Slane Bypass and Navan Courthouse included in Project Ireland 2040

A new courthouse for Navan, the provision of the Slane bypass, as well as a bypass of Virginia  and the development of the Bettystown Laytown link road  are among the projects detailed in Project Ireland 2040.
The project's vision for Meath is to see a more balanced and sustainable pattern of development, with a greater focus on employment creation, local infrastructure
needs and addressing the legacy of rapid growth.
According to the plan announced today, this means that housing development should be primarily based on employment growth, accessibility by sustainable transport modes and quality of life, rather than unsustainable commuting patterns.
 
The extension of DART services to Drogheda and the prioritising of Drogheda-Dundalk in the context of the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor are also among the proposals.
 
Project Ireland 2040 which was announced by taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Sligo today details how more than €116 billion will be spent on infrastructure over the next decade and beyond.

The project was formally approved by the Taoiseach and his ministers at a special Cabinet held in Sligo this morning.

This is a plan that aims to prepare the country for a population expansion of around one million people over the next 20 years.

It prioritises the building of schools, houses, roads and hospitals to meet the needs of that growing population.

It means too that 550,000 homes will have to be built over the next 20 years or so.
 
There is a focus on economic development in Dublin and in cities and towns outside the capital with towns like Athlone, Sligo, Drogheda, Dundalk and Letterkenny earmarked as economic growth centres.
A sum of €100 million will be provided to develop greenway routes to promote tourism in rural parts of the country.