M7 motorway (Ireland)
The M7 motorway (Irish: Mótarbhealach M7) is a motorway in Ireland. The motorway runs continuously from the outskirts of Naas in County Kildare to Rossbrien on the outskirts of Limerick City. The M7 forms part of the Dublin to Limerick N7 national primary road. The section of the motorway bypassing Naas, an 8 km stretch, was the first section of motorway to open in Ireland, in 1983. Following substantial works to extend the M7 to Limerick; by the end of 2010, the motorway replaced all of the old single-carriageway N7 route which is now designated as R445. At 164 km, the M7 is the longest motorway in Ireland.
Route
Naas to Limerick
The N7 leads directly into the M7 motorway at the Maudlin's Interchange near Naas (junction 9 on the N7-M7 corridor), and proceeds southwestwards, bypassing Naas, Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin, Ballybrittas, Portlaoise, Mountrath, Borris-in-Ossory, Roscrea, Moneygall, Toomevara, Nenagh and Annacotty. As of December 2010, the M7 is approximately 186 km in length and ends at the Rosbrien interchange (junction 30) outside Limerick. Here, the road connects to the Limerick Southern Ring Road - Phase 2 and continues as the N18. At junction 30 there is also a slip-road to the M20 Limerick - Cork/Kerry road. Along this section of the M7 there is a fly-over for the N24 Limerick to Waterford road at junction 29. Southwest of Portlaoise it forms an interchange with the M8 Dublin-Cork motorway at junction 19 and at junction 11 there is an interchange with the M9 Dublin - Waterford motorway. There are plans to widen the Naas bypass to 3 lanes in each direction from Junction 9 to Junction 11. Also included in the plans is to construct a new interchange between Junctions 9 and 10 at Osberstown to connect with Sallins and Millennium Park in Naas.
