N7 road (Ireland)
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| File:N7 national IE.png | |
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| On route / bypassed / bypassed by M7 | |
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The N7 road is a national primary road in Ireland, connecting Limerick and Dublin. Sections of the route that are motorway form the M7 motorway. The road passes through the midlands of Ireland, and acts as a trunk route out of Dublin for the N8/M8 and N9/M9 roads to Cork and Waterford respectively. It forms part of European route E20.
Naas Road
The N7 route connects on the outskirts of Dublin at the Red Cow interchange, an intersection with the M50 motorway.
From the M50, the N7 passes south of Clondalkin leaving the city as the "Naas Road". A Template:Km to mi section of the N7 south of the M50 junction was upgraded to three lanes of dual-carriageway (i.e. an extra lane on each side), with work having commenced on the 4 January 2005 and concluded on 14 August 2006 (thumbnail left); having been originally dualled between 1963 and 1968. This section of the N7 bypasses Kill and Johnstown in County Kildare. As part of the upgrade, grade-separated interchanges were constructed. The old junctions consisted of traffic lights with a break in the dual-carriageway median. The three lane section ends at junction 9 (Naas, Sallins) with a left hand lane-drop/lane-gain for traffic leaving/entering here.The section of the N7 between Naas and Dublin is the second busiest road in the country.
New signage erected as part of this scheme includes junction numbers (previously the only numbered N7 junctions were some of the interchanges on the M7 motorway).
The N7 is the only one of the inter-urban routes out of Dublin which does not commence in Dublin city centre, but rather at the M50. The original N7 route (under the Local Government (Roads and Motorways) Act, 1974 (Decleration of National Roads) Order, 1977) started the route in Dublin city centre, like the other national routes, with the route originally running through Inchicore village before reaching the Naas Road. However in 1994, following the construction of the Chapelizod bypass which brought the N4 road in to Dublin city centre as dual carriageway, the N7 inside the M50 was downgraded to regional road status (as the R110 road), with N7 traffic being signposted to use the N4 and M50 rather than the original route through Inchicore.
M7 motorway
Template:IRL motorway routebox
Outside Dublin, five consecutive bypass projects lasting from 1983 to 2004, around Naas, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin and Portlaoise, have replaced the single carriageway road (and the Naas to Newbridge dual-carriageway) with motorway. The N7 road originally passed through the town centres of each of these towns. This route section is designated the M7 motorway, and is continuous between north of Naas and west of Portlaoise, following the opening of the Monasterevin bypass in late 2004. The bypassed roads that used to be the N7 at various times are all now classified as the R445 road. The N7 is noted for two firsts in the history of Irish roads - the first substantial length of dual carriageway in the Republic of Ireland, running Template:Km to mi from Dublin to Naas which was completed in 1968 and also the Republic of Ireland's first section of motorway, the Template:Km to mi Naas Bypass, opened in 1983 bypassing the original route through the town.
Portlaoise to Limerick
South of Portlaoise, the N7 passes through Mountrath, Castletown and Borris-in-Ossory (a stopover for Dublin–Limerick Bus Éireann services). A bypass skirts Roscrea, although the road is close to the town, necessitating a low speed limit, and a number of roundabout junctions. The N7 passes through Dunkerrin, Moneygall and Toomevara, all small villages along the route. A couple of kilometres after Toomevara, the route proceeds along a Template:Km to mi bypass of Nenagh. There are junctions at either end of the bypass, but no junction for the R498 to Thurles, although a grade separated junction will be constructed here as part of the upgrade of this single carriageway bypass.
The only major settlement between Nenagh and Limerick is at Birdhill. Traffic calming and speed limits also apply at Daly's Cross, a much smaller settlement close to Limerick. The N7 route officially follows the Southern Ring Road around Limerick City to meet the N20 near Carew Park. As of 2006[update], most signage in Limerick City has not been upgraded to reflect this, and the R445 (old N7 route through the city) [1] is mostly still signposted as the N7. The R445 is properly signposted from the N7 at the beginning of the Southern Ring Road.
Limerick Southern Ring Road Scheme
This project is divided into 2 phases; Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 of the scheme consists of approximately Template:Km to mi of dual carriageway, and was completed in May 2004, and joins the N20 road to Cork and the N21 road to Kerry.
Construction started on Phase 2 of the scheme on 26 October 2006, when the then Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, turned the sod on the project. Phase 2 will consist of Template:Km to mi of dual carriageway, 11 bridges, 6 underpasses, 4 interchanges and 900m (½ mile) of tunnel under the River Shannon. The scheme will link up to the N18 Ennis Road. The project is expected to be completed by September 2010. It will be tolled.
The tunnel project is a PPP (Public Private Partnership), and will cost roughly €660m. The cost to the actual government will be around €360m.
Map of Route
Junctions
The junctions on the Naas Bypass and Newbridge Bypass sections of the M7 were previously numbered J7-J11 (now renumbered Junctions 9-13), in the expectation that an M7 motorway would be built along a new alignment. Instead the Naas Road dual-carriageway was upgraded. The R113 junction (Newlands Cross) is (2008) the only remaining at-grade junction between the M50 and M7, with traffic lights and a break in central median. There are plans to construct a grade separated interchange here. [2] There also remain some private accesses and minor exits prior to J9, the beginning of the M7 motorway.
| N7 National Primary Route (Dual Carriageway) | |||
| Northbound exit | Junction | Southbound exit | |
M50 motorway 
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N/A | |
| Newlands Cross (at grade); Belgard Road for Tallaght; Fonthill Road for Clondalkin (R113) |
— | Newlands Cross (at grade); Belgard Road for Tallaght; Fonthill Road for Clondalkin (R113) | |
| Kingswood Interchange: Outer Ring Road (R136) | 
|
Kingswood Interchange: Outer Ring Road (R136) | |
| Citywest Road (N82) | 
|
Citywest Road (N82) | |
| Rathcoole | 
|
Rathcoole | |
| Steelstown Interchange: Steelstown | 
|
Steelstown Interchange: Steelstown | |
| Castlewarden Interchange: Castlewarden (R445) | 
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Castlewarden Interchange: Castlewarden (R445) | |
| Kill Interchange: Kill (R445) | 
|
Kill Interchange: Kill (R445) | |
| Johnstown Interchange: Johnstown (R445) | 
|
Johnstown Interchange: Johnstown (R445) | |
| M7 Motorway | |||
| Northbound exit | Junction | Southbound exit | |
| Maudlin's Interchange: Naas, Sallins (R445) |
|
Maudlin's Interchange: Naas, Sallins (R445) | |
| Newbridge, Caragh and Togher services | 
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Newbridge, Caragh and Togher services | |
| No access | 
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The SOUTH EAST (M9 )
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| The Curragh, Newbridge (R445) | 
|
The Curragh | |
| Kildare, Nurney (R415) | 
|
Kildare Nurney (R415) | |
| Monasterevin (R445) | 
|
Monasterevin (R445) | |
| Portarlington, Emo, The Heath (R423) | 
|
Portarlington, Emo, The Heath (R423) | |
| Portlaoise (R445) (Carlow, Tullamore, N80) | 
|
Portlaoise (R445) (Carlow, Tullamore, N80) | |
| Cork, Cashel (N8); Portlaoise (R423) | 
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Cork, Cashel (N8); Portlaoise (R423) | |
| Portlaoise (R445) | 
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No access | |
| M7 Motorway (Under Construction) | |||
| Northbound exit | Junction | Southbound exit | Completion |
| No access | 
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The SOUTH (M8 )
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Q4 2010 [3] |
| Coolfin (Restricted, local access, nr Aghaboe) | 
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Coolfin (Restricted, local access, nr Aghaboe) | |
| Borris-in-Ossory | 
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Borris-in-Ossory | Q3 2010 [4] |
| Roscrea | 
|
Roscrea | |
| Moneygall | 
|
Moneygall | |
| Toomevara, Nenagh (R445) | 
|
Toomevara, Nenagh (R445) | |
| Knockalton, Nenagh, Thurles (R498) | 
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Knockalton, Nenagh, Thurles (R498) | Q1 2010 [5] |
| Carrigatoher, Nenagh (R445) | 
|
Carrigatoher, Nenagh (R445) | |
| Birdhill | 
|
Birdhill | |
| M7 Motorway | |||
| Northbound exit | Junction | Southbound exit | |
| Annacotty, Limerick (R445), Newport (R503) | 
|
Annacotty, Limerick (R445), Newport (R503) | |
| Ballysimon (N24) | 
|
Ballysimon (N24) | |
| Rossbrien (M20) | 
|
Rossbrien (M20) | |
| Under Construction | |||
| Northbound exit | Junction | Southbound exit | Completion |
| Dock Road (N69) | 
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Dock Road (N69) | Q4 2010 [6] |
| Shannon Tunnel | |||
| Coonagh West | 
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Coonagh West | |
| End of N7, start of N18 | |||