Key tolls could have netted €140m for exchequer

Plans for tolls on key routes in Dublin and Cork, which have been put on hold by the Government, could have raised up to €140m per annum for the exchequer — more than twice the sum originally estimated.

In January, Transport Minister Leo Varadkar ruled out imposing a range of new tolls on the basis that the costs would outweigh any benefits, as well as causing fuel prices to rise.

However, a study by the National Roads Authority, submitted to the Government in Jun 2011, claims the introduction of multi-tolling on the M50, combined with tolls on five key radial routes into Dublin and the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork, could raise €95m to €140m a year.