Regional Road - History

History

Until 1977, roads in Ireland were designated with one of two prefixes: "T" for Trunk Roads and "L" for Link Roads. The Local Government (Roads and Motorways) Act authorised the designation of roads as National roads: in 1977, twenty-five National Primary roads (N1-N25) and thirty-three National Secondary roads (N51-N83) were initially designated under Statutory Instrument S.I. No. 164/1977.

Many of the remaining classified roads became Regional roads (formally authorised under the Roads Act 1993, having been present on road signs on a non-statutory basis for some years previously) and their routes were designated under a Statutory Instrument ('SI') in 1994. The latest SI designating the routes of Regional roads was published in 2006: the Roads Act 1993 (Classification of Regional Roads) Order 2006.

Other roads formerly classified as Trunk or Link roads eventually became Local roads.

Older signs showing the former Trunk and Link road designations are still to be seen in some locations. The L (for Link Road) prefix on these signs is not connected to the network of Local roads currently in place.