Long-delayed Navan link road finally open

After a wait of many years, Navan"s newest stretch of road opened last Friday on the outskirts of the town. The Navan Inner Relief Road 2B from the N51 Athboy Road roundabout to the N3 roundabout on the Kells Road was finally opened to traffic on Friday. Its opening was welcomed over the weekend by Navan area county councillors Shane Cassells and Tommy Reilly. Cllr Cassells said its long overdue completion would bring great benefit to the people of Boreen Keel. 'The road project had been stalled for a number of years and had been expected to be open in 2006,' he explained. 'The delays in the project had led to a heightened amount of traffic congestion in the town with Gardai regularly being called to perform point duty at the hospital junction on Boreen Keel. The opening is an extremely positive move for both residents and motorists alike,' he said. 'It should have been opened years ago but contractual wranglings and other problems have dogged this project from the beginning. Regardless of this, I am just relieved that the road has been eventually opened because the people from the Boreen Keel and surrounding areas have been very patient in recent years. 'Naturally, the people who have to use the roads in the town on a daily basis should see a marked improvement in traffic movements as the amount of heavy goods vehicles in the central area are reduced,' Cllr Cassells added. Cllr Reilly said that the new roadway is much-needed after a 15-year wait and will relieve the town centre of a great deal of congestion as local traffic can avoid areas it doesn"t need to traverse in the town. Traffic diversions were put in place last Friday to accommodate the completion of works on the new link road. As only half of the bridge over the Tara Mines railway line has been constructed, traffic lights are currently in operation at the bridge to facilitate single lane traffic. The tie-in to the existing N51 to Navan will be constructed after the new road is opened and, therefore, a temporary road closure is in place on the N51 between the hospital and the new road. It will take one week to construct the new tie-in and then the N51 will be re-opened, allowing traffic to join the new inner relief road this coming Friday, 23rd January.