Relief of Anshbourne: New. quicker route opened

A new 17km dual and triple carriageway road from Finglas in Dublin to north of Ashbourne in Co Meath was opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday.

The road incorporates a junction with the M50 on its southern end and the Ashbourne bypass on the northern. It is expected to ease traffic congestion significantly, reducing commuting times between Dublin and Ashbourne by 20 minutes.

The road was opened four months ahead of schedule and within its €213 million budget, according to the National Roads Authority.

It replaces one of the most accident prone stretches of road in the State. The Finglas to Ashbourne section has a substantially higher rate of accidents than the average rate of the overall N2. The N2 itself has the highest rate of accidents of any of the national roads.

From today it links Ashbourne with Wicklow, Portlaoise, and Mullingar by high quality dual or triple carriageway, and via the M50. It will also provide a continuous highway access to the airport and Dublin Port Tunnel when the tunnel opens later this year. Traffic volumes through Ashbourne will be reduced significantly as a result of the town bypass.

The new road, which will now become the official N2, was completed four months ahead of schedule and within budget, according to the National Roads Authority.

Speaking at the opening yesterday, Mr Ahern said he was "disappointed" that construction of the adjacent M3 motorway, for which he said detailed planning got under way nine months before the N2 improvements, had not yet begun. Mentioning the nine recent road deaths on the Dunshaughlin north stretch of the M3, Mr Ahern said he would have preferred it if construction of a replacement was under way at this stage.

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said statistics showed dual carriageway roads were safer than single carriageway roads and users were "around five times less likely to have an accident on roads designed to the standard of the N2 Finglas - Ashbourne Scheme and approximately seven times less likely to have a fatal accident. "

Some € 85 million is being spent this year on the N2 including the recently completed Carrickmacross bypass and the Castleblayney and Monaghan bypasses, which are under construction.