National Primary Route N11

Current Projects

Rathnew to Arklow Road Improvement Scheme

Planning approval for the N11 Rathnew to Arklow Road Improvement Scheme was secured in January 2005 when An Bord Pleanála approved the road scheme. Since then Wicklow County Council has made progress in acquiring lands for the scheme. Other Contracts including Archaeology, Site Clearance and Ground Investigation are now complete. Tendering for the Design and Build Contract was suspended in the summer of 2006.

The tendering process has resumed again and it is hoped that construction works will commence in late 2011 and will take approximately 2 years to complete. The N11 Rathnew to Arklow Road Improvement Scheme is the last section of the N11 in county Wicklow to be upgraded to dual carriageway.

When completed the N11 Rathnew to Arklow Road Improvement Scheme will be part of a 280 km long continuous dual carriageway or motorway between Clogh in County Wexford and Belfast Co. Antrim.

The scheme consists of the following:

1. 16.38 km dual carriageway between the northern end of the N11 Arklow Bypass (completed in 1999) and the southern end of the N11 Ashford Rathnew Bypass (completed in 2004)
2. Two Interchanges at the existing Beehive N11/R751 Junction for Wicklow and at the existing Jack Whites N11/R773 Junction for Brittas Bay. The two Interchanges have been assigned Junction numbers 18 and 19 respectively on the new junction numbering strategy currently being rolled out on the N11.
3. The re-alignment and/or construction of 4.83 km single carriageway all-purpose N11 running parallel to new N11 dual carriageway
4. The realignment and/or construction of regional and local roads at the tie in points to the road scheme.
5. Various other new local roads to connect communities to the new road network.
6. Five under-bridges and three over-bridges.

The benefits of the scheme are:

1. Faster journey times for traffic on the N11.
2. Improved road safety for all road users.
3. Improved living environment for persons resident along the old N11.

Improved access to communities on both sides of the N11 but especially at Barndarrig, Redcross and Brittas Bay.

Extinguishment of right of Ways

The Council propose to close the local access at the North of the Arklow By Pass. Before work can commence the Rights of Way need to be extinguished. A public consultation was recently held for this, the deadline was in May 2011. Works are expected to be carried out in 2012.

M11 / N11 Gantry Installation Project

This project involves the installation of a mixture of Full and Cantilever Gantries on selected junctions the M11 / N11 in North County Wicklow. These will compliment gantries already installed on the M11/N11 in Dun Laoighaire Rathdown and in County Wicklow south of Newtownmountkennedy. The Gantries will be installed between Junction 5 (Bray North and Junction 14 (Cullenmore).

M11 / N11 Directional Re-Signage

This project involves upgrading the directional and tourist signage on the M11 / N11 between the county boundary with Dun Laoighaire Rathdown County Council at Junction 6 (Fassaroe) and Junction 17 (Ballynabarny). This project will also compliment the M11 / N11 Gantry Installation Project currently underway.