The National Roads Authority of Ireland has announced the opening of the final section of $612m (€427m) Galway to Dublin motorway.

The new 56km M6 toll section extends from Galway to Ballinasloe motorway and cuts the travel time between the two cities by 25 minutes.

The overall 194km dual carriageway road is considered to be the country’s first Major Inter-Urban corridor connecting city to city and is part of the government’s Transport21 programme.

The motorway now allows travelling between Dublin’s M50 and Galway in nearly two hours at a speed of 100kmph.