The new Drogheda driving test centre will open at the Southgate Shopping Centre on Tuesday, 5th May.
The go-ahead was finally confirmed by the Road Safety Authority this morning after months of wrangling over the lease.
New drivers can now go online and apply to do their test in Drogheda for the first time ever instead of having to go to Dundalk and Navan.
The test drivers have already been hired and were working in other locations until the Drogheda centre opening.
The official confirmation of a new driving test centre for town was warmly welcomed by Ged Nash TD who has spent years campaigning on the issue.
He said:” I just got an email from the Road Safety Authority confirming that the new driving centre will open very shortly. It is probably Drogheda’s worst kept secret but the centre will be in the Southgate Shopping Centre.There will be more details from the RSA in the coming days about how and when you can book your test. This is the culmination of a long campaign that I have led for many, many years and is really good news for the area.”
The local Sinn Fein TD Joanna Byrne also welcomed the announcement and said it will support learner drivers in Drogheda and the wider surrounding area by increasing local access to testing and helping more applicants to progress on their journey towards obtaining a full driving licence.
She added:” This is something I have been pushing hard for over the past year having met and engaged with officials on numerous occasions to stress the importance of this to the area.
“This new centre forms part of the RSA’s ongoing work to strengthen the. national driver testing network and to respond to demand where it arises.
” Capacity at the Drogheda centre will be kept under active review and will be based on real time response to demand, ensuring resources are deployed where they are most needed across the national network.
” In the coming days learner drivers will be able to access the booking option for the new Drogheda test centre at www.myroadsafety.rsa.ie.”
