The public inquiry into the proposed South Eastern Motorway in south Co Dublin gets under way in Dun Laoghaire this morning. The motorway, the final section of Dublin's C-ring, has been described as the "road from hell".
A local authority estate, a hospital, an embassy, a racecourse and an environmentally sensitive glen are within 30 feet of the route of the proposed road.
The route takes the motorway through some of the most expensive residential land in the State, while also requiring excavation of a granite hillside.
Travelling in a north-west to south-east direction the road proposes to link the Southern Cross Motorway at Rathfarnham to the M11 at the Shankill by-pass.
It will be about 12 km long and the cost is estimated at £130 million.
Interested bodies affected by the route include the British government, which stands to lose some of the ambassador's grounds at Glencairn in Sandyford, and Leopardstown racecourse, which will see its five-furlong gallop bisected by the new road.
Others less affected include Leopardstown Park Hospital and the Legionaries of Christ, which will both lose land. The centre line of the route also passes within 30 metres of the local authority housing estate at Ballyogan.
The environmental impact statement (EIS) associated with the road indicated that a six-lane motorway bridge is to be built across the Brides Glen at Loughlinstown.
According to the EIS, the scale of the bridge will have a severe impact in terms of "sharp contrast with the existing scenic rural character".