Journey times between Dublin to Cork will be cut from about 3½ hours currently to just 2¼ hours when construction work on roads linking the two cities is completed by 2010, according to the National Roads Authority (NRA).
At the launch of the €1.53 billion National Roads Programme for 2007, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen also said the early focus would be on completing the five major inter-urban routes
Work was under way or complete on 70 per cent of these "vital" routes, he said, and they were "very much" on target for completion by 2010.
Last night it emerged the NRA predicts that the journey time on these five routes when completed will be: Dublin-Galway (194km): two hours; Dublin-Newry (91km): one hour; Dublin-Limerick (195km): two hours; Dublin-Cork (219km): 2¼ hours, and Dublin to Waterford (167 km): 1¾ hours.
Not all of distances quoted are to the exact centre of the cities, with estimated journey times taking into account relevant speed limits.
This year, 673 projects are being funded. This will allow the completion of nine schemes with a combined length of more than 100km this year; the start of work on seven others, involving 215km; and the start of phases two and three of the M50 upgrade works. Thirteen will proceed to compulsory order stage.
Included in the projects are four more public private partnerships - bringing to nine the total number of tolls which will be built under the plans. These will remain privately owned for about 35 years, when they will revert to State ownership.
Mr Cullen said the average cost of tolls was something that "wouldn't buy half a pint" and said Irish people with summer houses in other EU countries had "no problem" paying such tolls. This year's Government allocation is the largest yet to road building here.
A fund of €21 million is also being allocated towards road safety measures. Mr Cullen said he expected to sign the contracts for the controversial 60km M3 motorway in coming weeks.
He was confident that more lorries than present would use the new Fermoy toll bypass in Co Cork. Ten per cent of the 11,000 vehicles using the toll daily are heavy goods vehicles.
The resumption of political institutions in Northern Ireland would facilitate improvements in an all-island transport network, Mr Cullen concluded.