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The project comprises the design, construction, operation and financing over a concession period of 30 years of approximately 17.5 km of dual two-lane motorway including associated interchanges, a 450 m motorway viaduct, two major river bridges, local road realignments and the tolling facilities associated with the project.
The motorway will reduce the journey times of traffic travelling between Cork and Dublin. In particular it will bypass the communities of Fermoy and Rathcormac, reducing traffic congestion within the towns. Expected immediate benefits are: i) improvement of passenger and freight traffic flows, ii) reductions in travel time, and iii) reductions in vehicle operating costs. At the same time, traffic safety is expected to increase.
The alignment and preliminary designs have been the subject of an Environmental Impact Assessment and public discussion. The conclusions of this process are with the An Board Pleanala and a decision is awaited. The winning concessionaire will be responsible for designing, constructing and operating the project in accordance with the terms and conditions of this approval.
The project was advertised in the Official Journal of the EU in July 2001 in accordance with Directive 93/37/CEE. NRA received pre-qualification submissions from ten consortia, four of which were subsequently invited to submit preliminary proposals by December 2002. The NRA expects to choose a preferred bidder in July 2003.