Brennan says major road projects are on schedule

All the State's major road projects which began in the last 18 months are now on budget and on target for completion on deadline, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said yesterday.

Speaking as he opened the €182 million Ashford and Rathnew bypass in Co Wicklow, Mr Brennan said the announcement of multi-annual budgeting in 2003 had encouraged contractors to plan for early completions in the certainty of another new contract being available.

Such certainty was available because of the Government's commitment to spend up to €150 million a month for the duration of the current five-year programme, ensuring a "21st century road network" by 2009.

Mr Brennan paid particular tribute to the builders of the Ashford and Rathnew bypass, a partnership between S.M. Morris Ltd and Sisk, which had he said shown exemplary efficiency in advance of the multi-annual funding, and had come in at least five months ahead of schedule.

The new bypass extends motorway or high-quality dual-carriageway some 50 km south of Dublin on the important N11 between the capital and Rosslare port.

The road currently caters for an average 20,000 vehicles per day, and the bypass is expected to take up to 30 minutes off the commuting time between south Wicklow and Dublin city centre.

The 13.6 km dual-carriageway, with a further 12 km of single-carriageway and ramps, is expected to greatly ease notorious summer traffic jams in Ashford and Rathnew.

The road has a 60 m.p.h. speed limit.

Significant other schemes on the N11 were also outlined by the Minister, including the €100 million 16 km Rathnew-Arklow project which is currently at the planning and design stage·

The Arklow-Gorey bypass involves the construction of a 22 km dual-carriageway for which a compulsory purchase order was recently published.

Route selection has recently been completed for the 16 km Enniscorthy bypass.

Construction work is expected to start before the end of this year on the Enniskerry junction, including pedestrian facilities.

Opening the road, Mr Brennan said the benefits of the National Development Plan roads programme were becoming increasingly evident.

"One by one the infamous traffic bottlenecks are being eliminated, and one by one we are joining up the schemes as we move closer to delivering motorways of a world-class standard."

He said in addition to the bypasses at Ballincollig, Co Cork, and Ashford and Rathnew, bypasses at Monasterevin, Co Kildare, and Cashel, Co Tipperary, would open in the near future.