Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

——but the big issue at the time the M50 was built was whether it would be viable. The country had a population of 3.4 million which was declining. West Dublin had no new development at that time and questions were asked about whether the new motorway would work. In the first six months the concern was that it would be a financial white elephant. The country has moved on and 800,000 new vehicles have come on the road in recent years——

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