M50 motorway (Ireland)

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M50 motorway
Mótarbhealach M50
Clickable image
Route information
Length	45.5 km (28.3 mi)
Existed	1990–present
History	Completed 1990–2005 Upgraded 2006–2010
Major junctions
From	Dublin Port
Major intersections
To	Shankill
Location
Country	Ireland
Primary destinations	Dublin, Finglas, Blanchardstown, Ballymount, Tallaght, Sandyford
Highway system
Roads in Ireland Motorways Primary Secondary Regional

The M50 motorway (Irish: Mótarbhealach M50) is a C-shaped orbital motorway in Dublin and the busiest motorway in Ireland. The current route was built in various sections over the course of 27 years, from 1983 to 2010. It begins at Dublin Port, running northward through the Dublin Port Tunnel and along a portion of the Airport Motorway. It then turns west at its junction with the M1, circling the northern, western and southern suburbs of Dublin, before merging with the M11 at Shankill in South East Dublin. The road forms part of European route E01.

An orbital motorway for Dublin was first proposed in the Dublin Transportation Study of 1971. Construction began on the first section, the Western Parkway (J6-J11) in 1987, and opened to traffic in 1990. This was followed by the Northern Cross Route (J3-J6) in 1996, the Southern Cross Route (J11-J13) in 2001, and the Southeastern Motorway (J13-J17) in 2005. The M50 route was extended to Dublin Port in 2006, via a section of the 1985 Airport Motorway (up to then a part of the M1) and the newly opened Dublin Port Tunnel.

A massive upgrade project commenced in early 2006 due to the motorway's chronic capacity problems. Lanes were added J3-J13, and many of the low-capacity roundabout interchanges were replaced with free-flowing interchanges. These upgrades were completed in 2010.