The town of Gorey is expected to become a congestion-free zone for the first time in years with the opening today of a new 13.5km bypass on the N11, the main road between Dublin and Wexford.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey formally welcomed the opening of the bypass, which was completed four months ahead of schedule.
National Roads Authority (NRA) chairman Peter Malone said the bypass was good news for the people of Dublin and Wexford.
"Road users will no longer have to endure lengthy delays through Gorey, which has for many years been one of the worst traffic congestion blackspots on the national road network," Mr Malone said.
"The bypass will improve the quality of life for the people of Gorey as they go about their daily business by removing 10,000 vehicles a day from the town.
"The entire 22 km scheme is scheduled to open in September and will provide an incentive for jobs and development as well as a boost for tourism along the east coast. The beauty of this scheme is that on completion motorists will be able to enjoy travelling on 200 km of continuous motorway from south of Gorey to the border north of Dundalk," Mr Malone added.
Mr Dempsey said the opening of the new bypass was "great news for the thousands of drivers who use this route every day".
"The bypass will improve journey times and free up the streets of Gorey. That is welcome news for everyone."
The first phase of the scheme stretches from Tinnock, north of Gorey, to the existing N11 south of Clough.
According to the NRA, the new bypass will typically take an average of 12 minutes off journey times and will also improve access to holiday villages on the Wexford coast, including Courtown, Ballymoney and Ardamine.