PIC: This is what a proposed all-Ireland motorway network would look like

Is that what our road network is going to look like by 2050?

An all-island motorway/dual carriageway network forms the central part of an ambitious proposal to upgrade transport by two major business groups in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The proposal, outlined in a report launched by the Joint Business Council (JBC) of Ibec and CBI Northern Ireland at the weekend, is part of an initiative with a purpose to scope the infrastructure needed to enhance connectivity for an island of 10 million people by 2050.

Current motorway/dual carriageway network in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...

Under the proposal, it is envisaged that 10% of the population would live within 10 kilometres of the motorway/dual carriageway network by 2050. It encourages planning for the network to start immediately, so that contracting and construction can get underway at the end of this decade.

Proposed motorway/dual carriageway network in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...

Pics via Ibec

In the report, it is envisaged that the multi-billion euro cost of such a vast project could be funded in a number of different ways, with strategic investment funds, EIB loans and European Commission funding added to public investment.

Furthermore, it is envisaged that “the repayment cost can be spread across a population of 10 million of whom 4 million are working (ie the current percentage in employment of 43% is roughly maintained)”, which is estimated to work out at around €94 per working person per annum.

Should the project ever get the go-ahead, the road network would be completed by approximately 2040, with the immediate priority to complete routes already in development such as:

A5 and A6 upgrades to Derry and the entire north west;

The M1/A1 Sprucefield bypass to better link Dublin and Belfast;

Major upgrades to the N20 from Cork to Limerick;

The capacity of the M50;

The N15 linking Letterkenny to Sligo and the A5 route extension to Letterkenny

For more information, you can check out the report in full here.