Driving time between Dublin-Cork cut as €174m motorway section opens

ONLY one section of road now remains to be completed before there is an entire motorway between Dublin and Cork.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey yesterday officially opened the M8 section between Fermoy and Mitchelstown, which was completed nine months ahead of schedule and on budget at €174 million.

Only the €40km stretch between Portlaoise and Cullahill remains to be completed and it’s expected to open to traffic towards the end of next year. That section of motorway will be tolled.

More than 16,000 vehicles per day are expected to use the Fermoy-Mitchelstown motorway, which is 16kms long. It will cut a further 10 minutes off the journey between Cork and Dublin.

The newly opened road was funded by the Government under the National Development Plan and the EU from the Trans-European Transport Networks Budget.

Mr Dempsey said the completion of the Fermoy-Mitchelstown motorway was a further significant step towards the development of the entirety of the Cork-Dublin motorway identified in the National Development Plan and Transport 21.

“Even in these times of significant economic constraint this Government is determined to continue with our roads building programme. This year alone we are spending almost €2 billion on our national roads building programme. This year eight major road projects, totalling 156km of dual carriageway, will open to traffic delivering safer more efficient journey times for motorists,” Mr Dempsey said.

The minister said improved accessibility to the North Cork region will stimulate further development and economic activity and it will also improve access to recreational and cultural facilities.

“Very importantly, the new road development will eliminate the potential for head-on collisions as a result of overtaking manoeuvres,” the minster said.

Fred Barry, National Roads Authority chief executive, said there are currently 77kms of continuous modern roadway from Dublin to south of Portlaoise, and 130km from Cullahill in Co Laois to the Dunkettle interchange in Cork.

“Travel times between the two cities have been greatly reduced, road safety enhanced and access between the regions considerably improved,” Mr Barry said.