At the official opening of the N11 Upgrade, Fine Gael TD for Wicklow/East Carlow and Chairman of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, Andrew Doyle, has welcomed that this long awaited road improvement has finally reached completion after many years of uncertainty and disappointment and has expressed his sympathy to those who tragically lost family members through the years on this dangerous and treacherous stretch of roadway.
“The delays in commencing the improvement works were frustrating, given that this was such an essential piece of work that needed to be done. This is a fact that is sadly borne out by the numbers of accidents that occurred on it. Road user safety is paramount and today is hopefully a good day for the people and families who have been affected in the past by the poor condition of this particular stretch of road. “It has taken a long time to reach this point. The project was first put on hold in 2004 but continuous efforts to highlight it’s absolute necessity meant that it finally got the green light two years ago. Thankfully the upgrade works have finished ahead of schedule and have been as smooth as possible with continued and consistent deadlines being met since the commencement of the project in 2013.
“I would like to acknowledge the preparatory works which had been done by Wicklow County Council in anticipation of getting the go-ahead for the project which meant it was a “shovel ready” proposition and I would also like to compliment and thank those in the local media who kept this project on the agenda and maintained awareness at a general and political level.
“Access to the east and south of County Wicklow and to and from Dublin to Wexford will be greatly improved as a result of this upgrade and it will have a positive impact in terms of commercial and tourism related activities as well as making the journey more safe for commuters. Good infrastructure plays a vital part in promoting and developing business and tourism opportunities and I look forward to the arising benefits in this regard.
“This completed upgrade of the N11/M11 between Arklow & Rathnew delivered through the BAM/PPP contract means 16.5km of four lane dual carriageway linking the existing Arklow Bypass with the Arklow/Rathnew Bypass and it will in effect reduce the journey time by 10 minutes.
“It is a relief to now have this vital piece of national and regional infrastructure in place for the county of Wicklow and for the commuters who pass through our county. It is certainly a milestone, one which will help in terms of positioning our county as a place to do business, enhancing our overall tourist experience and one which will hopefully lead to safer journeys for all its users.”