The new Fermoy bypass will be completed in October, some nine months ahead of schedule. It will reduce travel times on the main Cork-Dublin Road by up to 20 minutes, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen revealed yesterday.
The 18km stretch of motorway on the Fermoy Rathcormac bypass on the N8 will augment improvements already made on the main Cork-Dublin road at Cashel and Mitchelstown.
Mr Cullen was speaking at the official opening of the €27 million, 4km long Mitchelstown relief road which removes about 20,000 cars from the centre of the north Cork town and reduces travel times on the main Cork-Dublin road by up to 20 minutes at peak times.
The relief road was finished some four months ahead of schedule, he said.
Mr Cullen noted that it was less than two months since the official sod turning on the 37km Cashel to Mitchelstown section N8 and less than two years since the Cashel bypass was opened.
"Even the greatest cynics amongst us will have to concede that we are making huge progress in transforming the critical road connection between the capital of Ireland and the capital of Munster," said Mr Cullen.
Chairman of the National Roads Authority, Peter Malone said while those travelling from Cork to Dublin would obviously benefit, it would also make for a huge improvement to the quality of life of the people of Mitchelstown.
"You will get your town back - the awful traffic will be gone, the awful fumes will be gone," he said.
Mr Malone urged the people of Mitchelstown, in particular, the business people of the town, to be positive about the new road development.
Earlier, Mr Cullen paid tribute to Cork County Council under county manager, Maurice Moloney and contractors, Roadbridge as well as the National Roads Authority (NRA) for the delivery of the new relief road ahead of schedule.
Last night, a spokesman for the NRA defended the decision to use "Caher" as the spelling for Cahir on signage on the new relief road, saying that the spelling had been based on ordnance survey maps used by the design teams on the project.