Varadkar: No new roads without new tolls

THE Government must consider introducing new road tolls if it wants to build new roads, the Transport Minister said yesterday.

Leo Varadkar was speaking in Cork as he turned the sod on the €98 million N25 South Ring Road project — one of just five major road projects that will be built between now and 2015 after all funding was pulled from the state’s road-building programme.

But once work starts on these schemes — the N3 Belturbet bypass, the N5 Longford bypass, the N22 Tralee bypass, the N4 Downs grade separation and the N52 Carrickbridge to Dalystown — that will be it until 2015 at least.

“There is no funding for roads building in 2012, 2013 or 2014,” Mr Varadkar said.

“We don’t know yet about 2015.

The N25 South Ring Road project will see the construction of flyovers at the Bandon and Sarsfield Road roundabouts over the next two years.

When complete, it will provide the final link to a high-capacity, free-flowing route from the western end of the Ballincollig bypass to the northern end of the Jack Lynch Tunnel, reducing journey times along the stretch by 75% during peak periods.

“As things stand, there will be no new roads in the coming years,” Mr Varadkar said. “Additional tolling revenue might provide funds for that, but no decisions have been made.

“We have very good new motorways and we have them because we have tolls.

“If we are going to continue investing in our roads, which is good for business, and continue to improve our infrastructure, which is good for business, we’ll have to find the money somewhere and the obvious source is additional tolling.”

However, Cork Chamber, which has described tolling as a “blunt instrument”, met the minister to argue against a possible toll on the Jack Lynch Tunnel.

Chamber chief executive John Mullins said that tolling the tunnel, which is used daily by almost 70,000 vehicles, would result in significant gridlock in Cork City and seriously damage businesses.

He outlined survey findings which show that nearly half of the 6,500 vehicles currently using the tunnel during the peak morning rush hour would avoid it if a toll was introduced.

Tolling would result in the redirection of up to 3,000 vehicles or 46% of traffic away from the tunnel onto other roads, he said.

“Tolling would undermine the export sectors, cause congestion in the city centre and seriously hit business,” Mr Mullins said.

He also pointed out that the existing toll at Fermoy is less than 10 minutes’ drive from Dunkettle.

Mr Varadkar said these and other factors would be considered before any decision on tolling is made.

But he warned: “For us to have any roads programme at all, it’s going to require some level of tolling.”

The Government is studying the National Roads Authority’s National Roads Needs Study, which has earmarked potential toll locations.