N9 Road (Ireland) - M9 Motorway and Upgrades

M9 Motorway and Upgrades

The National Development Plan included plans for a motorway from Dublin to Waterford. While these plans were later altered to High Quality Dual Carriageway, in July 2008 the road was reclassified as a motorway once more. An environmental impact assessment was published in October 2003 and a CPO issued in November 2003 for the 46 km (29 mi) dual-carriageway forming the northern part of the Kilcullen–Waterford route, from Kilcullen, County Kildare to Powerstown, County Carlow. An EIS was published and a CPO issued in February 2005 for the 64 km (40 mi) southern section of the upgraded route, from Powerstown to Waterford.

The southern section of route differs more from the existing N9 alignment than most of the national road upgrade projects in recent years. The N10 at present provides a link to Kilkenny, to the west of the N9. The new alignment of the N9(M9) passes further west, closer to Kilkenny, with a new shorter N10 link to the N9(M9) on the northeast side of Kilkenny. The existing N10 remains for the link southeast of Kilkenny. The timeline of upgrades to the N9 route is:

• The M9 Kilcullen to Carlow; 28 km, completed and opened in December 2009

• The The Carlow Bypass was the first section of the project to be completed, opening on 29 May 2008. It opened as a section of the N9, although built to motorway standards; and was officially upgraded to motorway (complete with a 20 km/h increase in speed limit) on 24 September 2008.

• The M9/N10 Carlow/Knocktopher ; 40 km, completed and opened on the 9th September 2010

• The M9 Waterford/Knocktopher; 24 km, completed and opened 22nd March 2010.

A bypass of Waterford was opened in 2009, as part of the N25 that previously passed southeast/northwest through the city. As part of the project, the new M9 joins at a roundabout just off the Granagh Interchange which then allows access to Waterford City or the bypass to Rosslare/Cork.