Published: Wednesday, 9th June, 2010 5:00pm

Motorway must come to Cavan

Pic by==: 97

The opening of the new M3 motorway on Friday was an historic day for Cavan and is set to dramatically reduce travel times to the capital - by up to one hour at peak times. This is welcome news for motorists but also businesses who will be able to get their goods to the marketplace quicker and cheaper. It is also a substantial boost for tourism - putting Cavan within an hour and a half of Dublin.

That said, a definite commitment must now be given to extend the roadway to Cavan town. The fact that the motorway stopped short of the county border at Whitegate has left a bitter taste with some. Certainly, politicians and business people have all agreed that the motorway must eventually make its way to Cavan. But it was a missed opportunity not to factor that in at the planning stage; surely it could have been carried out on a phased basis.

As it stands, there is a general agreement that, at the very least, a dual carriageway must now be extended from Whitegate to Virginia, but what's needed now is a firm commitment and a solid time-line for the project to be delivered.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) has already said that a by-pass of Virginia is now on the cards and Cavan County Council is pushing for that. Any plans for this by-pass must now also include proposals, and the necessary funding, to extend the dual carriageway all the way to Cavan town.

The M3 project to date has cost in the region of €1 billion, when the building project and land acquisition are taken into account. As one of the largest infrastructural projects ever undertaken in the state, it is a real shame that this original plan did not factor in a route the whole way to Cavan.

Equally, it is disappointing that a new railway line was not laid along the route of the new motorway. To do these projects in tandem would have been far more cost effective, than to come along and do so in the future.

Certainly, the state of the exchequer is not as healthy now as it was in 2007 when the M3 project first commenced. If plans for the route to Cavan, and a rail service, were not factored in at that point; it's difficult to see how it will happen in the short term.

It's likely that more Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreements will have to happen to ensure such infrastructural project such as these in the short to medium term. But with motorists already facing two tolls on the new motorway at Kells and Clonee, at €1.30 each; there may not be political (or public) appetite for a further toll on the route.

For the time being at least, Cavan should see real benefits of being closer (timewise) to Dublin city.

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