N11
| N11 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| From: | Mount Merrion, Dublin (O198289) | ||||||||||||||||||
| To: | Wexford (T012217) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Distance: | 129.1 km (80.2 miles) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Meets: | N31, R138, R825, R113, R830, R842, R827, R118, R116, M11, R837, M50, R918, R767, R768, R755, R762, R774, R772, R751, R754, R773, R745, N80, R744, N30, R730, N25, R769, | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Route outline (key) | |||||||||||||||||||
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The N11 is the main route connecting Dublin to the south-eastern coastal region of Ireland. Large sections of it have been substantially upgraded to grade-separated dual carriageway, although there are still some bottlenecks to be overcome at the road's southern end.
The N11 is part of the NRA's 'North/South Corridor', making it a key priority for upgrades.
Route
The route (which originally began at O'Connell Bridge in the very centre of Dublin) has since 2012 started in Mount Merrion at the end-point of three routes, where it meets the R138 coming in from the north and the N31 from Dún Laoghaire. From here, the N11 heads out southeastward through suburbia. After some miles of steadily improving road, it meets the M50, becoming the M11 motorway for a few miles. The road from here is a modern high quality dual carriageway bypassing Bray and Wicklow and is now motorway until after Enniscorthy.
The bypass of Enniscorthy cost €400 million for a 27-km motorway bypass, which opened on 18th July 2019. Beyond Enniscorthy, it's a fairly flat run through the countryside towards the Wexford bypass. Halfway along the bypass, the N25 from New Ross arrives and takes over the last stretch of road down to Rosslare Harbour.
History
In Ireland's first numbering scheme, the route that was later to become the N11 was formed by the T7 from O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, to Enniscorthy, and the T8 from there to Wexford. In the latter town, the original route turned left immediately after crossing the River Slaney and followed what is today the R730, meeting the R769 (earlier, a part of the N25) by the station.
What became the N11 was regarded one of Ireland's premier roads, taking in the RTÉ broadcasting campus and the UCD university campus, leafy suburbs, and the dignity of being Ireland's first Grade Separated Junctions, at Foxrock. The N11 was cut back to the N31 junction near Stillorgan in 2012, but many of the old road signs were still in place as of 2020.
The 1998 Road Needs Study concluded that the N11 did not need to be a motorway outside of Dublin, as a dual carriageway would be sufficient. As a result, some sections of the current M11 dual carriageway opened as bypasses of the N11, but were subsequently converted by statutory instrument, these include Ashford to Rathnew, the Arklow Bypass, and Arklow to Gorey.
Future
Consultation starting in 2018 is underway of improvements planned for the N11 between J4 and J14 - the Glen of the Downs section, where both online and offline options are being considered as of November 2019.[1]
References
Links
RTÉ
- New Motorway for Glen of the Downs 19.03.1999 (archive.org)
Irish Statute Book
- Roads Act 2007 (Declaration of Motorways) Order 2009 - This instrument converts the following sections of the N11 to motorway: Ashford to Rathnew, Arklow Bypass, Arklow to Gorey (also known as the N11 Gorey to Arklow Link)
- Roads Act 2007 (Declaration of Motorways) Order 2015 - This instrument converts the following sections of the N11 to motorway: Ashford to Rathnew, Arklow Bypass, Rathnew to Arklow
Mótarbhealaí
