R445 road

The R445 road is a Regional Road in Ireland. The route forms alterative route sections along the N7 road/M7 motorway in and between Dublin and Limerick. Indeed, much of the route comprises roads that were formerly part of the N7 between the cities, prior to motorway and other bypasses. Some of the R445 route also comprises local link roads to new N7/M7 route sections.

Dublin to southwest of Newbridge

Ancillary roads constructed as part of the N7 "Naas Road" widening and junction separation scheme are classified as the R445. These offer local access to Johnstown and Kill. They connect to the existing R445 at "Maudlin's Interchange" (Junction 9 on the N7, start of the M7 motorway).

Here the R445 route follows the "Dublin Road" into Naas (this route was the N7 prior to the construction of the M7 in 1983). The route continues through Naas along "Poplar Street" and "Main Street", before leaving the town along the "Limerick Road". South of Naas, the R445 becomes a dual carriageway for km to mi | 8 | abbr=yes | precision=0 and crosses the M7 motorway at Junction 10, continuing west to Newbridge along the town's "Dublin Road", crossing the River Liffey via "Liffey Bridge" onto "Main Street". The route continues along "Edward Street", leaving the town as the "Kildare Road". The R445 joins the M7 motorway at Junction 12. The route section through Newbridge also formed the N7 until the extension of the M7 motorway between J10 and J12 in 1993.

R445 through Kildare, Monasterevin and Portlaoise

A separate section of the R445 commences on the "Dublin Road" east of Kildare. This runs through the town via "Dublin Street", "Claregate Street" and the "Limerick/Cork Road". The R445 meets Junction 14 of the M7 motorway at "Mayfield". From here, the route continues west through Monasterevin via "Mooreabbey" and "Dublin Street". The R445 passes through Ballybrittas on the way to Portlaoise, meeting the M7 motorway again at Junction 16. The "Dublin Road" brings the R445 into Portlaoise where it joins the N80. The R445 begins again where it leaves the N80 at the junction of "Grattan Street" and "Abbeyleix Road", following the former street out of the town, to meet the M7/N7 at Junction 18. The R445 route from east of Kildare to west of Portlaoise consists of redesignated roads which formed part of the N7 route prior to the opening of the M7 "Kildare Bypass" (2003), "Monasterevin Bypass" (2004) and "Portlaoise Bypass" (1997).

R445 sections between Portlaoise and Limerick

The R445 also consists of a small section of redesignated N7 through Roscrea (a bypass of the town having realigned the N7 in the early 1990s).

Following the bypass of Nenagh in 2000, and resulting realignment of the N7, the old route through the town was reclassified as part of the R445. The R445 passes through Nenagh via the "Dublin Road", "Thomas McDonagh Street", "Pierce Street", "Kickham Street", "Ash Road" and "Clare Street". The route meets the N52 west of Nenagh.

R445 through Limerick

Finally, the route through Limerick city, which formed the N7 prior to the opening of the "Southern Ring Road" in 2004, is also now the R445. This section of route is still signposted as the N7 throughout as of 2006, the one exception being new signage on the N7 itself at the start of the Southern Ring.

The route passes by Annacotty, and enters Limerick along the "Dublin Road" through Castletroy. The road crosses the "Groody Bridge" at the beginning of a new road section also opened in 2004 (also designated the N7 at the time). This brings the Dublin Road and R445 to the "Parkway Roundabout", where it meets the "Childers Road". The R445 continues as the "Dublin Road", "Clare Street" and "Lock Quay" before crossing the "Abbey Bridge" across the Abbey River. The R445 passes through King's Island as the "Northern Relief Road" and "Castle Street" (passing by King John's Castle). The route crosses the River Shannon via "Thomond Bridge" and follows "High Street", "Sexton Street" and the "Northern Ring Road" (past LIT). At "Caherdavin Cross" ("Ivan's Cross") the route follows the "Ennis Road" west out of the city to meet the N18 at the "Coonagh Roundabout".

References

* [http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/7617-0.pdf Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2006] (PDF) - [http://www.transport.ie/ Department of Transport]

ee also

*Roads in Ireland
*Regional road
*N7 road, M7 motorway