Cost of not raising tunnel ‘to be €76m’
But the National Roads Authority, which is vehemently opposed to any change in plan that would delay work on the tunnel, said the figures produced by the Transport Umbrella Group needed to be scrutinised carefully. They were highly suspect figures, said one senior NRA member.
The report, by economists from Trinity College, stated that if so-called 'supercube' container trucks were forced to travel through Dublin city centre, the cost over 15 years from accidents, fatalities and injuries, would be €51m and lost working time would be €25m.
This is based on 160 supertrucks travelling to and from Dublin Port this year, rising 5% a year to over 300 a day in 2018. Yet Dublin Port puts the number at 20 a day while those opposed to raising the height dispute the 5% increase claim.
Jerry Kiersy, chairman of the umbrella group and the owner of a car transporter business, said the height restriction needed to be changed to allow the tunnel do what it was originally intended to do take HGVs off the streets of Dublin.
Mr Kiersey said those objecting to the height extension, such as the NRA and Dublin City Council were "more concerned about being right than doing the right thing".
A report commissioned by the Department of Transport on the benefits and drawbacks of raising the height of the €680m tunnel is expected to be published within the next two weeks. Leaked figures reveal the extra work would cost €20m to €30m more and add two months to the project time. These are hotly disputed by the NRA.
