The final leg of Dublin's C- Ring, the South Eastern Motorway, may be opened in sections, the first as early as next year, according to the National Roads Authority (NRA).
The option of opening the route, at least as far as Leopardstown, as early as next year is being considered because of severe traffic congestion in the southern suburbs of Dundrum, Ballinteer and Sandyford.
Mr Michael Egan, public affairs spokesman with the NRA, said the authority was considering the move in conjunction with Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council.
The decision is influenced by the number of sizeable construction projects in the immediate area which include the Luas line, the Dundrum bypass, a new Dundrum shopping centre, and the Wyckham bypass extension, among others.
Journey times in the area have risen sharply as the Ballinteer road has been closed for a new bridge crossing of the river Slang. While the crossing has been replaced by the Wyckham bypass, this route enters onto the Sandyford Road, which is very severely congested.
The Luas works at Taney Road junction effectively create a traffic "no-go zone" between Taney Cross and Ballinteer. Ballinteer also has to handle all traffic coming off the M50 which is diverted towards Wyckham and can not exit south for Wicklow and the south-east without looping through Marley, near Rathfarnham.
The result is traffic backing up from the Taney Cross to Ballinteer and Sandyford, and through Sandyford to Leopardstown, which has experienced difficulties with the work on widening the Leopardstown Road, the new industrial park at Central Park and roadworks at Brewery Road.
The prospect of opening the M50 to Leopardstown would divert a significant part of the M50 traffic via Leopardstown and away from the Ballinteer/ Dundrum area. It would also help traffic heading for the coast via Leopardstown Road and Newtownpark Avenue, and traffic heading for Wicklow via Stepaside or the Leopardstown Road to White's Cross.
The AA has warned that severe delays can be expected in the area today as weekend holidaymakers return.
The organisation says the city became heavily congested last Friday from about lunchtime onwards as westbound traffic backed up from the West Link toll bridge along the quays to the city centre, a distance of nine miles.
This is not unusual and there are regular queues at all access points to the city. These include disruptions to traffic on the M1 road, due to roadworks at the airport roundabout, while the Dublin Port Tunnel works at Whitehall can also affect traffic accessing the N2 road through Ashbourne to the north-west, due to congestion.
The N3 at Blanchardstown is often blocked by traffic leaving the city and the M50 and merging at the roundabouts there. On the west of Dublin the toll bridge and M50/N6 Galway road have severe congestion in and outside of rush hours.
At the Red Cow junction, on the main route to the south and south-west, the Luas works reduces traffic to one lane, causing severe delays, while in the mornings the Garda helicopter is able to see traffic backed up from the Westlink several miles down the Naas Road.
The situation is similar on the road to the south-east, with long delays at Kilmacanogue and the Glen of the Downs while access to the city through Dún Laoghaire centre has been curtailed by pedestrian schemes.
