Newlands Cross Flyover Official Openning

Finally the Newlands Cross flyover on the N7 has been officially opened by the Minister for transport Paschal Donohoe. The first traffic to use it will be tomorrow morning (Thursday 20/11/2014). This is a breakthrough in Irish travel affording drivers to drive from Cork and Waterford to Belfast without having to stop at a traffic light. With on average 85,000 vehicles passing through Newlands Cross on a daily basis, it is currently one of the busiest junctions in the country. Minister Donohoe said: “The Newlands Cross junction upgrade is open before schedule and it’s an exciting development for regular commuters, for motorists, for hauliers and for anyone who remembers the frustrating delays and frequent tailbacks that used to occur here at Newlands Cross. “The new junction will now also connect our major cities, providing a continuous free flowing route between the M50 and the cities of Limerick, Cork, Kilkenny and Waterford. “The Newland Cross project is part of the €282m N7/N11Arklow to Rathnew PPP Scheme. “This project was the first PPP road project to be signed since 2007.” An interesting fact about this mammoth project is the fact that it was completed 4 months ahead of schedule and within the proposed budget, something that rarely happens in Ireland! The Minister also said “today marks a huge sign of progress in our economy.” The flyover is only 700m long but has 3 lanes on either side reducing headaches for commuters in the rush hour traffic. Sean O’Neill, Head of Communications at the National Roads Authority, said: “In the early hours of Thursday morning the contractor is going to do a major traffic shift, which is taking everyone from the temporary road alignment that they are experiencing today, and travelling up and over Newlands Cross for their morning commute on Thursday morning.”