Speech by Mr. Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Transport at the Official Opening of the N18 Ennis Bypass

Date: 26 January 2007

Introduction

Mayor of County Clare, Cllr Flan Garvey, Mayor of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Joe Reidy,

My Lord Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, Canon Hanna, my fellow colleagues in Dáil Éireann, Councillors, Chairman of the National Roads Authority, ladies and gentlemen

The opening of the N18 Bypass of Ennis town today is another major milestone event in the upgrading of our national road network. In April 2004, the sod-turning took place on this major road building project and I am delighted to be here today in County Clare to announce its opening three months ahead of schedule.

Ireland is now one of the world's most successful economies and we need a first rate road infrastructure if it is to sustain and build on that success. This year, under the Government's investment programme for transport, Transport 21, €1.53 billion will be spent on the 2007 National Roads Programme the largest single investment in the history of the State. This funding will allow the National Roads Authority complete work on nine schemes and this Ennis Bypass, I am happy to say, is the first project to be completed this year. The funding will also allow the commencement of work by the NRA on seven schemes and all in all, 673 projects are being funded under this year's allocation. This Government is committed to progressing projects that will enhance the quality of life for people and underpin our prosperity.

Ennis, as the county town of County Clare, is a flourishing town, rapidly expanding in both size and population. It has an important advantage of being strategically located between the cities of Limerick and Galway. It has always been an attractive place to live and work for many years. Like all medieval towns it is centered on a market square; the River Fergus runs through the town and it has many fine amenities such as the Glór Cultural Centre and an excellent local library. Of course in 1997, Ennis was designated as Ireland's first 'Information Age Town' and I know you also have a great reputation as a tidy town. So Ennis has always been a good place to live and do business and with the Bypass and the removal of a significant volume of traffic from the town itself, - estimated at over 20,000 vehicles - it will become an even more pleasant place to shop and spend leisure time.

I know that the town also provides access to many scenic and important tourist areas in the mid west region e.g. the seaside resorts of Kilkee, Lahinch, and the unique Karst limestone region of the Burren. With its proximity to Shannon Airport, Ennis facilitates many visitors from both the US and Europe and today's opening will further benefit tourism to the town, the surrounding areas and many other towns in the counties of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary which are all part of the 'Limerick-Shannon Gateway'.

The National Spatial Strategy (NSS) identifies the upgrading of our national transport network as a key element in enhancing regional accessibility and more balanced regional development. The programme currently being implemented by the NRA is in line with the transport infrastructure priorities identified in the NSS. The opening of this project will assist Ennis in fulfilling the development hub role identified for it in the NSS.

Likewise a key element of the new National Development Plan 2007- 2013 launched last Tuesday is about building on the substantial progress we have made recently to eliminate major infrastructure deficits.

The Ennis Bypass forms part of the NRA's programme for upgrading the Atlantic Corridor from Letterkenny to Waterford. This route will link Letterkenny, Sligo, Tuam, Ennis, Limerick, Mallow, Cork and Waterford with high quality roads, providing vital access to and between the various towns and their hinterlands.

The N18 Bypass we have opened today, involved the construction of a major new 14km dual carriageway section from Dromoland, where the N18 Newmarket on Fergus Bypass ends, to a point on the N18 to the south of Crusheen village at the start of the proposed N18 Crusheen to Gort scheme. Work is continuing on the N85 Western Relief road that will connect with the new N18 Eastern Bypass at Killoo. The N85 will comprise dual two lane all purpose section and single carriageway sections and will be 7km in length.

Better roads make for easier, safer road journeys in less time and in less built up traffic. There is also a huge safety dividend with these roads the high quality dual carriage ways and motorways we have been building across the country have been proven to be seven times safer than the roads they replace. So by opening this new Ennis By Pass and the other eight road projects around the country this year, we are adding significantly to the safety of our national road network. I know other schemes completed in recent years in this area include the N18 Hurler's Cross and N19 Road (opened in 2003) and the N18 Newmarket on Fergus scheme (opened in 2002). Major schemes as I referred to earlier, which are in planning include the N18 Crusheen/Gort ByPass and the N18 Ennis/Inagh route. I was very happy to announce yesterday in Galway, that the N18 Crusheen / Gort Bypass - which comprises 22 kms of high quality dual carriageway is now being brought forward to start in 2008, under Transport 21, as part of the Atlantic Road Corridor. Originally it was due to commence in 2011.

2006, the first year of Transport 21, was in every way a record year for Ireland's National Roads programme. Fourteen major road projects were completed and opened to traffic and a dozen more started construction - more than three times the number of starts than in the previous year. A number of projects opened ahead of schedule too in 2006 including bypasses of Ashbourne (opened 4 months ahead of time), Fermoy (8 months) and Bundoran/Ballyshannon (3 months), the N25 Kinsale Road Interchange (opened 6 months ahead of target) and the N21 Castleisland/Abbeyfeale (3 months). Great credit is due to the National Roads Authority for their efforts last year and the funding the Government is providing to them for 2007 will allow the roads programme to continue apace.

I referred earlier to safer roads and as we come to the close of the first month of this new year, I would ask all road users, whether walking, cycling or driving to take extra care on our roads and have consideration for other road users. It is up to all of us to play our part and to act responsibly. I would ask all drivers to never drink and drive, observe speed limits and other regulations and to always wear a seat belt.

Conclusion

Roads like this are not built without the cooperative effort of many groups, individuals and agencies. In particular I would like to thank

the landowners for their cooperation
the contractor and staff GAMA Strabag Construction Ltd
the Engineers Jacobs Babtie Consulting Engineers
the NRA and Clare County Council, and their staff.
Thank you all very much.