Anger over NTR’s €1bn toll bridge ‘bonanza’

NATIONAL Toll Roads is set to earn over €1 billion in revenue from its contract to operate the Westlink toll bridge on the M50 in Dublin up to 2020, even though it cost the company only €38 million to construct.

Details of the projected future earnings from the Westlink tolls provoked criticism from several members of the Oireachtas Transport committee who learnt yesterday that NTR had already received over €300m since it first opened in 1990.

Labour Transport spokes-person Roisín Shortall said it was hard not to believe such a “sweetheart deal” represented a “bonanza” for NTR.