The M50

Please note that all tolls along the M50 will be paid for by Atlas Car Hire.com, and the charge will be passed onto all rentals. If you need more information about paying the M50 toll please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

The M50 is a C shaped ring road around the city of Dublin. The road takes travellers from the M1 to the North of the city to the M11 to the south of the city. Along the way, the road crosses the River Liffey at the West Link Toll Plaza and has a total of 17 junctions. While the roadway has been a success story, the traffic levels in Ireland have grown so fast over the last 10 years that the roadway is now struggling under the volumes of traffic experienced on the road daily.

The road was first proposed in 1971 and was only completed in 2005. Work has already begun on upgrading the road to three lanes in either direction. The plan for the M50 was that it would divert traffic around the city that would originally have travelled through the city centre. In this regard the M50 has been a success, but the Celtic Tiger and the massive amounts of new cars on the road have meant Dublin is now struggling with massive traffic problems.

One of the major controversies around the road is the West link toll plaza. Roughly 85,000 vehicles pass through this toll every day. While the Toll Bridge isn’t the only cause of slow traffic on the M50, it is a major factor. Many people see the tolls as being ridiculously high and want the toll removed.

The latest infrastructure project that is nearly completed is a 6.5km tunnel that will join the docklands in Dublin with the M1 and M50. The project is the largest construction project currently in progress in the EU. The tunnel is expected to open during 2006.

For more information about driving in Ireland or about our rental car in Ireland service please do not hesitate to contact us.