The M18 motorway ( ga, Mótarbhealach M18) is an inter-urban
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, forming part of the
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
to
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
national primary road
A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...
, which, in turn, forms part of the
Atlantic Corridor
The Atlantic corridor or Atlantic motorway is a proposed road project in Ireland. The scheme, announced in 2005, was intended to link Waterford in the South-East to Letterkenny in the North-West via motorway or dual carriageway by 2015. However, ...
called for as part of the
Transport 21
Transport 21 was an Irish infrastructure plan, announced in November 2005. Its aims were to greatly expand Ireland's transport network. A cost estimate of €34 billion was attached to the plan at the time.
The plan included continuing inves ...
project.
Route
The motorway starts at junction 9 on the
Shannon bypass and heads in a northerly direction where it bypasses the town of
Newmarket-on-Fergus
Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is 13 kilometres from Ennis, 8 kilometres from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometres from Limerick.
History
The English rendering of the name 'Newm ...
via the
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
s of Killulla, Knocksaggart and Ballyconneely. After Newmarket-on-Fergus the motorway runs alongside
Dromoland
Dromoland Castle ( ga, Drom Ólainn) is a castle, located near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland. It is operated as a five-star luxury hotel with a golf course, with its restaurant, the "Earl of Thomond", being awarded a Miche ...
, where significant historical features can be seen from the mainline.
As the route gets further north it develops into a more modern style of road: the
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
Bypass. The median was constructed with a H2 concrete barrier rather than the wide grassy median seen in the earlier stretch to the south and features a lower noise
wearing course
The wearing course is the upper layer in roadway, airfield, and dockyard construction. The term 'surface course' is sometimes used, however this term is slightly different as it can be used to describe very thin surface layers such as chip seal. In ...
. Bypassing the notorious bottlenecks of
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
town and
Clarecastle village, this section was completed in 2007 and significantly reduces travel times between Galway, Ennis, and Limerick. After passing to the east of Ennis the motorway enters the townlands of Killow and Knockanean.
A 22 km stretch, bypassing
Crusheen
Crusheen () is a small village in County Clare, Ireland, in the civil parish of Crusheen (Inchicronan).
Location
The village is 10 kilometres northeast of Ennis on the R458 road to Gort.
It is in the parish of Crusheen (Inchicronan) in the R ...
village and the town of
Gort
Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...
, was opened in November 2010. The motorway ends at junction 18 of the M6, following its completion in September 2017. The road continues northbound as the
M17 towards
Tuam
Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bronz ...
.
History
*Ennis Bypass (January 2007, as dual carriageway, redesignated as a Motorway)
*Newmarket-on-Fergus Bypass (December 2002, as dual carriageway)
*Crusheen to Gort (November 2010, Motorway)
*Gort to M6/M17 Junction 18 (September 2017, Motorway)
Ennis Bypass
The
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
Bypass opened to traffic as a standard dual carriageway section of the N18 on 26 January 2007, after a construction period of almost three years. It was redesignated as a Motorway on the 28th of August 2009
In addition to Ennis, the road also bypasses the village of
Clarecastle. The scheme was built by Gama Strabeg JV.
Newmarket-on-Fergus Bypass
The
Newmarket-on-Fergus
Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is 13 kilometres from Ennis, 8 kilometres from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometres from Limerick.
History
The English rendering of the name 'Newm ...
Bypass opened as a dual carriageway on 30 September 2002, routing around the town of Newmarket-on-Fergus. The scheme alleviated one of the worst congestion black spots in the country. It includes two grade separated junctions at Carrigoran and Dromoland. It was redesignated as motorway on 28th August 2009.
Ennis (Crusheen) to Gort
Construction of a section of the M18 between Crusheen and
Gort
Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...
commenced in October, 2008 and was opened to traffic on 12 November 2010. This scheme, known as 'Gort to Crusheen', connects to the northern end of the Ennis bypass and provides continuous motorway to just north of Gort in County Galway. The scheme was built by SIAC Wills JV.
Gort to Claregalway
The Gort to
Tuam
Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bronz ...
(M18/M17) route is 58 km (36 mi.) long. The project involved the construction of motorway from Gort to
Athenry
Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virt ...
, extending in the process the total length of the M18 by . It connects to the
M17 Motorway where they cross the Dublin to Galway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
, which opened in December 2009. This was also included in the second tranche of motorway redesignations and was opened as motorway. In April 2014, it was confirmed that it would proceed. Work on the project began on 15 January 2015 and was managed by Direct Route. It was officially opened on 27 September 2017.
Motorway redesignations affecting the M18
Initially, none of the proposed dual carriageway between Limerick and Galway outlined in the
Transport 21
Transport 21 was an Irish infrastructure plan, announced in November 2005. Its aims were to greatly expand Ireland's transport network. A cost estimate of €34 billion was attached to the plan at the time.
The plan included continuing inves ...
programme was to operate under motorway restrictions. However, the
National Roads Authority
The National Roads Authority (NRA) ( ga, An tÚdarás um Bóithre Náisiúnta) was a state body in Ireland, responsible for the national road network. The NRA was established as part of the Roads Act 1993 and commenced operations on 23 December ...
(NRA) decided late in 2008 to include all sections of grade separated N18 – whether built, under construction, or still at the planning stage – in its second tranche of motorway redesignation proposals.
These were approved by the Minister for Transport in July 2009, and the changes came into effect on 28 August 2009.
Junctions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:M18 Motorway (Ireland)
Motorways in the Republic of Ireland
Roads in County Clare
Roads in County Galway