Final stretch of country’s longest motorway opens ahead of schedule

THE final stretch of Ireland’s longest motorway will be officially opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today.

The new 16.3km M1 Northern Motorway from Dublin Airport to the Balbriggan Bypass completes a continuous 72km stretch of the M1 motorway from Dublin to just south of Dundalk. It was completed several months ahead of schedule.

The roadway will be open for traffic from 5pm and is expected to shorten journey times for motorists by half an hour. The motorway will eventually be joined to a southern route from Dublin to Rosslare. When fully completed, this motorway will stretch the length of the country from Rosslare to Belfast and Larne, linking all the major ports on the eastern seaboard.