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A High Quality Dual Carriageway is a road classification in the Republic of Ireland. It is dual carriageway road type of near motorway standard, but not a full motorway. High-quality dual carriageways usually have full grade-separated access and limited entry points. Such roads are currently being built in the Republic of Ireland, and will form part of the country's national motorway network when complete in 2010.

Contents 1 Ireland 2 Tolls 3 Speed Limit 4 Vehicles Permitted 5 Future 6 See also 7 External links

Many of Ireland's new inter-urban roads are being built to high-quality dual carriageway standard, as opposed to motorway standard, due to the need to maintain access to adjoining property along these routes. Roads under construction that are being built to high-quality dual carrigeway standard include: The N6 Kinnegad - Athlone Scheme, the N8 Cullahill - Cashel Scheme and the N9 Carlow bypass scheme. These roads will form part of the inter-urban network. Such roads use the (N) National road prefix as opposed to the (M) motorway prefix, as they are national primary roads and not motorways.

The issue of tolling these roads is controversial, as these roads will not be of full motorway standard, this leaves some to believe that they should not be tolled. However, a number of the new high-quality dual carriageway schemes will proceed as PPP's (Public Private Partnerships). Such roads include the proposed N6 Galway - Ballinasloe project and the N25 Waterford City bypass.

As high-quality dual carriageways in Ireland are of national primary road standard they follow the national primary road speed limit of 100km/h. There are exeptions however. The N2 Finglas - Ashbourne bypass is of high-quality dual carriageway grade but utilises the motorway speed limit of 120km/h, even though it is not a motorway. It is likely that a number of the new high-quality dual carriageways on the inter-urban routes will use the 120km/h speed limit in the future.

As high-quality dual carriageways are not motorways, they do not need to conform to motorway regulations, therefore slow-moving vehicles (e.g tractors,farm vehicles etc.) as well as cyclists will be permitted to use these roads. Also, L-Drivers (Learner Drivers), which are not permitted to drive on motorways can do so on a high-quality dual carriageways, as on the rest of the national road network.

With the Roads Bill (2007) introducing powers for the NRA to re-classify High Quality Dual Carriageways as Motorways, it is likely that in the future a majority of HQDC's will be reclassified as Motorways ^[1]

• Transport in Ireland
• National Development Plan

• National Roads Authority
• National Development Plan
• Transport 21