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Waterford Airport welcomes Waterford City Bypass opening

N25 Waterford City Bypass picture

Waterford Airport has welcomed the official opening of the Waterford City Bypass which makes the regional airport more easily accessible than ever from counties Kilkenny, Tipperary, Carlow and Wexford.

During peak times, the new bypass which includes the second river crossing will trim up to thirty minutes off journey times to Waterford Airport as passengers will no longer need to access Rice Bridge or travel through Waterford city centre.

Opened by Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, the bypass ties in with the existing N25 to the east of Slieverue, Co Kilkenny, crosses the River Suir at Grannagh and links to the Waterford outer ring road and the new airport road.

The southern section of the new Waterford, Dublin motorway which links the new bridge to Knocktopher just outside Kilkenny is due to open prior to Christmas and this will further improve journey times to the region's airport.

Graham Doyle, CEO, Waterford Airport said: “At the airport we're absolutely thrilled with the new bridge and bypass. Over the past few years, more and more passengers from the Southeast have been discovering the ease and convenience of using their airport. This new bypass will transform the transport experience to the airport for the people of Kilkenny, Wexford, South Tipp and Carlow. It is the major step towards making the airport fully accessible to everyone in the Southeast and, along with the further road delivery later this year, really pulls the region together in terms of transport infrastructure.

From a regional development perspective, it really is all about accessibility and connectivity and inbound tourists and businessmen through Waterford Airport will now see fantastic improvements in getting to the key population bases throughout our region.”

Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism said: "I am delighted to perform the official opening of the N25 Waterford Bypass Scheme - a much anticipated and important piece of national infrastructure. This new gateway to Waterford heralds a new beginning for our home city and for the South East. The new Cable Stayed Bridge and Waterford City Bypass together with the Waterford to Dublin Motorway will revolutionise travel in the whole region resulting in shorter journey times and safer road conditions. The N25 forms part of the North/South Corridor that runs from Belfast, via Dublin and Rosslare to Cork. Linking the three largest centres of population on the island, it also provides access to key commercial seaports on the eastern and southern seaboards. It is also key to accessing services to and from Waterford Airport, an important economic driver, which underpins Waterford’s continued accessibility to Europe and beyond."

N25 Waterford City Bypass picture

Commenting on the added convenience for Waterford Airport passengers Graham Doyle said: “We have long been saying that the airport is here for the entire region - we now intend to take this very real opportunity to play our part for the Southeast. We continue to experience significant repeat business once passengers have used the airport and believe they will continue to routinely check flywaterford.com and save time, money and eliminate the hassle often associated with air travel. It’s easy to get here and we will do all we can to offer an easy-going airport experience.

I would especially like to congratulate the Minister on opening the new bridge today and especially commend the Department of Transport, NRA, the local authorities and the contractor in delivering a strikingly beautiful structure and key asset for the Southeast."

Oct 2009