Westmeath County Council
National Roads Design Office
Scheme Details:
M4 Kinnegad Enfield Kilcock Motorway Scheme
Scheme Description
The scheme consists of approximately 35 kilometres of motorway and dual carriageway which links the N4, Dublin to Sligo, and the N6, Dublin to Galway, national primary routes west of Kinnegad to the pre-existing M4 motorway at Kilcock.
Three grade separated interchanges, at Kinnegad, Enfield, and Kilcock, provide access to and from the motorway to the local road network, towns and villages.
The scheme is in accordance with European, national and regional roads objectives and formed part of the development strategy for national primary roads as outlined in the National Development Plan (2000-2006) as part of the development in its entirety, to motorway/improved dual carriageway standard, of the Galway to Dublin (N4/N6) road link.
The project was constructed via a design, build, finance and operate public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, by Eurolink Motorway Operations Ltd., and was opened by An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD on the 12th of December 2005.
Scheme Location
The route commences from the N4 and N6 National Primary Routes to the west of Kinnegad in County Westmeath and proceeds in an easterly direction, south of the former N4 route, now classified as a regional road, the R148.
The alignment crosses the Kinnegad River (County Westmeath/Meath boundary) to the south of Kinnegad and passes to the south of Clonard Village. The route crosses the River Boyne (County Meath/Kildare boundary) and continues in an easterly direction, passing to the north of Broadford Village and to the south of Moyvalley. From there, the route continues eastwards, crossing the River Blackwater (County Kildare/Meath boundary) and passes to the south of Enfield. It crosses the Ballycorron River (County Meath/Kildare boundary), passes to the south of Cloncurry, and continues eastwards through a deep rock cutting on Cappagh Hill, before merging with the western end of the M4 motorway at Kilcock.
Scheme Value
Financial information on the scheme can be viewed on the National Roads Authority's dedicated page on the scheme.
Scheme Tolling
There are toll plazas at two locations on the route: the main toll plaza is on the mainline at Cappagh hill, between Enfield and Kilcock, and is the only toll that through traffic using the motorway from end to end will have to pay; there are two other toll plazas on the west-facing ramps at Enfield Interchange. The latter plazas are only for east-bound traffic leaving the motorway at Enfield, and west-bound traffic joining at Enfield. Traffic entering Enfield from the motorway, paying a toll and rejoining the Motorway within a set period of time will not have to pay a second toll, once they produce a re-entry pass, available from booth operators at the toll plaza. There is a discount available by buying a number of pre-paid journeys, further details on which can be obtained from the Eirtag site.
The current value of the tolls is as follows (toll amounts include VAT and are accurate as of January 2009):
Motor Cycles (exceeding 50 c.c.) €1.50
Motor Cars €2.90
Buses or Coaches €4.30
Goods Vehicles with a design gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3,500Kg €4.30
Goods Vehicles with a design gross vehicle weight exceeding 3,500Kg and having 2 or 3 axles €5.70
Goods Vehicles with a design gross vehicle weight exceeding 3,500Kg and having 4 or more axles €7.100
Current Stage
The most recent scheme update is displayed below. Earlier updates may be available from the news archive.
M4 Kinnegad Enfield Kilcock Motorway Surfacing Works
Posted on: 27 Jun 2006
Eurolink, the scheme concessionaire, is replacing some confined sections of the motorway surfacing along the length of the M4 Kinnegad Enfield Kilcock Motorway. While the surfacing has been certified complaint with National Roads Authority (NRA) standards, Eurolink is concerned with the effect of observed chip loss on the life of these pavement sections and is therefore undertaking remedial work at this early stage. It is only the wearing course, or topmost layer of the road surfacing, that is affected by these works.
Scheme Archaeology
An extensive programme of archaeological testing and excavation was undertaken as part of the M4 KEK scheme. There are some articles accessible via the archaeology page about the result of that work.
Compulsory Purchase Order and Environmental Impact Statement
The M4KEK Motorway order and Environmental Impact Statement were published on Wednesday the 7th of March 2001. The display period ran from then until the 12th of April, and all objections to the scheme had to be lodged with An Bord Pleanala before the 27th of April 2001.
An Oral Hearing convened by An Bord Pleanála, to hear objections to both the Motorway Order and the EIS, took place between the 24th and the 31st of July 2001 at the Bloomfield House Hotel in Mullingar.
The M4 KEK scheme was approved with modifications by An Bord Pleanála on the 30th of November 2001. Notice of this approval was published in the national press by Westmeath County Council on the 11th of December 2001
Some documents are available from the downloads section of this site, or alternatively, the majority of the EIS can be viewed on the following site: http://www.kildare.ie/M4KEKMotorway/ (link will open in a new window).
Further Information
Further information regarding this scheme can be obtained from the following website: http://www.eurolink-m4.com/, put in place as part of the construction phase of the scheme by the scheme concessionaire, or by contacting this office directly. Details on how to do this can be found on the contact page, also accessible via the navigation menu on the left.
The Project Liaison Officer for this Scheme is Michael Kelly
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