A €434 million redevelopment of a 40km-long stretch of the Dublin-Cork route, described as Ireland's longest ever new road project, could cut up to 30 minutes off the journey time between the two cities when it is completed in 2009.
Outlining details of the award of the M8/N8 Cullahill, Co Laois to Cashel, Co Tipperary road improvement project yesterday, the National Roads Authority (NRA) said it would comprise 30km of two-lane dual carriageways and 10km of motorway, with work due to commence in October.
The development will be accompanied by grade separated junctions (eg, flyovers, underbridges, overbridges) and accommodation works.
The route starts at the interface with the N8 Cashel bypass scheme in Tipperary and ends at the interface with the proposed M7/M8 Portlaoise to Cullahill scheme at Cullahill.
A spokesman for the NRA acknowledged that there would be some disruption during the construction of the new section of road. However, he said most of the construction would take place within a greenfield site,thereby helping to minimise delays.
"There will be appropriate signage and diversions in place," he said. "The key point to this is also that it will be a safer stretch of road."
Kilkenny County Council has awarded the contract for the design and building of the project to Roadbridge/Sisk. This has since been approved by the NRA, with the €434.3 million total cost including VAT, planning and design, archaeology and land and property acquisitions.
When coupled with a total of 112km of new road projects either completed or under construction along the N8 corridor, the NRA says just 30km of new road remain to be built in order for the inter-urban road connection between Dublin and Cork to be completed.
The NRA spokesman told The Irish Times yesterday that by the time that final section is completed in 2010, it estimates that travel times between Dublin and Cork could be reduced to between three and three-and-a- half hours.
The NRA estimates the journey can currently take anywhere from three-and-a-half to five hours during peak traffic.