On the way into the Co Meath village of Dunshaughlin a yellow sign warns motorists of traffic-calming measures up ahead with a picture of converging lanes that look like the neck of a bottle.
As vehicles crawled past the sign at rush-hour yesterday evening trying to get through the village, it wasn't so much the traffic that needed calming as the motorists, and the bottleneck illustration was very appropriate.
"The sooner they build that road the better as far as I am concerned. I go to work in Dublin from just outside Navan every day and I feel like I spend half my life in the car. The new M3 would make my life a lot easier," said Stephen Murphy.
Refuelling his car at the Esso service station to the south of Dunshaughlin, Cathal O'Reilly, also from Navan, agreed.
"The concerns people have about the Hill of Tara are valid but I am more concerned about the greater benefit it would bring. I think the road is necessary," said Mr O'Reilly.
Pat Killoran is a local man who owns the First Step tyre service centre on the northern side of Dunshaughlin. He thinks business has suffered enough in the village due to the gridlock. "At the moment there is nowhere to park here and so no one really stops. We really need a bypass," he said.
Local businessman Leonard Corrigan welcomed the Minister's decision to go ahead with the plan. "I am disappointed that there will inevitably be more delays before we see the road in place, " he said.
Not everyone in Dunshaughlin agrees, however. "I'm against the road. They should build a tunnel instead. I go up there [to Tara] as often as I can because it's so peaceful and it would be terrible to see it destroyed," said Bernadette McDonald.