An Bord Pleanála has given the go ahead for the N28 Cork to Ringaskiddy motorway subject to six conditions.
The controversial plans for a €180 million 12.5km motorway from Cork to the port village was the subject of an oral hearing last November.
The board said when making its decision it took into account that the route constitutes a key strategic transport route for the city, the port and the region, giving particular regard to European, national and regional transport and development policies.
Last month, the Port of Cork announced ambitious plans for the development of a container terminal in Ringaskiddy.
The six conditions include revised junction layouts for Carr's Hill/Maryborough Hill as well as traffic management measures for ferry traffic, noise mitigation measures, landscaping and provisions for wildlife including peregrine falcons and bats.
A schedule of commitments made by Cork County Council to the board last December to mitigate the environmental effects of the proposed road development on properties is also a condition.
More than 142 hectares of land will need to be acquired for the motorway through compulsory purchase orders from 82 landowners.
Last November's oral hearing was told that an additional 4,000 trucks per day will be using the motorway by 2035 to access the Port of Cork facilities in Ringaskiddy.
139 submissions were made to the hearing.
