A new 15km road network connecting Kilkenny and Wexford has been officially opened to the public.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visited the site of the N25 New Ross Bypass PPP Scheme yesterday, 29 January, to launch the new route.

Featuring Ireland's longest bridge, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, the €230 million scheme will improve flows on the strategic Cork to Rosslare corridor and will ease traffic in the often-congested New Ross area, with travel times reduced by up to 30 minutes.

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge stretches 887 metres across the River Barrow and joins Kilkenny with Wexford. The name of the bridge celebrates the Kennedy family's rich heritage in New Ross, as their ancestral home is located in nearby Dunganstown.

Varadkar was joined by special guest Rose Katherine Kennedy Townsend; Chairman of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Cormac O'Rourke; Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr Michael Sheehan and Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Peter 'Chap' Cleere to mark the opening of the new route. Representatives of the BAM / ACS consortium, which delivered the project, were also in attendance.

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Speaking at the opening of the new bypass, BAM Ireland CEO Theo Cullinane said: "It is fantastic to see the N25 New Ross Bypass opened today. This is a crucial piece of infrastructure for the South East Region and it will have an immediate, tangible impact on the local community, who will enjoy reduced travel times and increased accessibility. The N25 is a strategic national route that carries both tourist and commercial traffic between Cork and Rosslare and it will improve connectivity across Munster and Leinster. Last year saw the opening of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway, another PPP scheme co-delivered by BAM that has delivered significant benefits to the South East Region. The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge has generated a lot of excitement in the area. It is a bold, innovative piece of construction and I am certain it is set to become an iconic part of the landscape of Ireland. BAM has spent more than 60 years shaping the face of Ireland and this project is no exception."

This scheme was delivered as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Contract between Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the PPP company, comprising BAM PPP, PGGM Infrastructure Coöperatie U.A. and Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras S.A.

Cullinane added: "This project is the ninth addition to BAM's PPP portfolio in Ireland and brings our worldwide PPP project tally to 46. We look forward to delivering more projects in the future, where our PPP expertise and experience can come to the fore. We are committed to continue investing as a company in Ireland's future. To date BAM has funded a major portion of the National Roads Programme and has delivered the recent Courts Bundle PPP and the Schools PPP Bundles 3 & 4 – all of which BAM will manage for 25 years while delivering Facility Management services. As these projects are spread throughout the country, BAM has been able to contribute to permanent local employment, creating jobs both in construction and on the 170-strong teams looking after these facilities."

(CM/MH)