Historic week as M3 finally opens

This Friday, 4th June, will mark the unveiling of one of the most important economic developments ever in County Meath as the M3 motorway finally opens to traffic. It is the culmination of a decade of detailed planning and construction, land acquisition and environmental assessment, archaeological investigations, hearings, legal challenges and court actions. It has been the biggest ever road project in the history of Ireland and surely also one of its most controversial. Nonetheless, there is a palpable sense of excitement throughout the county that this massive project - the progress of which has been watched with interest and which has been visible to anyone who has travelled through Meath in the past two and a half years - is about to become a reality. That sense of anticipation is most acute in towns like Navan, Kells and Dunshaughlin as local residents and traders get ready to celebrate reclaiming the streets from the peak-time traffic jams which have regularly blighted life in several towns along the route of the N3 over the past couple of decades, in particular. The hope is that thousands of vehicles passing through Meath on their way to destinations beyond the county will use the M3 to avoid towns like Kells and Dunshaughlin. Already, Kells is planning a big party to celebrate the relief the new road will bring in July. This has been a truly mammoth project, with thousands of people employed by contractors and sub-contractors throughout the building phase. It totals 51km of motorway, another 10km of dual carriageway, a further 20km or so of side roads and link roads, six major interchanges and a total of 73 bridges. It will, in one fell swoop, bring all areas of Meath closer to Dublin, opening up the furthest reaches of the county, its heritage sites and amenities to visitors, and promising ease of access to industrialists and investors who have long eschewed Meath as being too inaccessible - despite its proximity to the capital. Of course, the building of this motorway has not been without its critics. For some, the construction of the M3 will forever be associated with the contentious stretch through the Tara-Skryne valley. The proponents of the motorway, on the other hand, believe they have delivered the project in an archaeologically sensitive way that does not compromise the extensive heritage Meath has to offer. One positive legacy that has come from the controversy over the M3's proximity to Tara has been the focus it has brought to the area itself. The Hill of Tara prides itself on being one of Ireland's most popular tourist destinations yet the facilities for visitors there do not match in any way those found at other major sites such as Newgrange or Glendalough in Co Wicklow. Perhaps now is the time for the Government to look at the provision of a year-round interpretative centre and visitor facilities befitting a national monument of its stature so tourists and locals alike can enjoy the same type of experience at Tara they get at other locations around the country. For local people, the tolling of the M3 in two places has been controversial, too, and there are concerns that a one-way toll of €2.60 from Kells to Dublin will force road-users to stick to the existing N3, thereby negating the benefits of having the motorway in the first place. This has been the experience in parts of east Meath with toll-dodging traffic from the M1 continuing to use the old road through places like Julianstown. The Irish Road Haulage Association has been highly critical of tolling motorways, saying it places an added burden on a sector already facing high costs. Critics of the motorway also say a minimum traffic guarantee to the Spanish-Irish consortium which will operate the M3 means will mean the NRA paying the operator if traffic levels fall below a minimum threshold. In the final analysis, and notwithstanding all its critics, the M3 will bring positive benefits to this county. For commuters, who also have the opening of the new passenger rail line to Dublin from Dunboyne in a few months' time to look forward to, the days of two-hour journeys to and from the capital should be gone. For inward investors, the argument of poor access to Meath's major population centres will no longer wash - and those tasked will selling our county must consistently stress this point from now on. The traffic-choked streets of towns like Kells and Dunshaughlin, where the national route previously ran straight through the middle of town, will no longer have to suffer the continuous traffic jams that marked them out as places to avoid at certain times. Navan, Ireland's fourth largest town, will now be able to compete on a level playing pitch with other comparable urban centres for jobs and investment. From a safety perspective, serious road accidents should be lessened, while for tourism interests, the benefits are obvious, with Meath's heritage sites and attractions all more accessible than heretofore. Meath's local economy can only benefit, too, from being bolted onto the system of major road arteries out of Dublin, making the transport of goods to and from Dublin Airport and Dublin Port easy and efficient, a crucial enabler of economic growth. Together with the new rail link that will, in five years' time be extended to Navan, the M3 will allow local people to travel quickly and in greater safety to their destinations in a manner that will benefit all of our society for many years to come.