A CONTRACT for the £39 million construction of the 11.3 km Arklow bypass was signed by Wicklow County Council and Ascon Ltd yesterday. Work is to begin immediately and the road is expected to open early in 1999.
The bypass will reduce travelling time between Dublin and Rosslare port, especially during the summer months and bank holiday weekends, when as many as 8,400 cars travel through Arklow, resulting in tail backs of up to three miles on either side of the town.
The new road forms part of a major upgrading of the N 11 through Wicklow, with additional bypasses planned for Rathnew and Ashford.
The motorway will eventually become part of Euro Route 1, running from Larne in Co Antrim to Rosslare, Co Wexford.
The Arklow bypass involves building 14 bridges and underpasses, including a 180 metre crossing of the Avoca river. The new road will leave the Dublin Wexford road at the Wexford Wicklow border and cross open country to the west of Arklow. It will cross the Avoca north west of Arklow and rejoin the N 11.
The bypass was designed by Wicklow County Council and Ove Arup consulting engineers.