WICKLOW County Council's compulsory purchase order for the Kilmacanogue/Glen o' the Downs dual carriageway has been confirmed with modifications by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin.
The road scheme, estimated to cost £18 million, has been under discussion for several years, with local residents and environmentalists fearing that it would destroy the amenity and habitat value of the heavily wooded glen.
Some changes were made to meet local objections. A pedestrian overbridge is to be provided at the north end of Kilmacanogue as well as two interchanges, one south of the village and the other north of the Glenview Hotel junction.
However, it is obvious that the widened road will have a major visual impact on the highly scenic Glen o' the Downs.
Mr Howlin described the scheme as a vital missing link on the N11, currently carrying 20,000 vehicles a day. On completion, it would provide a continuous dual carriageway from the Newtownmountkennedy by pass to Donnybrook bridge in Dublin.
According to official figures, traffic volumes are likely to double in 20 years. But with rising car ownership and new housing estates springing up along the route, particularly in north Wicklow, this is bound to happen much sooner.
The largest single project on the N11 was the Shankill/Bray bypass, which opened in 1993. Other parts of the route have been upgraded while work has also started on the Arklow by pass, to eliminate another major bottleneck.
