Funding for key roads to hit €1.5bn this year

Another year of record funding for road building is to be announced by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen this afternoon.

Included is an allocation of some €1.5 billion to progress the construction of the inter-urban motorways and improve sections of other strategic national roads, including the "Atlantic Corridor" on the west coast, and other key routes such as that between Dublin and Rosslare Port.

Mr Cullen is expected to confirm that phase one of the M50 upgrade, the widening of the western section of the motorway to three lanes, will be completed this year, ahead of its original 2008 deadline.

Road schemes that will be completed in 2007 include:

N1 Border to Dundalk, which is due to open this autumn.
N2 Castleblayney bypass, which is due to open this autumn.
N6 Tyrrellspass to Kilbeggan, to open by winter 2007.
N11 Arklow/Gorey bypass, due to open winter 2007.
N18: the final phase of the Ennis bypass due for completion this summer.
N51 Navan inner relief road, which is due to open this summer.
N52 Mullingar-Belvedere, which is due to open this spring.
N77 Kilkenny Ring Road extension, due to open this summer.

In addition the Minister will announce a number of major projects that continue throughout 2007. These include:

N4 Drumsna to Longford (Dromod-Rooskey), which is due for completion in 2008
N5 Charlestown bypass, due for completion in the summer of 2008.
N6 Kinnegad/Athlone, which is due for completion in autumn 2008.
N7 Limerick Southern Ring Road - the Limerick tunnel - which is due to open in 2010.
N7 Nenagh/Limerick, which is due to open in summer 2009.
The M8 Cullahill to Cashel road, due by winter 2009.
N8 Cashel/Mitchelstown road improvement, due first quarter of 2009.
N9 Carlow bypass, which will be completed in autumn of next year.
N11 Kilpedder/Delgany junction improvements, due to open in autumn 2008.
N25 Waterford city bypass, due late 2009 or 2010.
M50 improvements (phase one), summer 2008.

The Minister will also announce that planning will continue on some 60 other road schemes.

Under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, motorways to Sligo, the Border, Cork, Limerick and Galway were to have been completed last month. A motorway to Mr Cullen's own constituency of Waterford was to have been completed by 2007.