A new road, which it is hoped will take thousands of trucks away from the centre of Wicklow town each year, has been opened by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.
The 4.3km port access and town relief road came in on time and within the budget of €65m.
It links the Rathnew Road to Wicklow Port to the east, and to the Marlton Road to the west.
However, the road does not itself directly connect to the N11.
The road took three years to build and includes a three-span bridge over the river Vartry at the Broadlough Estuary and another over the railway line.
Locals have welcomed the road, as it is expected to greatly reduce congestion in the town and surrounding area.
However, some have questioned whether the road has come too late as HGV traffic in and out of the port has reduced by over three quarters since the end of the economic boom, when large amounts of building materials were imported through it.
Locals are also anxious that a popular strip of land on the seafront in Wicklow, known as the Murrough, which is regularly used by walkers and joggers and which was damaged during construction, be reinstated fully.
The Friends of the Murrough group says it has been given assurances that money will be made available for this to happen.
