The national development plan, NDP, provides for a substantial investment in national roads over the period 2000 to 2006. A significant priority within the national roads programme is to upgrade the five main inter-urban routes, linking Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway and the Dundalk Border with Dublin, to motorway-high quality dual carriageway standard, involving a substantial public private partnership, PPP, component based on user tolls and bringing significant improvements to other key routes.
The current position in relation to the upgrading of the five major inter-urban routes is that the M1 is expected to be fully complete by the end of 2006. Work is complete on major projects on the N7 Monasterevin bypass, on the N8 Cashel bypass. The N4-N6 Kilcock-Kinnegad project continues under construction. Work started this year on the Dundalk western bypass and Dundalk to Newry on the M1, on the Fermoy bypass, N8, and Naas road widening, N7. Completion of these projects will eliminate many of the major bottlenecks on these routes. In addition it is expected that compulsory purchase orders and environmental impact statements for the remaining projects in planning on these routes will either be approved by, or be before, An Bord Pleanála by end 2004.