The contract for a new €28.2 million bypass on the N2 Dublin-Derry route was signed yesterday.
The new stretch of motorway will remove traffic from the south Monaghan town of Carrickmacross and further reduce travel time between Dublin and Monaghan.
The contract for the project was signed yesterday at a ceremony in Monaghan town.
It was awarded to the joint-venture roadbuilding firm of Jons Moneley, and the signing took place at the county council offices. where the directors from the company completed the documentation in conjunction with the Mayor of Co Monaghan, Cllr Rosaleen O'Hanlon, and the Monaghan county manager, Mr Declan Nelson. The National Roads Authority was represented at the ceremony.
The NRA allocated €15 million for the project from the current year's funding programme for primary national routes, and the new bypass is expected to be finished within 18 months.
Ms O'Hanlon said : "The new bypass will end the chronic traffic congestion in Carrickmacross and prove a major advantage to the region for the business sector and industry generally."