N3 road (Ireland)

N3 road
Route information
Length:	129.21 km (80.29 mi)
Location
Primary destinations:	(bypassed routes in italics) County Dublin Blanchardstown County Meath Clonee Dunshaughlin Ross Cross Navan Kells Carnaross County Cavan Lisduff Virginia New Inn Cavan town Butlersbridge Belturbet Northern Ireland A509 in Enniskillen A46 at Enniskillen County Donegal Ballyshannon
Road network
Roads in Ireland Motorways Primary Secondary Regional

The N3 road is a national primary road in Ireland, running between Dublin, Cavan and the border with County Fermanagh. The A509 and A46 roads in Northern Ireland form part of an overall route connecting to Enniskillen, and northwest to the border again where the N3 reappears to serve Ballyshannon in County Donegal.

Rush hour congestion between Navan and Dublin city was very heavy (up to 22,000 vehicles per day on single carriageway portions of the N3 in 2002), and problems occurred at most built-up areas between these points. A tolled motorway bypass replacement, the M3 motorway, was opened to traffic on the 4 June 2010.

The bypassed section from Clonee to the border with County Cavan has been reclassified as the R147 road.

Route

The old N3, between Clonee and Dunshaughlin

The route, known as the Navan Road as it leaves Dublin, starts at a major junction with the M50 motorway and then bypasses Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart and Clonee with a dual carriageway. The dual carriageway changes into the M3 motorway near the Meath border by-passing Dunshaughlin and Navan. Near Kells the route continues as the N3 dual carriage way to the border with County Cavan. It then passes through Virginia, past Cavan Town and continues past Butlersbridge and through Belturbet. The route then crosses the border with Northern Ireland, becoming the A509 to Enniskillen. The A46 connects Enniskillen and the Donegal border, becoming the N3 across the border at Belleek, and connecting to Ballyshannon. In Ballyshannon certain road signs have destinations A46 Enniskillen with N3 Dublin with the requisite single arrow pointing in the same direction.

N3 upgrade

The National Roads Authority in conjunction with Cavan and Donegal County Councils plan major improvements to the N3 route in Ulster. It is currently planned that the Virginia bypass will be developed as 12.5 kilometres of type 2 dual carriageway ( known as 2+2). Type two dual carriageway has reduced width or no hard shoulders and also a reduced width median. This approach significantly cuts land acquisition costs.

A 6.7 kilometre bypass of the village of Belturbet in Co. Cavan was partially opened to traffic on August 2, 2013, and the entire section including a bridge over the River Erne was opened in December 2013.^[1]^[2]^[3]

M3 motorway

M3 motorway
Clickable image
Route information
Part of
Length:	51 km (32 mi)
Existed:	2007 – present
History:	Completed in 2010
Major junctions

To:	Kells, County Meath
Location
Primary destinations:	Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan, Kells
Road network
Roads in Ireland Motorways Primary Secondary Regional

Part of the old N3 route has been bypassed by the construction of 51 kilometres of new motorway. This stretch of motorway, designated M3, was opened on 4 June 2010. The M3 begins near the end of the dual carriageway outside Clonee and terminates south west of Kells just before the N52.

The construction scheme did not terminate at this point as a new realigned N3 2+2 Non Motorway section continued from the end of the Motorway past Kells before terminating near the County Cavan border. The overall scheme also included the N52 Kells northern bypass. Since completion, the M3 now bypasses Dunshaughlin, Navan, and Kells along with Cavan which was bypassed much earlier.

Controversy

The motorway was contested because the route passes near the Hill of Tara and through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skryne valley or Gabhra. The planned route corridor was approved by An Bord Pleanála (Ireland's planning appeals board) in August 2003.^[4]^[5]

Motorway reclassification

On 30 September 2008, the Department of Transport announced the second round of proposed motorway reclassifications under the Roads Act 2007. A short section of the existing dual-carriageway N3 bypassing Clonee, from northwest of Mulhuddart to the start of the M3 toll motorway scheme, is affected by this. Following a public consultation process, on 10 July 2009 the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, made a Statutory Instrument reclassifying this section of the N3 as motorway effective from 28 August 2009.^[6] It was the first section of M3 to come into being.

Motorway project details

The most expensive single contract road project ever undertaken in Ireland coming in at approximately €650 million according to SIAC.
It is tolled at two locations, one point north of Navan and another point between Dunshaughlin and Clonee for 45 years running from 2007. The Government have the option to buy out this contract at any time. The price level of tolls is controlled by the Board of the NRA and they can reduce, increase or remove the tolls as they see appropriate (as is the case with every other toll road in Ireland e.g. Dublin Port Tunnel weekend price reduction). Should they lower the tolls on the M3 the government would have to make up the difference of what is owed yearly to Eurolink M3 Ltd through tax revenue. Thus Eurolink are guaranteed a certain agreed return from their investment and would not suffer from any reduction in toll revenue from either a toll reduction or the planned opening of the Navan rail line. The toll revenue is collected by a private company on behalf of the state as a means to pay the private sector consortium annually for their initial one off investment in constructing the road.
It is the longest single road project ever to be constructed in Ireland including nearly 100 kilometres of new or upgraded road including 49 km of new M3, 10 km of new N3, 20 km of new link roads and interchanges, and approximately 15 kilometres of local road improvements, footpaths, cycle lanes and new bridges.
It was originally planned to open in 2006.
An Bord Pleanála initially approved the project on 22 August 2003. Exactly 4 years later, on 22 August 2007, they directed that the excavation of the Lismullin monument did not require fresh planning approval.

Junctions

(in planning)
Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit
M50 motorway : Dublin Port, Bray and all other routes (M50)		M50 motorway : Dublin Port, Bray and all other routes (M50)
Blanchardstown Village, Ballycoolin		No Exit
Blanchardstown Centre, Tyrrellstown, Mulhuddart		Blanchardstown Centre, Tyrrellstown, Mulhuddart
Clonee, Damastown		End of motorway

Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit
Start of motorway		Clonee, Damastown
Pace Interchange: Dunboyne, Trim (R154), Ratoath (R155)		Pace Interchange: Dunboyne, Trim (R154), Ratoath (R155)

Dunshaughlin, Kilcock		Dunshaughlin, Kilcock
Skryne (R147), Johnstown		Skryne (R147), Kilmessan
Navan (South)		Navan (South)
Navan (North), Delvin, Athboy (N51)		Navan (North), Delvin, Athboy (N51)

Kells N52		Kells N52
End of motorway		Start of motorway

Northbound exit	Junction	Southbound exit
Drumbaragh (R163)		Drumbaragh (R163)
Derver		Derver
End of Dual Carriageway		Start of Dual Carriageway

References

↑ "Part of N3 Belturbet bypass opens". Northern Sound. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
↑ "N3 Belturbet Bypass". National Roads Authority. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
↑ "N3 Belturbet Bypass Complete with Opening of Bridge" (Press release). National Roads Authority. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
↑ Eileen Battersby (26 May 2007). "Is nothing sacred?". The Irish Times.
↑ Glenn Frankel (22 January 2005). "In Ireland, Commuters vs. Kings". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
↑ http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/10978-SI_255_OF_2009-0.PDF

Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006 – Department of Transport

External links

Roads in Ireland

Motorways	M1 M2 M3 M4 M6 M7 M8 M9 M11 M18 M20 M50

Primary roads	N1 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8 N9 N10 N11 N12 N13 N14 N15 N16 N17 N18 N19 N20 N21 N22 N23 N24 N25 N26 N27 N28 N29 N30 N31 N32 N33 N40 N50

Secondary roads	N51 N52 N53 N54 N55 N56 N58 N59 N60 N61 N62 N63 N65 N66 N67 N68 N69 N70 N71 N72 N73 N74 N75 N76 N77 N78 N80 N81 N82 N83 N84 N85 N86 N87

Regional roads	R101 R102 R103 R104 R105 R106 R107 R108 R109 R110 R111 R112 R113 R114 R115 R116 R117 R118 R119 R120 R121 R122 R123 R124 R125 R126 R127 R128 R129 R130 R131 R132 R133 R134 R135 R136 R137 R138 R139 R147 R148 R149 R150 R151 R152 R153 R154 R155 R156 R157 R158 R159 R160 R161 R162 R163 R164 R165 R166 R167 R168 R169 R170 R171 R172 R173 R174 R175 R176 R177 R178 R179 R180 R181 R182 R183 R184 R185 R186 R187 R188 R189 R190 R191 R192 R193 R194 R195 R196 R197 R198 R199 R200 R201 R202 R203 R204 R205 R206 R207 R208 R209 R210 R211 R212 R213 R214 R215 R229 R230 R231 R232 R233 R234 R235 R236 R237 R238 R239 R240 R241 R242 R243 R244 R245 R246 R247 R248 R249 R250 R251 R252 R253 R254 R255 R256 R257 R258 R259 R260 R261 R262 R263 R264 R265 R266 R267 R268 R277 R278 R279 R280 R281 R282 R283 R284 R285 R286 R287 R288 R289 R290 R291 R292 R293 R294 R295 R296 R297 R298 R299 R300 R310 R311 R312 R313 R314 R315 R316 R317 R318 R319 R320 R321 R322 R323 R324 R325 R326 R327 R328 R329 R330 R331 R332 R333 R334 R335 R336 R337 R338 R339 R340 R341 R342 R343 R344 R345 R346 R347 R348 R349 R350 R351 R352 R353 R355 R356 R357 R358 R359 R360 R361 R362 R363 R364 R365 R366 R367 R368 R369 R370 R371 R372 R373 R374 R375 R376 R377 R378 R379 R389 R390 R391 R392 R393 R394 R395 R396 R397 R398 R399 R400 R401 R402 R403 R404 R405 R406 R407 R408 R409 R410 R411 R412 R413 R414 R415 R416 R417 R418 R419 R420 R421 R422 R423 R424 R425 R426 R427 R428 R429 R430 R431 R432 R433 R434 R435 R436 R437 R438 R439 R440 R441 R442 R443 R444 R445 R446 R448 R449 R458 R459 R460 R461 R462 R463 R464 R465 R466 R467 R468 R469 R470 R471 R472 R473 R474 R475 R476 R477 R478 R479 R480 R481 R482 R483 R484 R485 R486 R487 R488 R489 R490 R491 R492 R493 R494 R495 R496 R497 R498 R499 R500 R501 R502 R503 R504 R505 R506 R507 R509 R510 R511 R512 R513 R514 R515 R516 R517 R518 R519 R520 R521 R522 R523 R524 R525 R526 R527 R548 R549 R550 R551 R552 R553 R554 R555 R556 R557 R558 R559 R560 R561 R563 R564 R565 R566 R567 R568 R569 R570 R571 R572 R573 R574 R575 R576 R577 R578 R579 R580 R581 R582 R583 R584 R585 R586 R587 R588 R589 R590 R591 R592 R593 R594 R595 R596 R597 R598 R599 R600 R601 R602 R603 R604 R605 R606 R607 R608 R610 R611 R612 R613 R614 R615 R616 R617 R618 R619 R620 R621 R622 R623 R624 R626 R627 R628 R629 R630 R631 R632 R633 R634 R635 R637 R638 R639 R640 R641 R659 R660 R661 R662 R663 R664 R665 R666 R667 R668 R669 R670 R671 R672 R673 R674 R675 R676 R677 R678 R679 R680 R681 R682 R683 R684 R685 R686 R687 R688 R689 R690 R691 R692 R693 R694 R695 R696 R697 R698 R699 R700 R701 R702 R703 R704 R705 R706 R707 R708 R709 R710 R711 R712 R713 R724 R725 R726 R727 R729 R730 R731 R732 R733 R734 R735 R736 R737 R738 R739 R740 R741 R742 R743 R744 R745 R746 R747 R748 R749 R750 R751 R752 R753 R754 R755 R756 R757 R758 R759 R760 R761 R762 R763 R764 R765 R766 R767 R768 R769 R770 R772 R773 R774 R801 R802 R803 R804 R805 R806 R807 R808 R809 R810 R811 R812 R813 R814 R815 R816 R817 R818 R819 R820 R821 R822 R824 R825 R826 R827 R828 R829 R830 R831 R833 R834 R835 R837 R838 R839 R840 R842 R843 R846 R847 R848 R849 R851 R852 R853 R854 R855 R857 R858 R859 R860 R861 R863 R864 R865 R866 R867 R868 R870 R871 R873 R874 R875 R876 R877 R880 R883 R884 R885 R886 R887 R888 R889 R890 R895 R899 R900 R901 R903 R904 R906 R907 R908 R909 R910 R911 R912 R913 R914 R915 R916 R917 R918 R919 R920 R921 R923 R924 R925 R926 R927 R928 R929 R930 R931 R932 R933 R934 R935 R936 R937 R938 R940 R941

See also National Development Plan National Roads Authority Local roads Toll roads Trunk roads

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