THE END of a decade of motorway building between Dublin, the Border and the regional cities was marked quietly yesterday, with the opening of the €347 million Castletown to Nenagh section of the M7.
The final 36km of the motorway was to have been opened with a special ceremony near Borris-in-Ossory in Co Laois, but it was cancelled due to adverse weather.
Instead, the National Roads Authority (NRA) opened the motorway without ceremony shortly after noon, making travel on motorway or “high-quality dual carriageway” network possible between Co Clare and Newry in Co Down.
Up to 13,500 vehicles are expected to use the new section of road per day, and it is expected to take 10 minutes off the journey time between Dublin and Limerick.
The overall length of the new network is 750km, according to the Department of Transport which described it as world class. Travel times across the country have been gradually reduced over the last decade with the 100km Dublin to Limerick route now taking about two hours.
Dublin to Cork is possible in just under three hours; Dublin to Galway is just over two hours; Dublin to Waterford is under two hours while Dublin to Dundalk is one hour.
The inter-urban motorway programme was first announced by then taoiseach Bertie Ahern in November 1997, as part of the National Development Plan 2000-2007.
Mr Ahern said the cost of linking Dublin with the regional cities by motorway would be about €6 billion.
Yesterday the department said the cost of the major inter-urban routes worked out at €8 billion, although this did not include additional motorways such as the €1 billion M3 between Dublin and the Meath/Cavan border. Nor did it include motorways in the west of Ireland.
Dual carriageways or upgraded roads have also been built in sections between Limerick and Cork, Cork and Kerry, and Kerry and Waterford as well as Mullingar and Sligo.
A motorway also links the M50 to Ashbourne in Co Meath.
The section opened yesterday provides bypasses of Toomevara, Moneygall and Roscrea and the figure of €347 million includes land costs.
The road authority said it had been considered “impractical” to ask people to attend an opening ceremony yesterday when Met Éireann was advising people not to travel unless it was absolutely necessary.
A spokesman said a dedication ceremony would be held in the new year.
The opening of the road follows the settlement of a dispute which had left about 40 workers without pay since November 1st. The employees of KC Civil Engineering, a subcontractor on the project, had threatened to dig up parts of the motorway if they were not paid more than €200,000 owed to them.
The company said it had been unable to pay its workers because it had not been paid by the main contractor, Bowen Somague Joint Venture, which was in turn seeking payment of €26 million from Laois County Council.
The dispute was resolved last week following the intervention of Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
