It was wet and windy on the Sligo-Roscommon border yesterday but such discomforts were forgotten as the infamous circuitous route across the Curlew Mountains, a curse of motorists, finally became a thing of the past.
The official opening of the Curlew Mountains road project will mean a reduction of some 15 minutes in the journey on the main N4 from Sligo to Dublin. The huge road-building project, which took almost four years to complete, consists of a road from Ballinafad, Co Sligo, to Lough Key Forest Park, outside Boyle.
Yesterday's weather meant that speeches were kept to a minimum as the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey, cut the ribbon at the county boundary.
From there, it was down the road for the unveiling of a bronze statue of a Gaelic chieftain on horseback, a symbol to the co-operation between Roscommon and Sligo county councils in bringing the £27 million project to a conclusion.
And road users were not forgotten either. In his remarks at the blessing of the new road, the Bishop of Elphin, Dr Christy Jones, said he wished to "thank God for the people whose taxes provide the funding for all the costs involved in the project".
Mr Dempsey referred to the significant archaeological finds which were uncovered during construction of the road. These included a Mass rock with a chalice and cross engraving from penal times.
The Minister said the Government would be fully exploring the opportunities for greater private sector involvement in road programmes.
"Public-private partnerships are becoming more relevant in the context of diminishing EU funding: they will also allow us to harness private sector expertise in project management and implementation," he said.
Construction of the road began in July 1995, and was completed in December. It was funded by the National Roads Authority, with 85 per cent assistance from the EU cohesion fund.
The 16.5-kilometre route includes single carriageway with climbing lanes over seven kilometres. It is spanned by four bridges and features include three cattle underpasses and three badger crossings.