WORK IS expected to get under way in the coming months on two key road projects that had been stalled due to lack of funding.
A public-private partnership encompassing the upgrade of Newlands Cross in south Dublin and the Arklow-to-Rathnew dual carriageway in Co Wicklow, is now expected to start construction early in 2012.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar last night revealed finance of more than €100 million from Bank of Ireland and the European Investment Bank was in place.
Mr Varadkar described the Newlands Cross junction as the “last bottleneck between Dundalk and Cork” and said it will be removed.
Under the scheme, Newlands Cross is to be upgraded with a flyover interchange between the N7 Naas Road and R113 Fonthill/ Belgard Road. The N7, comprising a three-lane carriageway in each direction, will be free-flow through the junction.
The tender process for the contract began in June 2009.
The Arklow-to-Rathnew scheme has been in planning for some 20 years and is designed to take traffic away from a number of accident black spots.
It will involve the construction of a dual carriageway and associated side roads to link the existing N11 Arklow bypass with the existing Ashford-to-Rathnew bypass. Both projects are expected to be completed by 2014.
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