M3 motorway (Republic of Ireland)

N3 road
Route information
Length:	127.39 km (79.16 mi)
Location
Primary destinations:	(bypassed routes in italics) County Dublin Blanchardstown Mulhuddart County Meath Clonee Dunshaughlin Ross Cross Navan Kells Carnaross County Cavan Lisduff Virginia New Inn Cavan town Butlersbridge Belturbet Northern Ireland A509 in Enniskillen A46 at Enniskillen County Donegal Ballyshannon
Road network
Roads in Ireland Motorways Primary Secondary Regional

M3 motorway
Clickable image
Route information
Part of
Length:	51 km (32 mi)
Existed:	2007 – present
History:	Completed in 2010
Major junctions
To:	Kells, County Meath
Location
Primary destinations:	Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan, Kells
Road network
Roads in Ireland Motorways Primary Secondary Regional

(bypassed routes in italics)

The N3 road is a national primary road in Ireland, running between Dublin, Cavan and the border with County Fermanagh. The A509 and A46 roads in Northern Ireland form part of an overall route connecting to Enniskillen, and northwest to the border again where the N3 reappears to serve Ballyshannon in County Donegal.

Rush hour congestion between Navan and Dublin city was very heavy (up to 22,000 vehicles per day on single carriageway portions of the N3 in 2002), and problems occurred at most built-up areas between these points. A tolled motorway bypass replacement, the M3 motorway, was opened to traffic on the 4 June 2010.

The former section from its junction with the M50 to Dublin city centre, as well as the bypassed section from Clonee to the border with County Cavan have been reclassified as the R147 road.

The route, known as the Navan Road as it leaves Dublin, starts at its junction with the M50 motorway (Junction 6) and then bypasses Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart and Clonee with a dual carriageway. The dual carriageway changes into the M3 motorway near the Meath border by-passing Dunshaughlin and Navan. Near Kells the route continues as the N3 dual carriage way to the border with County Cavan. It then passes through Virginia, past Cavan Town and continues past Butlersbridge and through Belturbet. The route then crosses the border with Northern Ireland, becoming the A509 to Enniskillen. The A46 connects Enniskillen and the Donegal border, becoming the N3 across the border at Belleek, and connecting to Ballyshannon. In Ballyshannon certain road signs have destinations A46 Enniskillen with N3 Dublin with the requisite single arrow pointing in the same direction.

...
Wikipedia