M50 bypass opens

Anyone who has visited Ireland can tell you the roads leave a lot to be desired. The word “terrifying” is often used. In the last 5 years the country has come on in leaps and bounds in terms of paving some decent roads between destinations.

I mentioned sometime last year that this is a double-edged sword. Yes, these new roadways allow travellers to reach certain destinations quicker, but the experience of travelling through Ireland is becoming less distinct in that well-paved asphalt and sound walls can be seen anywhere in the world. Furthermore, the small villages that have survived around the arteries of Irish traffic are now being bypassed and are threatened with extinction as tourist dollars dry up.

But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about a long-needed and much-maligned bypass in Dublin that will allow motorists to bypass a formerly disasterous bit of road where they otherwise perfectly serviceable N4 hits a stretch of urban road with trafficlights and such before delivering commuters to the M50 roadway that circles Dublin city.

That’s right, she opened up a day or so ago and locals will be relieved to hear their traffic will return to normality and a majority of the old traffic will now be routed around their area.

I can’t wait to visit Dublin and see this in action.