Monasterevin in Co Kildare has celebrated the opening of the town's new €140 million bypass which will put an end to the tailbacks that have afflicted motorists for years.
The bypass is part of the 17.5km M7 Heath-Mayfield motorway, which opened to traffic just before 1 p.m. yesterday.
It was completed almost a year ahead of schedule and is expected to shave 30 minutes off the Dublin-Portlaoise journey.
To mark the end of the notorious traffic jams, banners from Scoil Éimhín Naofa, St John's National School, St Peter's National School and St Paul's Secondary School read "Freedom at last". And pupils adapted the rugby anthem, Ireland's Call, to Monasterevin's Call.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, said it was a great day for Laois and Kildare and "a big shot in the arm for the rest of the country. "There is no more symbolic a bottleneck in the country as here in Monasterevin and the bypass that it needed is opening here today," he said.
"We can take this as an example of how we are transforming the whole road network in Ireland."
Mr Cullen said 16,000 vehicles would be taken each day out of Monasterevin, and counties like Kildare, Laois and Tipperary would be at the heart of a growing modern infrastructure and a vibrant place to live, work and do business.
National Roads Authority chairman Mr Peter Malone said millions of euros would be saved for Irish businesses.
He complimented the contractor, Roadbridge/Sisk, on completing the project ahead of time.
"On this particular job, the contractor worked on the Kildare bypass and he was able to move everyone straight up here. This was a greenfield site and that made things easier," he said.
"The opening of the M7 Monasterevin bypass marks a major milestone in the development of the Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Limerick strategic corridors."
He said motorists can now travel on continuous motorway or high-quality dual-carriageway from Dundalk to Portlaoise.
Speaking at the opening at New Inn, Laois County Council Cathaoirleach, Cllr Willie Aird, said the road was of vital importance for industry, manufacturing and technological business expansion in Co Laois.
Mayor of Kildare, Mr Billy Hillis, told the crowd: "Today you have won back your town.
"I am quite confident Monasterevin will grow and progress as did Newbridge, Kildare and Naas," he added.
The new stretch of motorway links the M7 Portlaoise bypass at the Heath Interchange to the M7 Kildare bypass at Mayfield.