Drogheda By-Pass - a "missing link"

The Dublin-Belfast road link is a major contribution to upgrading road capacity, reducing journey times and improving public safety along this once neglected route. The main beneficiaries of the improvement will be the industrial and transport sectors whilst tourism along the route will also inevitably reap benefits too. The quality of life and environment in the towns and villages along the entire corridor will be vastly improved with the removal of noise, congestion and pollution on the fringes of their communities. Projects already completed in the overall programme include the Dunleer By-Pass, north of Drogheda, while the Dunleer-Dundalk motorway is under construction, also with support from the Cohesion Fund. To the south of the Drogheda project, the Balbriggan Bypass motorway was opened in October 1998, again with Cohesion Fund support. The Bypass around the town of Drogheda close to the border with Northern Ireland forms part of this route and is a "missing link" in the chain of projects which will ultimately provide the continuous motorway from the Dublin Ring Road to the border with Northern Ireland. The Drogheda Bypass will dramatically improve the environment around the town of Drogheda and the villages of Julianstown and Monasterboice. The planning and pre-construction phase for the by-pass involved an initial design, site surveys, site investigation, route selection, the Environmental Impact Statement, and public consultation process. The second phase of the project involves the provision of a 21.5 km dual carriageway bypassing the town of Drogheda and the construction of 24 structures including a high level bridge crossing the River Boyne 3km to the west of the town. The road will extend from the northern end of the Balbriggan Bypass at Gormanstown to the southern end of the Dunleer Bypass at Monasterboice. Completion is expected by the end of 2001.

Last modified on January 2001