page_title: High-quality dual carriageway
section_title: HQDCs on Major Inter-Urban Routes
hierarchical_section_title: High-quality dual carriageway / HQDCs on Major Inter-Urban Routes
caption_attribution_description: E01: the N11 Gorey Bypass in County Wexford, Ireland
context_page_description: A High-quality dual carriageway is a road category in Ireland. It is defined as an all-purpose dual carriageway road type built to near motorway standards, but without motorway classification or motorway restrictions. High-quality dual carriageways have full grade-separated access and do not have junctions with minor roads. Such roads in the Republic of Ireland have been built as part of the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 National Development Plans, including interurban routes from Dublin to other cities.
  While HQDCs or roads of similar type exist in a number of countries this article concentrates mainly on such roads in Ireland.
context_section_description: Many of the Major Inter-Urban Routes between Dublin and other cities in Ireland were originally to be built to motorway standard but without motorway restrictions, and were to be designated as HQDCs. Roads that were to be built as HQDC include the N6/M6 Kinnegad - Athlone scheme (completed in July 2008), the M8 Mitchelstown - Cashel scheme (completed in October 2008) and the M9 Carlow bypass scheme (completed in June 2008). These roads will form part of the major inter-urban routes network. The advantage of an HQDC over a motorway in this regard is that a simpler planning permission process is used, rather than the more complex Motorway Scheme process used to create a motorway. However the problem of using the normal planning process is that in theory planning permission could be granted for a direct access for a home or business onto the HQDC; although such direct accesses are now discouraged under public policy there is no legal impediment. Motorways, by contrast, may only have accesses at junctions and service areas. HQDCs which form part of national road routes use the N (national road) prefix on signage as opposed to the M prefix used where the route or a section of it is motorway. 
  Most of the HQDC sections on the major inter-urban network of roads in Ireland have been redesignated as motorways or have been proposed for redesignation.
caption: N11 HQDC Gorey Bypass prior to re-designation as M11 motorway.
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