Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue and appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works, has come to respond.

As the Minister of State will be aware, it is proposed to close the Castleknock gate of the Phoenix Park for six weeks starting next week. My constituency has only three routes into the city centre - the N3, which is currently being dug up for the M50 upgrade, Chapelizod and the Phoenix Park. It would appear that for at least the next six weeks the Castleknock gate of the Phoenix Park will be closed, essentially closing off two of the three routes into the city centre. It may not be of much concern to Members opposite that I will not be able to join them for approximately six weeks but this will also apply to the Minister for Finance who may find he has great difficulty coming to the House. The closure of this route will cause significant traffic chaos around the Castleknock area as people try to divert to other routes, including Blackhorse Avenue, Chapelizod, etc.

Why was there no consultation with local Deputies or councillors? The first knowledge we had of this was, in typical OPW fashion, signs put up on the gates informing us that it would be closed for six weeks. This has happened on a few occasions. It happened in regard to proposals to introduce a one-way system at Ashtown gate and Cabra gate which had to be abandoned because the OPW failed to consult people at the time.

Why could this work not have been done during the summer when there was relatively little traffic? It will now be done in October which is the peak traffic period in Dublin. Can this be deferred until next year? It is only for the construction of a roundabout. A temporary roundabout has been in place for the best part of two years which works well. Is it not possible to defer these works until next summer?

What arrangements will be made to organise traffic in the area during the period of the works, in particular at Farmleigh? Will White's gate be opened for six weeks? If not, what other arrangements will be made to ensure we are not all trapped in our homes for the next six weeks?

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