Cities brought closer by €128m roadway section

DUBLIN and Belfast moved a significant step closer in terms of travel time yesterday when a new €128m cross-border section of dual carriageway was officially opened.

The 14km-long development links Ballymascanlon at the end of the M1 outside Dundalk to the Cloghogue roundabout on the outskirts of Newry.

But work has yet to begin on what will be the final piece of the infrastructure jigsaw.

A 12km section of roadway from the Sheepbridge area of Co Down to Cloghogue will eventually see a dual carriageway running all the way between Ireland's two major cities.

Foreign minister Dermot Ahern returned to his Louth constituency yesterday to cut the official opening ribbon with Stormont Executive minister Conor Murphy, the Westminster MP for Armagh.

Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness - as well as other dignitaries including Louth Council chairman Jimmy Mulroy and his Newry counterpart Michael Cole - was also present at the official opening of the section. Watching yesterday's proceedings from his fields adjacent to the new roadway was 82-year-old Michael Morgan who recalled the days when large stones placed across the fields marked the frontier.

In those days, he said, farmers wishing to work with horses on the northern side of the border had to have detailed documentation on the animals which would be rigorously scrutinised by the customs officials.

Improvement

"You had to have the full particulars about the horse. If he had a white sock on one leg or a white mark on his face - that was all on the pass," he said.

"This new road is a miracle. I never thought I would see it - it is such a big improvement and it's hard to believe we have two ministers from Dublin and Belfast here together."

An estimated 20,000 vehicles use the Armagh/Louth border crossing each day and, while some congestion can still be expected at the Cloghogue roundabout, eventually the travel time between Belfast and Dublin will be reduced to less than two hours.

Dominic Cunningham
Irish Independent