The Arklow bypass on the N11 was officially opened this morning by Environment and Local Government Minister, Noel Dempsey. The bypass will relieve a serious traffic bottleneck on the N11 route and significantly improve journey times and bring environmental and safety benefits to the residents in Arklow town.
The road, which cost £45 million to build, has been completed nine months ahead of schedule. It had been planned for 36 years and has been co-financed by the EU.
Arklow has a population of 8,500 and has been suffering severe traffic congestion for years, with approximately 8,000 vehicles passing through the town every day. More than half of this is through-traffic that will now use the by-pass.
In a seperate development today, a dispute has broken out between members of the Building and Allied Trade Union involved in the construction of a major new business park in Athlone. Workers from the midlands picketed the site after additional staff from Mayo were taken on to work on the project on Wednesday. Union officials in Dublin refuse to comment on the dispute which it is understood arose after a disagreement over working duties.
