1 Introduction
1.1 Need for the Scheme
The upgrading
of the Dublin to Waterford inter-urban road link has been
identified as a requirement by the National Roads Authority
(NRA) in their National Road Needs Study (July 1998) and now
forms part of Government policy. The new road link is set
out as an objective of the Economic and Social Infrastructure
Operational Programme element of the National Development
Plan (2000-2006).
The NRA 'Assessment
of Waterford-Dublin Route and Road Type Options' paper (February
2000) identified a 'Central N9 Corridor' as the preferred
route for the inter-urban road link. Route corridor options
located further to the east (N11/N30/N25) and to the west
(from N8 via Durrow) were also considered by the NRA before
selecting the preferred corridor. This assessment by the NRA
also recommended that the proposed scheme should be a high
quality dual carriageway / motorway road in its entirety so
as to ensure consistency of route standard, maximise road
safety benefits and secure uniform operating characteristics
along the route.
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