Drivers travelling on the country's newest motorways today will be allowed to reach new speeds of up to 120km/h following the new Motorway Declarations announced by the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey yesterday (Wednesday, September 24).

The re-designation of ‘high quality dual carriageways' to motorway status by the Department of Transport forms part of the Government's strategy to allow motorists to take advantage of the higher speeds afforded by newer and safer roads.

The new Motorway Declarations, nine in all, will also protect the routes against inappropriate development, including multiple access points, which would have road safety implications and affect the efficiency and service life of the route, as well as shorten journey times.

The designated motorways comprise of a number of schemes including some not yet open to traffic. Among those to be newly designated as motorways are the 16 km from Mitchelstown to Fermoy, which becomes the M8 when it opens by 2010, 28km of the Cashel to Mitchelstown road, which also becomes the M8, the 6km Cashel bypass, the 46km of the N9 from Kilcullen to Powerstown, which is to become the M9 when it opens in 2010 and the 29km from Urlingford to Cashel which is to be designated the M8 when it opens in 2010.

The re-designated of the these roads, in addition to the speed limit changes, will also herald changes in the categories of people permitted to using the motorways, with learner drivers, vehicles with engine capacities of less than 50cc, vehicles not capable of a speed of 50km/h, and pedestrians and cyclists now all prohibited from using the roads.

Peter Malone, Chairman of NRA said this week, "The NRA will continue to deliver a safe and efficient motorway network throughout the country. This is a major step forward and we are very pleased with the Ministers declaration taking effect. The NRA will continue to focus on the completion of the entire inter-urban motorway network due for completion by 2010 as outlined in Transport 21".

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