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In Belgium, the N3 is the road from Brussels to Aachen, passing Leuven, Tienen, Sint-Truiden and Liège.

The N3 road is a National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland, running between Dublin, Cavan Town and the border with County Fermanagh. 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. The Navan - Kells corridor currently suffers from very poor road infrastructure (the current N3 is narrow two lane country road) and has no passenger rail services. Rush hour congestion between Navan and Dublin city is very heavy (up to 22,000 vehicles per day on parts of the N3 in 2002). A motorway bypass upgrade (M3 motorway) is planned for part of the N3 route.

Route

The route is known as the Navan Road as it leaves Dublin, passing near the Phoenix Park's northeastern exit and bypassing Castleknock.

It passes through a major junction with the M50 motorway, consisting of a busy (and often grid-locked) grade-separated roundabout on the N3. It is planned to convert it into a 'free-flow' grade separated interchange, as part of a major project to widen the M50.

Having crossed the M50 the road bypasses Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart and Clonee with dual carriageway. The dual carriageway reduces to a single carriageway shortly past the Meath border and it passes through the often heavily congested Dunshaughlin village, Navan town (which is partially bypassed on an inner-relief road with traffic lights controlling junctions) and Kells in County Meath, before passing through Virginia and reaching Cavan Town. After Cavan town, the road continues past Butlersbridge and through Belturbet (both in County Cavan), the route then crosses the border with Northern Ireland, becoming the A509 to Enniskillen. The A49 road connects Enniskillen and the Donegal border, becoming the N3 across the border at Belleek, and connecting to Ballyshannon. From there, the N15 goes North to Donegal Town and Lifford, and south to Sligo.

Planned M3 Motorway Upgrade

Part of the present N3 route is due to be bypassed, by the construction of the separate M3 motorway (the bypassed section of the existing N3 will be reclassified as an "R" road, and the N3 national primary route will thereafter include the M3 - according to Ireland's route number scheme). The proposed M3 will connect the end of the dual carriageway near Clonee with the N3 north of Kells. Thus it will bypass Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan, and Kells.

===Controversy===Template:UK motorway routebox

As of 2007 the motorway plan is contested because the route passes near the Hill of Tara and through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skyne valley or Gabhra. The planned route corridor was approved by An Bord Pleanála (planning appeals board) in August 2003. Objectors, including more than 350 academics and the head of the National Museum of Ireland, say the motorway will irreparably damage the region's heritage. Those opposing the plans wish for an alternative route to be chosen instead. The National Roads Authority (NRA) and others (such as some local residents and business groups) insist that the alternative route is too far from towns in the area, and that the road is needed to address urgent traffic problems. Supporters of the present M3 plans point out that 71% of the vote in the 2005 Meath bye election went to parties supporting the construction of the M3, these parties included Fianna Fáil, the Progressive Democrats and Fine Gael. They also state that the new M3 motorway will be farther away from the historic Hill of Tara than the existing N3 road. However, critics state that it will be marginally further away is irrelevant because it will have a far greater visual and noise impact than the smaller, more easily hidden single carriageway road.

The visual impact of the motorway on the Tara-Skryne valley is one of the main objections against the present route. The NRA insist that the route will be heavily planted and integrated into the existing landscape. Those in favour of the route also point out that the Minister for the Environment is on record as saying that he has agreed remedial measures with the NRA to modify the proposed lighting at the controversial Blundelstown interchange to lessen its visual impact on the environment.

The objectors claim that the motorway will do little to ease the misery of commuters in County Meath as the motorway will feed into the existing N3 dual carriageway which includes an at grade roundabout in Blanchardstown near its junction the M50 motorway, the busiest road in Ireland. This junction is only 3 kilometres north of the congested Westlink toll plaza and is west of the congested Navan Road/Cabra/Phibsboro areas. However, both the M50 and the junction with the N3 are going to be reconstructed; the M50 capacity is being increased by 50% and the junction is to be developed as partially 'freeflow'. The NRA stated in response to a query at the statutory oral hearing into the M3 toll scheme, held in Navan on January 17, 2007 that the N3/M50 junction would now not be fully freeflow as widely believed. Motorists travelling north on the M50 wishing to leave the motorway at the N3 interchange to travel west on the N3 (Cavan and Ballyshannon) or east on the N3 (Dublin) will have to pass through traffic light controlled junctions.

The opponents of the M3 also point out that (in the worst case) a commuter travelling to work in Suburban South Dublin from Kells would have to pay 3 tolls in each direction (two on the M3 and one on the M50). There are currently 5 toll roads in Ireland. These toll roads are the M50 (which is tolled twice, at its port entrance and exit and at the Westlink toll plaza), M1, M4, M8 and the Eastlink bridge. Tolls are generally used on roads where a private consortium agree to construct and maintain a road in return for toll revenue from those using the road. Controversially when the M3 is built there will be 4 toll plazas in County Meath on the M3 (tolled twice), M1 and M4.

The M3, as planned, will cut through the grounds of one of Ireland's most historic palladian stately homes, Ardbraccan House, through parkland in the vicinity of the rapidly growing town of Navan at Dalgan Park, and cut off a medieval graveyard which is still in use at Ardbraccan from its hinterland. This has been criticised by environmentalists who claim that alternative routes were available that would have avoided these impacts on heritage or environmentally important sites. The National Roads Authority deny this and state that only one other route would have had less archaeological impact than the chosen route but it would have had far greater impact under other impact assessment headings. They also point out the motorway has gone through the full planning system and was subject to an 28 day oral hearing by An Bord Pleanala, the State planning appeals board, who granted permission for its construction in August 2003 subject to certain conditions.

M3 Latest Developments

On 12 May 2005 excavation licenses were approved by the Environment Minister Dick Roche permitting the archaeological digs required before Eurolink begin construction of the motorway, supervised by Meath County Council.

On July 4, 2005, leave was granted to Vincent Salafia in the High Court to judicially review the decision of the Minister.

On the March 1, 2006, the challenge by Mr. Salafia to the proposed route of the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara monument was dismissed on all grounds by the High Court. (The Irish Times 2 March 2006.)

Vincent Salafia announced on April 19, 2006 he is to appeal against that ruling to the Supreme Court and subsequently to the European Court of Justice if necessary. In October 2006, after long negotiations with the authorities, Mr. Salafia announced that he was withdrawing his appeal to the Supreme Court.

It appears that construction of the M3 may now start in late spring 2007 with a forecast completion date of 2010, four years behind the original scheduled 2006 opening.

On March 8 2007, the contracts for the construction of the M3 were signed.

On April 4 2007, An Taisce applied for an injunction in the High Court to halt the construction of the motorway on the basis that the National Roads Authority had failed to draw up a 5 year national roads plan as required by section 18 of the Roads Act 1993. The application was refused, one of the reasons given being undue delay in bringing proceedings.

As of April 2007, plant has been positioned on site and initial preliminary works have begun.

As of 2007 the NRA website http://www.nra.ie/News/DownloadableDocumentation/file,4664,en.pdf states that 11 km of road in the environs of Kells at the end of the motorway section is planned to be 2+1 roadway. This is not included in the schemes plans and therefore it remains to be seen if this correct. However the same webpage also states the motorway will be 49 km long, this veries with the An Bord Pleanala inspector's report which states the motorway will be 47 km in lenght.

Footnotes

1. The line from Navan to Drogheda, an indirect route to Dublin, remains in use for freight, and has been used by passengers as late as the late 1980s, when it was specially used to bring Meath people to Dublin to attend the All-Ireland Football Final in Croke Park.

References

• M3 Clonee-North of Kells, Environmental Impact Statement Non-Technical Summary, Vol 1 (PDF 3.38 MB), published February 2002, Official M3 website, accessed 5 December 2006.

External links

• NRA Project page for M3 Motorway
• Zoney Irish Roads website
• Petition Online to Save Tara
• Meath on Track Navan railway campaign
• Photo Survey of Navan's existing railway line
• Official Tara /M3 litigation info web site
• Save Tara - TaraWatch Campaign
• BBC News article
• Washington Post article

• Roads in Ireland