‘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.