Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

For a number of years there are detailed reports on the impact of trucks on to the M50. As the Deputy is aware Dublin City Council has made a number of changes this year on how it will be operated, zoned and ringed and the type of trucks to be allowed on it. Originally all types of vehicles were to be pressed on to the M50 but it will now be five axle trucks. That is not the entire volume of traffic that would have gone from Dublin Port originally but it will take the heavy vehicles. According to these reports most of the traffic going west or north, a substantial amount of the traffic, is already making its way to the M50. The exception is the traffic on the quays. That was the original reason for the suggestion that there should have been two tunnels, one of which would be under the Liffey. I regret that did not happen. I still think that creates a problem.

As Deputy Rabbitte said the easiest solution would be to open the toll bridge irrespective of the cost. However, all the studies concluded that this would create a bigger problem. All the wizards say it would help through traffic but that until work on the M50 and the various junctions, including the Red Cow junction, is complete it is better that this works it way through. There are also legal issues to be undertaken. There is no doubt it will be challenging on the M50. Given that the tunnel will be limited to five axle trucks they have covered themselves well. However, the downside is that the traffic will not be eliminated from the streets to the extent that is necessary. I have been pressing hard at the committees to have the work done. Admittedly it will take a few years but it is better to get it done, one way or the other, even if we all have to suffer it in the meantime. Some €1 billion will be spent on the M50. They have a good programme and have, technically, found a solution to the Red Cow interchange which will help. Thank God for that. Barrier free tolling will take two years and it will be Christmas 2008 before that issue is dealt with.

I have been pressing at the committee for work to be done on the orbital road. Looking at the figures, my view, which may not be shared by all the technical experts, is that the M50 was based on approximately a quarter to one third of the current volume of traffic. In light of the rate of growth during the past half a dozen years where the traffic volume has increased by 800,000 I have been pressing to have the work done on the orbital road. Ultimately we need an upgraded M50, work on which will take a solid four years and possibly five if the airport interchange is included. All the work should be done by 2011, which I appreciate is a long time. Planning, advancement and work on the outer orbital road is also under way. There is a tight programme. I wish it could be done faster but at least the entire work on all the phases and the contracts on the M50 are done for the next four years, including barrier free tolling, the three phases and the airport interchange. A considerable team of our best engineers are working on that and the feasibility of the outer orbital road. Dublin City Council has designed it in such a way that it is not pressing all traffic on to the M50 in the short term. That should alleviate some of the difficulty if all traffic had been forced on to the M50 in January.

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