'Historic day for Meath' as M3 formally opened

A historic day for the county was how the Minister for Transport and self-declared proud Meathman, Noel Dempsey, described the opening of the M3 motorway as he cut the green and gold ribbon on Friday morning on a section of the new motorway outside Navan. The scheme signifies a major investment in the physical infrastructure of the region, he told the sun-drenched gathering, which included public representatives, Chamber of Commerce members, representatives from the National Roads Authority, the Eurolink consortium which built the road and many other groups involved in the building of the M3. A small group of protesters who had campaigned against the motorway route going through the historic Tara-Skryne landscape was prevented by Gardai from getting onto the new road at the Athboy Road/Navan North interchange for the formal opening. They later staged a protest outside the Ardboyne Hotel on the Dublin Road in Navan. The M3 is the biggest singular piece of road infrastructure to have been constructed in the country, and the biggest to open in Europe this year, the minister said. He added: "The transport corridor that links in north-west, Cavan and north Meath with Dublin city is one of the busiest in the country. This new road will provide safer, faster travel for approximately 37,000 vehicles daily, with an average reduction in journey time of approximately 20 minutes for those travelling the length of the scheme. The delivery of the M3 within budget and two months ahead of schedule underlines again the value of public private partnerships in the efficient and accelerated delivery of vital road infrastructure in Ireland," he added. Built in a public private partnership (PPP) with Eurolink, a consortium made up of Spanish company Cintra and Irish firm SIAC, the motorway stretches from Clonee on the Meath-Dublin border, to Carnaross, close to the Cavan/Meath border. "The building of this motorway would not have been possible, even at the height of the prosperity of the Celtic Tiger, without a PPP," Mr Dempsey said. "It is not very often in politics that you get to see a project through to fruition," he added, explaining that the motorway was instigated during his period as Minister for the Environment, when that department had responsibility for roads, and he was now overseeing the opening of it on "a historic day for Meath". While it would provide relief for towns like Navan, Kells and Dunshaughlin, choked by traffic congestion, it would also open up the county and make it economically competitive, he added. "Often at these formal openings, those who have lost their lives or suffered serious injuries are forgotten," he said, saying that the motorway would also increase road safety. Some 21 people lost their lives on the N3 between 2003 and 2008, and 33 had been seriously injured, and he appealed for road-users to drive safely on the bank holiday weekend. Meath County Council chairman Cllr Willie Carey said he knew that many people were still upset that the road, in their view, unnecessarily disturbed important archaeological remains. "It would have been impossible to build any road through this area without disturbing some remains," he said. "I'm convinced that the least intrusive route was taken and we must remember that road-building does present an opportunity for important sites to be excavated." He welcomed the delivery of the project two months in advance of the target date and said that poor transport infrastructure had constantly been cited as an obstacle to attracting major industry in the past. The council chairman, however, urged the stakeholders in the what he described as "the problem of tolls on the M4" to come together for a compromise of tolls for HGVs. "Everyone is a loser - the toll company, the hauliers losing time and the council losing money on regional road repairs if the protest continues," the council chairman said. Other speakers included Peter Malone, chairman of the National Roads Authority; Meath County Manager Tom Dowling, and Inigo Mérias, managing director of Ferrovial, the Spanish firm involved in the road-building. Mr Dempsey noted that the Spanish flag that flew with the Irish, Meath, Transport 21, NRA, NDP and European flags at the opening ceremony beside the Navan South interchange, was bigger than the rest of the flags. "I'm not sure who is responsible but I believe a decision has been taken that everyone here is supporting Spain in the World Cup as a result of the great job done completed here!" he quipped. After unveiling the engraved stone marking the opening by the side of the motorway, he formally cut the green and gold ribbon and signalled the formal opening of the M3. Less than three hours later, the first vehicles rolled onto the new ribbon of tarmac as the route was opened to the public.