Journey times between Dublin and Belfast are expected to be reduced by about 15 minutes with the opening today of the Dunleer-Dundalk section of the M1.
The 17km road, which cost over £100 million, was financed by the EU Cohesion Fund and the National Development Plan. It is the longest stretch of motorway in the State and includes 8km of link and side roads and 24 road, rail and river bridges. The opening comes as the National Roads Authority (NRA) announced the road grant allocations for this year of £660 million, aimed at advancing work on road projects.
Construction on the motorway began in late 1997 and it has been completed five months ahead of schedule. The work was carried out by Graham Construction, Dromore, Co Down, and Uniform Construction, Lucan, Co Dublin, who formed the first cross-Border joint venture to build a motorway in Ireland.
The motorway incorporates the £7.5 million Ardee Link Road. Using this road, which links the M1 with the N2 Dublin to Derry road, journeys from the north-west will be "significantly reduced", said Mr Michael Foster, head of administration with the NRA. Travelling times on the new M1 would be reduced by 10 to 15 minutes, he said.
It will be opened by the Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, who says the motorway will enhance tourism and industrial development in the north-east.
The Environment and Local Government Minister, Mr Dempsey, said the M1's location was particularly important for economic development in the area. Safety features include sensitive lighting at interchanges, emergency telephones and safety fencing. Electronic message signs are installed and there are plans for speed cameras.