I agree, but you should drive the road between the 2nd and 3rd cities of our country - an old 1980s design with huge traffic volume, way way in excess of Ballon traffic
Its appalling and no hope of a project start until 2030+.
If our brightest had considered a 50km motorway spur fromM8 at Michelstown to Limerick , then the road would have been built long ago for a fraction of cost of what is being planned now >1,000,000,000 euro!.
The alternative from Michelstown to Limerick is a R road - its not even a Nroad - a tractor at 50kmph will form queues of cars and lorries 10 deep. .
But no, we must have a new 110km road, following the old N20 boreen - and hence its only at very prelim design stage (route choosen to within a line of width +/-250m) , to consider all of the towns and villages on the way.
It takes 2hours to go by car from Cork to Limerick weekdays (110km). The train takes 2 1/2 hrs (if you are lucky).
Another one in Cork is the Ringaskiddy to Cork road - it features every morning on AA traffic with vast queues "from shannon park to shanbally church"......the M28 road will start to be built in 2024 (fingers crossed, 10yrs farting around)
Another one, Cork city doesnt have a North Ring road - its like the old Tallaght to Bray situation in 1990'ss, all the traffic from the Limerick road is designed (no pun) to take this road through housing estates to get to the Dunkettle/Tunnel.