A new planning application to build a bypass of Slane in Co Meath has been submitted to An Bord Pleanála.
The proposed bypass would be 3.5km long and includes a dual carriageway and a 258 metre-long bridge over the Boyne river.
The application also includes a plan to develop public spaces around the village.
A previous proposal for the bypass was refused permission nearly 12 years ago.
Slane village is located on the N2, linking Dublin and Derry.
Around 17,000 vehicles travel through it via the N2 and N51 routes each day, and 2,800 of these are heavy goods vehicles.
Multiple calls to develop a bypass to address road safety concerns have been made over the past decades.
Meath County Council says the provision of the bypass, along with improvements to the N51 and the public realm of Slane "are essential to achieve a safe, reliable and sustainable multi-modal transport network which benefits the village of Slane and wider regional priorities for sustainable land use, sustainable transport and climate mitigation".
The proposed N2 Slane bypass to the east of the village seeks to remove an existing "bottleneck" and provide safer transport infrastructure, as well as providing dedicated walking and cycling routes and enhancing the village centre.
The project also aims to improve levels of traffic, air quality and vibration emissions and traffic noise.
The public realm enhancement plan will mean reconfiguring the junction in the village's centre and introducing a HGV ban (3 axle) on the existing N2 north and south of the junction.
Other measures include the provision of off-street parking, EV charging, pedestrian and cyclist links, and landscaping.
In 2012, An Bord Pleanála rejected plans for a bypass saying it was within the viewshed of the World Heritage site of Brú na Bóinne.
Meath County Council said that the previous reasons for the planning refusal have been taken into account by the project team, as well as changes to design standards, government policies and environmental legislation since 2012.
Relevant documents including environmental impact assessment report and compulsory purchase order maps have now been submitted to An Bord Pleanála.
The council says that all property owners from whom property is to be acquired have also been sent a legal letter and map showing the lands to be acquired.
Documents relating to the plan will be on display in council offices from today until 16 February and submissions can be made to An Bord Pleanála during this time.
Michele Power of the Bypass Slane Campaign Group said that people were devastated when planning was refused for the project 12 years ago.
She said that the bypass is still needed and the route remains dangerous.
"The quality of the village environment is compromised," she said.
Ms Power welcomed today's news that a new application has been lodged with the planning authority and said she was hopeful that it would be approved.
