‘New tunnels needed at Dublin Port’

THE Dublin Port Tunnel will not be big enough on its own to solve the problem of access for freight vehicles to the port, employers group IBEC said yesterday.

The group said new tunnels linking the port with the south and west of the city would be necessary, to complement the tunnel to the north that is due to open next year. It also called on the Government to revive plans to complete the M50 ring around the city by building an eastern bypass.

IBEC transport director Reg McCabe said the Port Tunnel was desirable but further significant investment would be necessary to compensate for a “century of neglect”, when too little money was devoted to improving the port’s access infrastructure. Mr McCabe was speaking after the publication of an IBEC-commissioned report to compare access levels for Dublin Port to equivalents in Belfast, Liverpool, Helsinki and Barcelona.

The report, carried out by consultants Atkins, found roads into Dublin Port were more congested than those serving other ports.

Dublin was also more dependent on road access, with rail freight accounting for just 2% of traffic. IBEC said that there was a role for improved rail freight services. But these would need to be capable of transporting cargo directly from the quayside to regional distribution centres.

IBEC also said the proposed upgrade of the M50 would reduce congestion but that traffic growth over the next 10 years would wipe out the benefits of the upgrade.

While the Port Tunnel was “the first essential element in the network,” fresh elements needed to be planned urgently, according to IBEC. It estimated a new tunnel would cost around €1 billion. Mr McCabe called for interim low-cost measures to improve access to the port.

IBEC hoped to see designated freight corridors on existing roads. These corridors would be clearly signposted and encourage port traffic to follow certain routes to and from the port. IBEC also suggested opening up quality bus corridors on these routes to freight traffic at peak times.