N11 road
From Free net encyclopedia
The N11 is a National Primary Route in Ireland, running along the east side of Ireland from Dublin to Wexford. It passes close to Bray, Greystones, Wicklow and Arklow, from which many commute to Dublin, and also passes through Gorey and Enniscorthy amongst others. Beyond Wexford, the route continues to Rosslare as the N25. The route forms part of European route E1.
As of the end of 2004, the N11 is of dual-carriageway or motorway standard from Dublin as far as Rathnew in County Wicklow. The section of the N11 immediately south from the M50, bypassing Bray, has been upgraded to motorway standard and is known as the M11 motorway.
The upgrading of the road to dual-carriageway through the Glen of the Downs was controversial, as the valley is a wooded area. Expanding the road resulted in the removal of some woodland. A campaign of protests, mainly by English activists, led to long delays in the construction of this section of road, but the work was eventually completed with a minimal disruption to the woodland.
As of 2004, with Bray, Newtownmountkennedy, Ashford, Rathnew and Arklow all having been bypassed, the biggest bottle-neck to traffic on the N11 is the County Wexford town of Gorey. Construction has commenced on the extension of the dual-carriageway to beyond Gorey, bypassing the town. In addition, a new section of dual-carriageway linking Rathnew to Arklow is also under construction. Upon completion in 2008, the road will be upgraded to dual-carriage or motorway from Dublin to Clogh in County Wexford. Upgrade projects thus far on the N11 have been publicly funded and no road tolls are planned.
Counties, Towns and Villages served by the N11 (N to S):
- County Dublin
- Dublin City
- Donnybrook
- University College Dublin (Bypassed)
- Stillorgan (Bypassed)
- Foxrock (Bypassed)
- Cabinteely (Bypassed)
- Shankill (Bypassed by M11)
- County Wicklow
- Bray (Bypassed by M11)
- Greystones (Bypassed)
- Kilmacanogue (Bypassed - low specification road - max 60 km/h)
- Delgany (Bypassed)
- Kilpeddar (Bypassed)
- Newtownmountkennedy (Bypassed)
- Ashford (Bypassed)
- Rathnew (Bypassed)
- Wicklow Town (Bypassed)
- Arklow (Bypassed)
- County Wexford
- Inch (Bypass under construction)
- Gorey (Bypass under construction)
- Ferns
- Enniscorthy
- Oilgate
- Wexford Town (Bypassed)
Link with M50
After many years of planning, in June 2005 the M11 was finally joined with Dublin's M50 motorway. The M50 is Dublin's bypass or C-Ring motorway and this allows motorists to drive on continuous motorway and dual-carriageway from Rathnew, Co. Wicklow to north of Dundalk, Co. Louth near the border with Northern Ireland.
The M50 links with the M11 along the Bray by-pass. Traffic travelling Dublin-bound is now given a choice of continuing into the southern suburbs of Dublin on the N11 or travelling via the M50 motorway around the city and to the western fringes of the city. One point to note about this link is that to stay on the M11 motorway northbound, one must exit at M50 Junction 17, as the motorway mainline becomes the M50 at this point. This is currently the only point on the Irish motorway network where this is the case.
All the National Routes originating and terminating in Dublin (N1,2,3,4,7,11,81) are now linked by motorway.
Traffic on the N11 inside Dublin proper is expected to ease due to traffic being given other route options before entering the city.
External links
- National Roads Authority (of Ireland)