Key road projects postponed

SIX major road projects due to get under way over the next two years have been postponed due to budget cutbacks.

Other under-threat projects such as the metro in Dublin are going ahead, although Transport Minister Noel Dempsey indicated some could face delays. But six national route projects, in Dublin, Wicklow, Cork, Longford, Kerry and Galway, will hit the buffers because of budgetary constraints.

The routes are: N11 — Arklow-Rathnew dual carriageway. N25 — Carrigtwohill-Midleton upgrade. N5 — Longford bypass. N21 — Castleisland bypass. N7 — Newlands Cross upgrade. N18 — Oranmore-Gort dual carriageway.