| N81 road | |
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| Route information | |
| Length: | 88 km (55 mi) |
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The N81 road is a national secondary road in Ireland, connecting the gates of Trinity College, Dublin to Tullow, County Carlow, north to south. The N81 continues past Tullow for another 8 km to terminate at the village of Closh, County Carlow, where it intersects the N80. The N81 is 88 km (55 mi) long. The road is a dual carriageway between Templeogue and west of Tallaght, known as the Tallaght Bypass or Blessington Road. It intersects with the M50 motorway at Junction 11. There are plans to extend the dual carriageway by 5 km (3.1 mi) to the urban boundary.[1]
The N81 is the only major national road emanating from Dublin that is a national secondary rather than national primary road.
The official definition of the N81 from the Roads Act, 1993 (Declaration of National Roads) Order, 1994 [2][3] states:
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The Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway once took this route from Terenure to Blessington before it was closed in 1932 due to falling passenger numbers.
In the 1990s when it was proposed to reestablish a tram system in Dublin due to chronic traffic congestion (see Luas), the old tram route from the City Centre via Terenure to Tallaght was proposed.
This route was later ruled out as a result of space constraints and the pipes under the N81 route seemingly being too old in the Terenure area, thus proving to be a great deal more expensive for utility diversion. The Luas instead was made to follow a less direct route from the City to Tallaght, following the Southern Canal ring and then moving south to Tallaght alongside the M50 Motorway.
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