Motorways from Dublin to Belfast, Cork and Galway will be finished by 2007, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, insisted today.
Rejecting suggestions the completion date was too ambitious, the Minister said he was "determined" to have the three roads open by the end of that year.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Seamus Brennan
"I can't guarantee that every inch of the roads will be complete, but I am determined that we get this done by the end of 2007," Mr Brennan said.
Unveiling this year's National Roads Programme at the Department of Transport in Dublin this afternoon, the Minister announced an investment of €1.223 billion in the State's roads in 2004.
The funds announced are part of a guaranteed investment figure of €8 billion for the nation's roads over the next five years. A total of €6.8 billion of these monies will come from exchequer funds with the remaining €1.2 billion provided by public-private partnerships.
The money will see work begin on 12 major National Road Authority projects by December and continue on 17 other projects, 12 of which are scheduled to be completed by the year's end. An additional five new projects will also be launched, budget permitting.
Among the schemes due for completion under the plan this year are the Monasterevin bypass, the Cashel bypass, the Ashford/Rathnew project on the N11, the Ballincollig bypass and the Strokestown/Longford road on the N5.
The M1 motorway from Dundalk to the Border will be completed in 2006, providing continuous motorway from Dublin to Northern Ireland.
The programme also envisages work beginning on a third lane on the M50 C-Ring in Dublin and improvements to the Red Cow interchange. These works are set to be complete by 2007.
Works will also begin this year on the Dundalk Western and Fermoy bypasses, both of which will be funded by way of public-private partnership. Construction will also commence on the Ashbourne bypass (M50 junction), the Waterford bypass and the Mullingar bypass.
Aside from the plans revealed for roads, the Minister announced all road signs would be rendered metric on a date, yet to be decided, in September. An awareness campaign will take place before the changeover.
A number of speed limit changes, yet to be finalised, will also come in on the same date as the switch to metric. Among these are a change in the 60 mph limit on country roads, to 50 mph, and the upgrading of speed limits on certain sections of roads such as the Stillorgan dual-carriageway in Dublin.
Also contained with the programme are plans to finance the construction of a series of Garda observation platforms on major national routes. In broader road safety terms, more than €17 million has been allocated to the NRA's road safety programme this year.