MINISTER SAYS OVER €150m BEING INVESTED THIS YEAR IN ADVANCING DUBLIN-LIMERICK MOTORWAY
The Minister for Transport, Séamus Brennan T.D., today (Monday, 31st May 2004) officially opened two major traffic relieving road schemes on the N7 in Limerick-the €106 million Southern Ring Road and the Parkway scheme on the outskirts of the City.
Minister Brennan said the new 13 km Southern Ring Road heralded a further significant advance in the improvement of the roads network in the Mid-West region and among the many benefits for road users would be savings of up to 30 minutes in journey times at peak periods.
Minister Brennan also announced that Phase 2 of the Limerick Ring Road, a 10km stretch that incorporates a tunnel under the River Shannon, would go to tender before the end of 2004 and that the contract for construction of the scheme would be signed in 2005. The project is being advanced as a Public Private Partnership scheme and is estimated to cost €355 million including land acquisition, planning, design and construction costs.
The Minister said: "This new road will take 10,000 vehicles, including 1,000 heavy goods trucks, per day away from Limerick city centre and filter them onto main exit routes. It will have a major impact on alleviating congestion, improving the environment and making the roads and streets of the city safer. It will eliminate what was an infamous traffic bottleneck and deliver improved journey times for long distance commuters of up to 30 minutes and also shorter travel times for commuters."
Minister Brennan said the road is an integral element of the overall strategy that will form a bypass of Limerick City extending from the N7 Dublin road. The opening of the first phase will significantly advance this strategy by linking 4 of the 6 national roads converging on Limerick - N20 road to Cork, N21 serving Killarney and Tralee, the N24 to Waterford and the N7 Dublin road. Phase 2 of the Ring Road will provide a tunnel crossing under the River Shannon and an onward connection to link to the N18 Ennis-Galway Road.
The new Southern Ring Road from Rosbrien to Annacotty includes 9.5km of dual carriageway, 3.5km of national primary single carriageway as well as 4.8km of side roads, 3 junctions and 13 bridges.
The separate €6 million Parkway scheme between the Parkway Roundabout and the Plassey Road Junction will substantially improve traffic flows at a section of the N7 national route that carries 35,000 vehicles per day. It consists of 1km of 4-lane undivided dual carriageway.
Minister Brennan said that the opening of the two traffic relieving schemes was a further step forward in the plan to provide 190km of motorway/high quality dual carriageway from Dublin to Limerick, one of the five national inter-urban routes selected for priority under the National Development Plan. The N7 is one of the busiest routes in the country carrying up to 60,000 vehicles per day, one fifth of which are commercial. This year over €150 million is being allocated to advance schemes on the N7, including completion before the end of 2004 of the Monasterevin By Pass and the start of construction of interchanges and the provision of an extra lane in each direction on the N7 from Rathcoole to the Naas By Pass motorway.
Both Limerick schemes were funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, with part funding from the European Regional Development Fund.
Minister Brennan said Ireland's infrastructure map is being transformed as substantial projects reach fruition.
"Rapid progress is now being made on rolling out a major national roads building programme as a result of a number of recent developments, primarily the securing of an historic agreement on a multi annual funding arrangement for infrastructure projects that guarantees State investment of almost €7 billion over the next five years. When this is combined with at least €2 billion in private investment the result is that up to €10 billion will be poured into building new motorways and dual carriageways on a scale never before envisaged."
Minister Brennan added: "We are entering a particularly exciting era for road building in Ireland. The combination of the agreed five year rolling multi-annual investment package, the maximum use of Design and Build contracts, and the enhanced management of projects by the National Roads Authority means we can deliver major roads projects faster, within budget and, in most cases, ahead of schedule. The guaranteed annual investment is the most significant development in years for roads.
It allows the Department and the NRA to better plan and implement ambitious projects with greater effectiveness and with the emphasis on delivery and value for money".
ENDS
Further information:
Tom Rowley (01) 6041089 087 8124723
Veronica Scanlan (01) 6041087 087 6430622
