sallins Link Road has been completed in accordance with the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS). The proposed cross-section is as follows: • 2 X 5.5m (min) verges comprising 1.5m grass verge, 2.0m one-way cycle track, 1.8m footpath and 0.5m grass verge; 1 +7.0m carriageway (2 X 3.5m lanes) – 18.6m stated as minimum width. Distributor link road has a design speed of 60kph (posted limit not stated) with a cross-section as follows: • 2 X 3m (min) verges, 2 X 6.5m carriageways (comprising 2 X 3.25m lanes in each direction), 2.0m (min) central reserve – 21.0m stated as minimum width. Osberstown Road realigned section has a design speed of 70kph (80kph posted limited) with a cross section as follows: • 2 X 0.25m (min) verges, 6.0m carriageway (2 X 3.0m lanes) – 6.5m stated as minimum width R407 Clane Road realigned section has a design speed of 70kph (posted limit not stated) with a cross section as follows: • 1.5m (min) western verge, 7.0m carriageway (2 X 3.5m) and 3.0m (min) eastern verge – 11.5m stated as minimum width.