RPS delivers shared value and safety for motorists on M11 motorway
16 August 2019 | 2 min read
At RPS, we seek to solve problems that matter to a complex, urbanising and resource-scarce world. The recent opening of the new M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway demonstrates a collaborative success as Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) praise the scheme for making journeys safer boosting jobs in the local area.
A spokesperson for TII said that the new motorway design was “four times safer” than the old single-carriage network and would reduce “head-on collision rates”. He continued “It will improve road user safety as well as help to provide the southeast region of the country with the capacity to manage economic growth well into the future.”
The project provides a high-quality safe link within the South East region and eases congestion by bypassing Camolin, Ferns, and Enniscorthy (both East and West); providing huge benefit to the local community, with significant reductions in travel times along the Dublin to Wexford route.
RPS acted as Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP) on the scheme and collaborated as part of a Design Joint Venture with Arup to deliver the detailed design and supervise construction. We also provided the Project Ecologist service for the entire scheme.
With overall design responsibility for the northern 21.5km section of the main motorway, our remit included: two grade separated interchanges at Frankfort and Ballydawmore (N30/N80 link); one railway crossing; 10 road overbridges; two road underbridges; 20 accommodation underpasses; and 21 large box culverts.
Our Project Ecology team oversaw the construction works and implemented the conditions of planning and the EIS in the design. Our deep expertise in environmental and ecological sensitivities provided the unique insight required as the scheme both crosses and is in close proximity to the Slaney River Valley; designated a candidate special area of conservation (cSAC) and proposed Natural Heritage Area (pNHA).
Officially opening the motorway, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD called the project “a first-class piece of transport infrastructure”. This project was the culmination of years of hard work across a number of RPS disciplines and departments collaborating to create long lasting, positive impactful solutions, solving real word challenges and improving liveability.