The Tara Skryne Valley and Woodstown Conundrum

I have been following the issue concerning the routing of the proposed M3 Motorway through the Tara-Skryne valley in Co. Meath and also the separate issue regarding the massive Viking complex found in Waterford with much interest. As a former student of archaeology, Viking and early medieval archaeology grabbed my attention and interest more than any other era and when I heard about the find in Waterford I was thrilled! I mean we haven't seen anything like the possibilities that this site could reveal to us since Wood Quay and Woodstown appears to be many times the size of the Dublin site. There was of course an accompanying fear that the government would do what it does best and decide to ignore all academic recommendations and would put the road right through the site anyway, afterall it had already been approved by An Bord Pleanala and these things are set in stone or so they would have us think. But not in this case it seems. Woodstown is being preserved and excavated properly and there is a possibility it will be made into a major heritage site. Great! But then can someone please explain to me why this is not also the case with the Tara-Skryne Valley area? I mean every dog on the street knows that Tara is a site of major historical importance. Not just the hill, the entire area. It's a settlement complex so detailed and complex that whatever excavations that have taken place there under the Discovery Programme are really only skimming the very tip of the iceberg in relation to this site. As a member of the public I only became aware of the plans for this road late last year. Now we have been told by Minister Dick Roche that any protests or concerns expressed in relation to this issue were all too late - the decision was made in August 2002 by An Bord Pleanala and there is no other option available in relation to changing the route of this road! Yet Woodstown was not a recognised heritage site and was discovered when the by-pass was being built but the road can be diverted to preserve it... This makes no sense to me. I appreciate for the record that the M3 is badly needed and long overdue for the commuters of Meath. But why can't they move the road to a less contentious part of the landscape thereby avoiding the inevitable legal battles which no doubt will follow on from the Ministers decision? Why do they insist on following a path which thousands of people concerned by this decision whole heartedly object to? At least if the route was moved the people would get their road cheaper and quicker and then surely most people would be happier?