€300m bypass will take 25 minutes off average journey

AN average of 25 minutes will be saved on the journey between Cork and Dublin, thanks to the opening of the 18km long Fermoy bypass.

At peak times, especially on Friday evenings, motorists can be stuck for up to an hour in Fermoy, but now, thanks to a €300 million public private partnership investment, that will be a thing of the past.

The M8, which connects Watergrasshill with Moorepark, was opened eight months ahead of schedule and it is estimated, to carry up to 17,000 vehicles a day.

More than 400 construction workers were employed in the 27 month long project, which included building a 450 metre long bridge over the river Blackwater — one of the largest every built in Ireland.

Peter Malone, chairman of the National Roads Authority, said the opening put their goal of achieving a complete motorway between Cork and Dublin, by 2010, well on track.

“Public private partnerships bring private investment to public projects, thus limiting the public financial risk and allowing projects to be delivered well ahead of ... schedule.

“Combined with other projects along the M8 — like the Portlaoise to Cullahill bypass, the Cullahill/Cashel project, and the N8 Cashel bypass project — we are closer to achieving our goal of connecting Dublin and Cork by 2010”, Mr Malone added.

The mayor of County Cork, Councillor John O’Shea, said the lives of people living in Rathcormac and Fermoy would be greatly enhanced by the project.

Minister Martin Cullen said the tolls represented value for money because of the major time saving involved in using the bypass. He added that tolls in this country were much smaller than in other EU states.

The tolls for the new road are: motorcycles exceeding 50cc 90c; motorcars €1.60; goods vehicles not exceeding 3.5 tonnes €2.90; buses or coaches €2.90; goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes, having two or three axles €4.10; goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes having four or more axles €5.30.