MONDAY HAS been set as the opening date for the first phase of the €1 billion upgrade of Dublin's M50 by SIAC Ferrovial the Irish-Spanish consortium responsible for the revamped western section of the motorway project.
The final configuration for traffic using the Ballymount, the Red Cow (N7) and the N4 interchanges will be in place, as will four lanes of traffic in each direction between these interchanges.
Traffic on the eight kilometre section of the M50 hit a peak of some 100,000 vehicles per day before work started in earnest on the upgrade in the autumn of 2006. Traffic on the N7 through the Red Cow interchange has exceeded 70,000 vehicles a day. Between them the two routes are the Republic's busiest and second busiest roads.
The building consortium had hoped to have the four lanes in each direction between Ballymount and the N4 interchange opened by last Monday, with the exception of a small area under the Red Cow (N7) Interchange.
However, The Irish Times understands torrential rain last weekend delayed the laying of the final tar surface. The contractor has advised South Dublin County Council that the weather over the next week may affect the project, but estimate that it will open on April 7th.
Overall, the work on phase one of the €1 billion upgrade has included: the N4 interchange becoming a full free flowing interchange; the Red Cow (N7) interchange becoming a partial free flowing interchange; the provision of four lanes in each direction comprising three lanes of what is the "mainline" of the M50, with a fourth lane linking each interchange.
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