Tunnel safety tests to produce smoke but not fire

RESIDENTS living close to Dublin Port Tunnel are warned today not to be unduly concerned if they see smoke billowing from the bypass.

Final safety checks by firefighters on the €752 million project, starting tomorrow, will include simulated emergencies. In a mock-up of an incident, smoke will be pumped through the 4.5km twin-bore tunnel to test the response of emergency services and evacuation systems.

Tunnel management said there would be a “realistic” amount of smoke coming out of either side of the underground motorway, at Santry in the northside, and at the Docklands in the southside, during the exercises.

City engineer and director of traffic Michael Phillips stressed that commuters or nearby residents should have no cause for concern as the smoke is non-toxic and non-flammable.

Some 200 firefighters have been trained abroad to respond to a potential emergency situation in a tunnel environment, bosses said.

Tests by Dublin Fire Brigade and the Tunnel Operator Transroute Tunnel Operations will run between 10am and 4pm every Saturday and Wednesday over the coming weeks.