Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey yesterday officially opened the 22km bypass of Gorey in Co Wexford.
The bypass, which has been partially open since June, has already removed 10,000 vehicles a day from Gorey's town centre and has improved air quality and road safety in the town, according to the National Roads Authority.
The €192 million bypass now provides an almost uninterrupted dual carriageway from south of Gorey to Donnybrook in Dublin. The bypass is expected to cut up to 20 minutes off the journey time between Dublin and Wexford.
The N11 corridor between Dublin and the south-east is being upgraded under the Government's Transport 21 investment programme.
Speaking in Gorey yesterday, Mr Dempsey said: "The opening of the Gorey bypass today symbolises exactly what Transport 21 is all about - transformation, improvement and achievement. The bypass is an example of first-class transport infrastructure that will deliver real and immediate benefits to the people of Gorey and beyond."
Mr Dempsey added that the economic dividend of the bypass would be "significant" as it would contribute towards the continued prosperity of the region.
Peter Malone, chairman of the National Roads Authority, said that the bypass would help to improve safety and access for commercial transport heading to and from the eastern seaboard ports. However, this brought little joy to a small number of protesters, who were seeking a date for the upgrading of a 19km single-carriageway stretch of the N11, which connects the bypasses of Arklow and Rathnew.
According to Fianna Fáil councillor Malcolm Byrne, of Gorey Town Council, the Minister said that he was aware of the high death rate on the road, but he was unable to give a date for the necessary work to begin.
