Journey times cut as €434m road is opened
8 December 2008

John Sisk & Son Ltd have completed a new 40km stretch of motorway which will knock 20-minutes off journey times between Dublin and Cork. The new stretch of motorway was opened on Monday 8th December 2008. The €434m scheme along the M8 runs between Cullahill in Co Laois and Cashel in Co Tipperary, and was delivered seven months ahead of schedule. The new road will remove up to 16,000 cars a day from the towns of Johnstown and Urlingford in Co Kilkenny and from Littleton and Horse and Jockey in Co Tipperary. A spokesman for the National Roads Authority said the new road will "eliminate the potential for head on collisions as a result of overtaking manoeuvres".

The road, which is being delivered ahead of schedule, includes 46 bridges and four grade separated junctions.

It was built by SRB Ltd, a joint venture between Sisk and Roadbridge, on behalf of Kilkenny County Council.

By 2010 it will tie in to the M7/M8 Portlaoise to Cullahill motorway, providing dual carriageway access from Cork to Dublin.

This latest motorway completion further strengthens the Sisk Civils Division position as a premier infrastructure constructor in Ireland. Currently the division have Road, Rail, Port, Airport, Renewable Energy, and Waste Treatment projects all in construction.