The N11 Gorey to Arklow Link road project in Ireland was completed two months ahead of schedule. The 22.9km dual carriageway project involved complex construction including two railway bridges, ten road bridges, environmental mitigation works, and addressing unstable soil conditions. Challenges during construction included planning works near rail lines and complying with strict environmental regulations. The new road is expected to reduce travel times, improve safety, and reduce traffic and pollution in the town of Gorey.

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INTERCHA~NG!E F:Q:RESIHADOWS
COMPL'ET1IOIN O'F N11 GOREY/ARKLOW
A 15 <.<r sec: o~ c= :re ' r 1 Gorey to Arklow Link- from Clogh to the Tinnock
lmercna-ge - ooened on July 4th. The contractor, Roadbridge Ltd., will deliver the
ema'noer of the € 179 million Design & Build project on September 5th, two months
aheao of schedule. Tony O'Neill, Project Resident Engineer for the N11 Gorey to
Arklow Link describes the distinctive aspects of the project, the challenges faced in
delivering it and the benefits that will result.
T
he N 11 Gorey to Arklow Link comprises the
construction of approximately 22.9km of dual
carriageway and includes a by-pass of Gorey Town.
It commences on the existing N1 1 approximately three km
south of the village of Clogh and progresses northwards
deviating from the existing N11 at Ballinclare where it takes
an easterly route around Gorey town. Between Gorey and
Arklow, it bypasses the village of Inch and runs roughly
parallel to the existing N1 1 ultimately connecting to the
existing southern junction of the Arklow By-Pass. It crosses
the county boundary from iVexford to iVicklow County at the
tributary of the Avoca River.
The development also includes the construction of
approximately 1.5km of single carriageway road, the new
Arklow Link Road, which will join the existing N11 to
LJ.--..ll 6 the western roundabout of the southern junction of the
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Arklow by-pass. Further realignments are being carried
out on a number of local and regional roads where they are
intersected by the N 11 Gorey to Arklow Link. A number
of new junctions are being constructed as part of the road
de'elopment:
An at-grade roundabout is located at the southern rie-in ro
the existing N ll , south of Clogh. This will pro,·ide access
to Clogh village, Gorey town, the N ll Gorey to .-rklow
Link and existing N 'll ;
The Raheenagurren grade-separated juncu• n will provide
access to the R741 Ballycanew Road, the R/.J.2 Courtown
Road, Gorey town and the L-5082-02 Kn. ockduff Road;
The T innock grade-separated junction" •II provide access
to the the existing N11 and Nl l Gore~ to Arklow Link,
Gorey town and the North Vexford hm1erland including
Inch.

2. T he scheme also includes:
Two railway underbridges;
ten overbridges;
seven underbri dges;
twelve farm underpasses, and;
The scheme includes
railway underbridges.
three major culverts across the Banoge, the Inch and the
Clonough Rivers.
Making a start
The official stan date of ::o,•ember 5th 2005 was nor an
ideal time to begin work. ~lany com~ct• .r,._ 1:mn all. prefe·
to make a stan ar..und April. H ·• e- c~: Roadbrid::e L;d.
(contractor) and Fehily, Timo~e:r & Giii'o:d (ckoi;nc).~: up
temporary site offic.,-, i:1 o:re of 5~~ hou..~· uq~ed a• pa:-:
of this scheme and tht>n mobtli•ed m Oc;,obc; - embracin~
favou rable weather C1 ·ndi:ion-. ~ilicb. excep:in::; the month
of April, would last tnrou::h :he ~ummer of ::: o6 - to begin
construction of a haul r03d a:td construction of structures tO
carry this haul road o,·er :hecounty roads.
Environmental co nsiderations
There were numerous en"Jr< ·nmemal constraints imposed
oy the Environmental lmp-.cr Statement and conditions
set by An Borel Pleanala. subsequently reflected in the
contract documents, which had to be addressed in detail by
the contractor in order tO delh·er the project on time. These
conditions included:
No removal of mature trees between ::ovember and
August inclusive;
No removal of hedgerows berween :larch and August
inclusive;
No in-stream works in watercourses between October and
Engineers Journal IVolume 61: Issue 61 July/August 2007
April inclusive;
Noise and vibration limitation;
Dust nuisance;
Avoiding siltation of watercourses due to run-off
from the site;
Prevention of groundwater contamination -the
carriageway drainage for approximately 6km is lined with a
reinforced birumin•>U"' membrane to prevent the possibility
of zroundw:ner comammauon, and;
:: -e mi1igation - almost three km of timber noise barrier,
t:--. udin~ p;.rapt:: intill across structures- ISEN 1794
& 1- j.;. compliant- was installed over the extent of the
s.:heme to comply with the noise mitigation requi rements
set out in the Environmental Impact Statement and
conditions set by An Bord Pleanala.
In addition, this mitigation was supplemented by low
noise thin layer asphalt wearing course used throughout
the scheme.
Stability concerns
JVIacamore soils occupy 9.01 per cent of County Wexford.
The parent material consists of dense, calcareous, marine
muds and oozes. It is natu rall y poorly drained, has a weak
structllre and is 'heavy' in textu re. Reflecting concerns
about the medium-to-long term stability of this material,
the specimen design called for side slopes of one vertical
to three horizontal where this material- over a distance of
approximately 1Okm - impacted on the new N11.
The contractOr addressed this at detailed design stage by
revising the vertical al ignmen t, and at construction stage by
'working' the material with appropriate plant in appropriate
weather conditions.
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The contractor is confident that the project will be delivered two months ahead of schedule.
Serious challenges
T u
B~ -P..,.::-.
The planning and design process for both structures involved
significant project time by all parties as all communications,
submissions etc. to be provided by the contractor to Iarnrod
Eireann had to be submitted via the engineer. Nowhere
during the project was the commitment given by all
signatories to the project charter- to work together with
openness and integrity and to commit to effective teamwork
and co-operation to make this a successful project- more
in evidence than during this process. Approval to begin
construction of the Coolnastud structu re was finally given
in mid-September 2006 and the finished product now ranks
as the longest- approximately 150 metres- reinforced earth
larnrod Eireann underbridge in the country.
Earthworks
The contractor adjusted the specimen design vertical
alignment to minimise cut/fill operations and, fu rthermore,
assigned a huge volume of earthmoving plant - which peaked
at over 30 excavators, 40 dumptrucks, 12 dozers and 12
rollers- to the site enabling substantial completion of this
element during the season of 2006.
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Safety management
...~fe: !' ,..ue :~pPcd ·he a:::enda at all progre;;, meetings.
- ;be;-e M~ been rwo reportable incidents - both
~"nl ii:-.-; :aid Ttquin:mem, ::.mce the
.e ;ht bzckd:op i~ !hat
•.i = ho;;;.;--' ~ bten uur:.ed to date
·h m re :h..n ~ :'C="- ·:-.-..:~ ;.,du<:ed 0.'1 .-i:e. G~: credit
i::. due to lorgan Sheehy BE C En~ :II EI Eudn; I IHT
-Project :Ianager for Roadbridge Ltd on the ,;cheme - and
his staff fo r delivering this project ahead of programme, but
above all, for delivering it with a safety record on site that is,
arguably, second to none.
Archaeological impact
T he 23km long scheme revealed an exciting archaeological
landscape. An intensive investigation strategy consisting of
desk-based archaeological assessment and a walkover study
was undertaken to assess the impact of the scheme on the
archaeological heritage. The development was designed to
avoid all the known archaeological monuments identified
within the scheme's proximity.
This archaeological assessment was further informed by both
a geophysical and underwater survey. In January 2005, Irish
Archaeological Consultancy Ltd undertook test excavations
to ensu re the investigation and preservation of sites along the
route. As a result, a total of 53 previously unknown sites were
identified.
That summer, on behalf of the National Roads Authority and
vVexford County Council, archaeological excavations were
carried out by Valerie]. Keely Ltd to ensure the investigation

4. and preservation of sites in advance of road construction.
Analysis of the results is ongoing but it is clear that the work
yielded a diversity of archaeological evidence dating from the
'nineteenth century AD to the fifth millennium BC.
Evidence of later Mesolithic acth·ity (Mesolithic refers to
the middle stone age, 7000-·J.OOO BC) was encountered in the
townland of Coolnaveagh where a collection of Aint tools was
uncovered close to a hearth.
The site was on a plateau o,·erlooking the River Banoge to the
south-west of Gorey. The tools probably indicate a temporary
camp for fishing or hunting-related activities. Their discovery
shows that people had penetrated the dense canopy of
woodland that would ha'e existed in North Wexford during
the era of Ireland's earliest inhabitants.
Current characte ristics
The existing N ll from Dublin to Wexford is characterised
by a range of road types and qualities, reflecting the staged
improvement of the road. In the vicinity of the proposed Nll
Gorey to Arklow Link, the road varies from dual carriageway
on the Arldow by-pass to single carriageway sections with
limited hard shoulder and overtaking opportunities.
This section of the.:-11 has a large number of direct accesses
onto and off the road.
In 2003, four years ago, the average speed on the existing
N11 between Clogh and the Arklow by-pass was 40.9mph
(65.5kmph)
The existing.:- 11 goes through Gorey town and the
villages of Inch and Clogh. It passes through Gorey town
centre (McCurtain Street and Main Street) for a stretch of
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Engineers Journal IVolume 61 : Issue 61July/August 2007
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-.::n.."n3~ely one km.
CO.""lrlic<oi local traffic including pedestrians/cyclists
~c n;.~tional primary route traffic causes severe delays,
,e-:ton and safety issues within the town.
he -.urrent 'Oiume of traffic in the town is such that
iCC ..re significant difficulties experienced by pedestrians
~cmpting ro cross the road, which creates a safety hazard as
lumes increase over the yea rs.
Au•·erse environmental effects are experienced in the town
nduding increased levels of noise, vibration and atmospheric
emissions.
In 2003, fou r years ago, the average speed through Gorey
rown was 14.8mph (23.8kmph).
Le'el of Service (LOS) is a term used to represent an
objective average journey speed, under ideal conditions,
combined with satisfactory conditions for overtaking and
driver operation (as identified by the USA Highway Capacity
:.'vlanual). The National Roads Needs Study 1998 identified
that the LOS on the N11 between Gorey and Arldow was
"D" in 1995 except for the section immediately South of
Arklow which was deemed to have a LOS of "E". The study
predicted that conditions were projected to deteriorate even
further as traffic volumes continued to grow.
Generally, LOS "D", equivalent to an nverage inter-urban
journey speed of 80kph, is regarded as a minimu m acceptable
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Traffic & Road Works Signs
Health & Safety Signage
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Traffic Control Equipment
Road Cones, Safety Barrier
Varioguard & Lane Dividers
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Site Safety EquJp.ment. _.
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standard. The N l1 Gorey to Arklow Link has been designed
to provide sufficient capacity to ensu re a mini mum le,·el of
service "D " and is in accordance with the National Roads
Needs Study and the strategy for National Primary Roads
outlined in the National Development Plan 2000-2006.
Future benefits
The scheme will provide several important benefits including
the following:
A significant reduction in accident figures on this section
of carriageway;
Grearly reduced travel times on the N 'l1 national primary
route between Dublin and the south-east including the
ferry connections with France and Wales;
lmpro,·ed access between Dublin and the south east;
An alumment wh ich is commensurate with current
st..nd;~rds:
Recl..:..::i,.,n in the amount of through traffic entering the
town - up to 12,000 vehicles per day according to a recent
;oa.ffic 'lln·cy:
Pr.n"i,ion of easy access to Gorey town and tou rist areas
:! ;he CO:.'t :
~,·eb of noise, vib ration in Gorey town, and;
~-d• of atmospheric emissions giving rise to
<=:o:s=•nl L:npr•)·ement of ai r qual ity in the town. <!>
Tony 0':'eiJJ graduated in 1984 from University
CoU~e, Galway with a Bachelor of Engineering D egree
and completed a n M.Eng.Sc. Degree in Offshore &
Coastal Engineering at University College, Cork in 1986.
Tony spent six years working with Mott MacDonald
Ltd Consulting Engineers in the U.K., two of which
were with the Special Projects Design Group working
on the Channel Tunnel Project and the remaining four
yea rs as Assistant Resident Engineer on the Lower Lea
Crossing Project in London.
On his return from the UK in 1993 he has worked as
Project Resident Engineer on numerous sche m es
including the d emolition and reconstruc tion of
Wexford Bridge and the N8 Cashel by-pass & N74 Link
Road sch em e.