Very welcome news for anyone who uses the M50 on a regular basis.
Delays brought on by traffic collisions on the M50 might not be as severe as they have been in the past due to the identification of emergency relief routes aimed at mitigating the impact of incidents on one of the busiest roads in Ireland.
Incidents on the M50 – which can include anything from simple breakdowns, or debris on the motorway right up to major collisions with multiple vehicles – are a major contributor to congestion and commuter delays, with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) saying that approximately 120 of them occur in a typical month.
Serious incidents on the M50 require the involvement of several agencies, including An Garda Síochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the four Dublin Local Authorities, TII and the Motorway Traffic Control Centre.
The various agencies involved came together last year to form the Interagency Incident Coordination Group (IICG) in an effort to manage incidents in the most efficient manner possible and to identify potential diversion routes along the M50 to provide an option for dispersal of traffic in the event of a M50 closure.
Symbols identifying diversion routes are currently in place in the following locations:
- J4 (Ballymun)–J5 (Finglas)
- J5 (Finglas) -J6 (Blanchardstown)
- J7 (Liffey Valley) – J9 (Red Cow)
In the coming months, the entire M50 will have a diversion route identified that will include J3 (at the M1 merge) to J17 (at the M11 merge), except for J6 (Blanchardstown) to (Liffey Valley) where no suitable alternative route exists.
Each symbol (which can be seen here) correlates to a specified diversion which drivers will be directed to follow.
Commenting on the identification of the emergency relief routes, TII spokesperson Sean O’Neill said: “The incident response service involving all agencies is on call 24/7/365. This emergency diversion signage will assist in mitigating the impact of a major incidents but not eliminate time delays.”
