Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I understand from the National Roads Authority that the free flow toll arrangement to be put in place on the M50 on completion of phase one of the upgrade in 2008 will be a single point toll. I expect to receive specific proposals later this year from the NRA on these 2008 arrangements.

The planning permission granted for the M50 upgrade requires that a scheme of specific demand management measures for the motorway corridor be published no later than three years after the upgrade has been completed which is anticipated to be in 2010. For this reason, the barrier free tolling arrangements will need to be adaptable to meet the medium to long-term needs that arise and to satisfy the planning permission requirements in that regard. Comprehensive research and analysis will require to be undertaken by the NRA in the coming years to address the post-2010 situation and to submit proposals to the Minister for Transport at the appropriate time.

The statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, make toll by-laws and enter into toll agreements with private investors in respect of national roads is vested in the NRA under Part V of the Roads Act 1993, as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000. Accordingly, individual PPP contracts are a matter for the NRA and I have no function in relation to the approval or signing of such contracts.

The current position in relation to toll road PPP projects is that three projects have been completed, the M50 second West Link bridge, the M1 Dundalk western bypass and the M4 Kilcock-Enfield-Kinnegad scheme. The N8 Fermoy bypass contract was signed in 2004 and its construction is ahead of schedule. No PPP contracts were signed in 2005. However, I understand from the NRA that a further three contracts are expected to be awarded in 2006, that is, the N25 Waterford city bypass, the N7 Limerick southern ring phase two and the N3 Clonee-Kells scheme. I am informed that the NRA does not envisage any delays in the awarding of these contracts, subject to legal developments on the N3 Clonee-Kells scheme.

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