The Southern Cross Route of the M50 was opened today almost 30 years after its inception and with the aid of £141 million in EU funds.
The 8.75-kilometre motorway, part of the National Development Plan’s (NDP) roads scheme, was first approved in 1973 by Dublin County Council and will now extend the M50 from Balrothery to Sandyford, Co Dublin.
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The Balinteer interchange on the Southern Cross route of the M50, the section between Firhouse and Ballinteer.
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The £141 million project was managed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown county council and was co-financed by the European Commission through the Cohesion Fund.
It is anticipated 50,000 vehicles daily will use the new route, which is the last stretch of the C-Ring around Dublin. Building on the South Eastern Motorway from Ballinteer to Loughlinstown is due to begin this autumn and will be completed in 2004.
Opening the new section of motorway, Minister for the Environment Mr Noel Dempsey stressed the safety and economic benefits of the Southern Cross Route.
Estimating the life-saving potential of the overall National Roads Authority plan to create 900 kilometres of new motorways and dual carriageways around the country, Mr Dempsey predicted that 50 lives would be saved annually over the lifetime of the NDP.
"The stark fact is that motorways and dual carriageways have a 65 per cent lower rate of accidents than the traditional two-lane road with which we are all familiar," he said.
Mr Dempsey also highlighted the time-cutting advantages of the new route for commuters, which he said translated into jobs. He warned that despite Ireland’s economic strengh at the moment, "the creation and maintenance of jobs must remain a priority for every one of us".
Mr Dempsey has admitted there will be some initial disruption in some areas along the route, and members of the Dundrum Residents' Association are due to meet with the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown authority today to discuss the management of traffic in the area.