The Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council says the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramogue project has progressed at "supersonic speed".
Eugene Cummins was speaking at a meeting of Roscommon County Council when he said to have a contract awarded so soon on the 200 million euro 34km stretch that will bypass Frenchpark, Bellanagare, Tulsk and Strokestown will be amazing.
Compared to other roads projects throughout the country that by-pass towns, the design, planning and land acquisition for the project has taken place rapidly over the course of the last four years.
As part of the process, officials had to make agreements on up to 600 different parcels of land owned by 326 different landowners as well as two houses.
In comparison, the N55 realignment scheme in Longford and Westmeath is expected to take up to eight years to be developed.