M8 motorway (Ireland)

For the motorway in Scotland, see M8 motorway (Scotland).

This motorway forms part of the N8 route.

File:J11 Chevron.jpg

M8 road signage in County Tipperary.

The M8 motorway (Template:Lang-ga) is a motorway in Ireland, forming part of the N8 Dublin to Cork national primary route. Currently, the motorway exists in two parts: the 17.5 km Fermoy to Rathcormac bypass and the 37 km Cashel to Mitchelstown scheme, which ties into the 6.7 km Cashel Bypass. Prior to July 2008, the majority of the M8 - from the junction at Urlingford to Exit 14 north of Fermoy - was to be built as High Quality Dual Carriageway (HQDC). A Statutory Instrument, usable at the discretion of the Irish Minister for Transport subject to certain criteria, saw parts of both the existing M8 corridor and the yet-to-be-finished M8 corridor reclassified as a motorway. The changes come into effect on 24 September, 2008. The schemes affected are the Fermoy to Mitchelstown project; the Cashel to Urlingford segment; the Cashel Bypass; and the Cashel to Mitchelstown stretch.

Route

Fermoy to Watergrasshill

This section of the M8, bypassing both Fermoy and Rathcormac, is a toll road, linking up to the Watergrasshill bypass. Construction started in June 2004 and was completed in October 2006. The stretch comprises junctions 14 through 17. Toll plazas are located between junctions 16 and 17 and at the southbound exit of junction 15. The current toll for cars is €1.80. The road is operated by Direct Route.

The M8 ends at junction 17, where it blends into the N8 Watergrasshill bypass. There are plans to re-designate the Watergrasshill bypass to motorway standard, although a 100 km/h speed limit would have to be kept between Junctions 18 and 19.

Cashel to Mitchelstown

This 37 km stretch of motorway was fully opened with a 100 km/h speed limit on 25 July 2008, some 10 months ahead of schedule. Twelve kilometres of the scheme had already opened nine months prior to this. This previously opened stretch, located between Cahir and Cashel, runs between Junctions 9 and 12 on the M8 and opened as a National Roadway section of the then N8 with green signage. As of August 29, 2008, this green signage was replaced with blue motorway signage in preparation for the motorway redesignation changeover, which comes into effect from September 24, 2008.

Though the section between Cashel and Mitchelstown carries the blue signage associated with motorways, motorway restrictions will not apply until 24 September 2008. The section has a 100 km/h speed limit imposed upon it. This will change to 120 km/h from 24 September 2008.

Cashel Bypass

The 6.7 km Cashel Bypass opened as a standard dual carriageway section of the N8 in October 2004 with a speed limit of 100 km/h at a cost of EUR 48 million. On July 17 2008, it was officially redesignated a motorway by Statutory Instrument. The redesignation comes into effect at midnight on September 24 2008. From that date blue cantilever signage will replace the green signage erected in 2004, and the section will be called the M8. A 100 km/h speed limit will continue to apply, however. When the Cashel to Mitchelstown Scheme opened in July 2008, its northern end was fused with the southern end of the Cashel Bypass, making the two projects the same road. The same will happen at the northern end of the Cashel Bypass when the Cashel to Cullahill Scheme is completed; then the M8 will run from Cullahill in County Laois to 1 km south of Kilbeheny in County Cork.

Future

Sections under construction

As of 2008, all sections yet to be completed are under construction. By the end of 2010, the M8 motorway will be completed and will include up to 19 junctions.

• The construction of an upgrade between Portlaoise and Cullahill is in progress. It will provide a motorway south of Portlaoise that will diverge from the M7 as the M8 motorway. This project, the Portlaoise/Castletown/Cullahill PPP Scheme, will extend motorway from Naas in Co. Kildare to Cullahill on the current N8 (the scheme also extends the M7 from Portlaoise to Castletown). The motorway will be subject to toll south of Portlaoise on the M7 before the junction with the M8. Construction began in June 2007, and is expected to last until late 2010.
• The Cullahill to Cashel section will add a further 40 km of motorway to the M8. Construction began on 5 October 2006. When complete, the scheme will directly connect at its southern end with the northern end of the Cashel Bypass, which opened in 2004. Officially, the Cullahill to Cashel project is not scheduled to be completed until June 2009. Unofficially, the scheme is progressing rapidly, and could open by late October 2008.
• The final remaining project on the M8 corridor is the 22 km Mitchelstown to Fermoy Scheme. Starting at Junction 12 south of Kilbeheny, it will provide motorway to just north of Fermoy, where it will blend into the existing M8 Fermoy Bypass (Junction 14). Construction started in December 2007, and is progressing very quickly. If the present rate of construction is maintained, the scheme will open for public use by April 2009.
• Upon completion, the M8 will be approximately 155 km (96 mi) in length.

Proposed Service Areas

The National Roads Authority (NRA) has planned the construction Motorway Service Areas at approximately 60 kilometre intervals along each of Ireland's interurban routes. Under this plan, the M8 will have two such areas. One will be located south of Junction 9, while the other will be sited between Junctions 13 and 14 (See here, p.25). As of September 2008, no details regarding the physical construction of the M8 service stations have been announced.

Junctions

File:A lull in the traffic on the M8 J12.jpg

A lull in the traffic on the M8 at J12, July 2008.

File:Cashel to Cullahill close to southern end of scheme, 28 aug 08.jpg

Part of the M8 Cashel to Cullahill Scheme under construction north of Cashel, August 2008.

File:Mitch to Fermoy south of exit 13 aug 08.jpg

The M8 Mitchelstown Fermoy Scheme under construction, late August 2008. The foothills of the Galtee Mountains can be seen in the background.

M8 motorway (under construction)
Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit	Completion
The NORTHEAST (M7 ) - Dublin, Portlaoise, Kildare, Naas		Start of M8	Q4 2010
Local access		Local access
Rathdowney, Abbeyleix (R433), Durrow (R434)		Rathdowney, Abbeyleix (R433), Durrow (R434)
Urlingford, Johnstown (R639)		Urlingford, Johnstown (R639)	Q2 2009
Two-Mile Borris (R639), Thurles (N75)		Two-Mile Borris (R639), Thurles (N75)
Horse and Jockey (R639), Thurles (N62)		Horse and Jockey (R639), Thurles (N62)
M8 motorway
Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit
Cashel (R639)		Cashel (R639)
No Access		Cashel, Clonmel (R668)
Cashel, New Inn (R639)		Cashel, New Inn (R639)
Cahir, New Inn, Clonmel, Limerick, Waterford (R670)		Cahir, New Inn, Clonmel, Limerick, Waterford (R670)
Cahir, Mitchelstown Cave		Cahir, Mitchelstown Cave
Mitchelstown, Kilbeheny (R639)		Mitchelstown, Kilbeheny (R639)
M8 motorway (under construction)
Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit	Completion
Mitchelstown (R639)		Mitchelstown (R639)	Q1 2010
M8 motorway
Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit
End of motorway		Start of motorway
Fermoy, Rathcormac (R639)		Fermoy (R639)
Rathcormac (R639)		No access
Toll plaza
Watergrasshill (R639)		Watergrasshill (R639)
N8 dual carriageway (may become motorway)
Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit
Glanmire (R639)		Glanmire (R639)
Waterford, Midleton, Lee Tunnel (N25)		Waterford, Midleton, Lee Tunnel (N25)
End of N8 at Saint Patrick's Quay

External links

• Motorway re-designation