MINISTER SAYS DUBLIN-CORK MOTORWAY WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE BY END OF 2007
Another major milestone in the completion of a motorway from Dublin to the South was reached today (Monday, 15th December 2003) when the Minister for Transport, Séamus Brennan T.D., announced the start of the formal statutory process for the building in County Laois of a substantial 42km section of motorway from the completed Portlaoise By-Pass to Cullahill.
With the expected completion of the 18km Monasterevin By-Pass scheduled for late 2004/early 2005, the new Portlaoise-Cullahill motorway project on the M7/M8 will deliver a high quality continuous highway of over 130km from Dublin to the South. In addition, the 7km Cashel By-Pass will be open to traffic in 2004 and will bring major relief at one of the worst traffic bottlenecks on the route.
Minister Brennan today in Portlaoise officially launched, on behalf of Laois County Council, the Motorway Order and the Environment Impact Statement for the motorway scheme. The project will require an all in investment in excess of €300 million and is currently being advanced as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project.
Minister Brennan said: "It is now Government policy to immediately accelerate the completion of motorways to the South (Cork) and the West (Galway) while at the same time maintaining the momentum in finishing the other inter-urban routes. The guaranteed Exchequer funding of more than €7 billion over the next five years means we can now deliver an extensive roads programme. The highly impressive M1 Motorway to the North has shown what can be achieved and now we must replicate that standard of road to the South and the West."
The Minister added: "The Portlaoise-Cullahill project will make a major contribution to achieving the goal of having continuous motorway to the South within three to four years. I have written to the National Roads Authority requesting that they draw up a revised timeframe that will speed up the delivery of these two vital economic corridors. I expect to receive that new timeframe in early January and I will then take whatever action is required to ensure that the motorways to the South and the West are complete or substantially completed by the end of 2007."
Minister Brennan said the motorway to the South would be a reality within a few years because as of now every kilometre had or was being addressed. The motorway to the South would be approximately 267km in length and of that 67km was now complete, 25km was under construction and due for completion late 2004/early 2005, and 175km was advancing through the planning process.
The Portlaoise-Cullahill project is the upgrade of the N7 (Limerick) national primary route from Portlaoise to Castletown and the N8 (Cork) route from Portlaoise to Cullahill.
It will involve the replacing of 13.4km of existing national road from the end of the Portlaoise By-pass and 29.8km from the M7/M8 interchange at Togher to the Laois/Kilkenny county boundary.
When completed, the motorway scheme will by-pass Mountrath and Borris-in-Ossory on the N7 and Abbeyleix, Durrow and Cullahill on the N8 and will significantly reduce journey times, improve the quality of life and the environment in the towns by-passed, enhance access to the region and lead to a reduction of road accidents and deaths.
An Bord Pleanála will conduct an oral hearing in order to make a decision on the scheme at which they will consider all statements and submissions.
ENDS
Further information:
Tom Rowley (01) 6041089 087 8124723
Veronica Scanlan (01) 6041087 087 6430622
Map of M7/M8 attached as PDF file
