Contractors for one of the most complex roads projects ever undertaken in this country could be appointed within weeks.

Nine multinationals employing 5,000 people in a Cork town say they are “deeply frustrated” that the concerns of the local community were “ignored” by planners designing a new motorway.

Rush hour traffic came to a standstill for nearly two hours yesterday morning on the southside of Cork City, following two separate collisions that saw four people suffer minor injuries.