The first major Inter-Urban (MIU) route between Dublin and Belfast will be officially completed on Thursday 2 August 2007 with the opening of the 14km, A1/N1 dual carriageway between Newry and Dundalk.

Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Conor Murphy, Minister for Regional Development are scheduled to perform the ceremony at 11am on Thursday.

The opening of this new stretch of dual carriageway is the result of a high level cross border partnership which has formed between the National Roads Authority, Louth County Council and the Northern Ireland Roads Service to complete the scheme as one project.

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Mr Ahern said: “As an island, we need to develop good road and communication links. This underpins our economic prosperity. This new addition to our motor links stands as a shining example of how an all-island approach can help everyone prosper.”

Chairman of NRA, Peter Malone also commented: “North South cooperation has reached an effective plain today with the opening of this super highway spanning both jurisdictions. The project, which was jointly managed, is a practical demonstration of the successful cross border partnership approach that is now a reality.”

The 154m euro project will connect the A1 at Cloghoge in County Armagh to the N1 at Dundalk, 4.6km of the scheme is north of the border and the remaining 9.4km south of the border.

The section of the scheme south of the Border has a designated speed limit of 120km reflecting the design speed to which the road has been constructed.

The adoption of this limit means that the entire Dublin to the Border MIU has the maximum permitted speed limit.

(JM/SP)