Taoiseach formally opens new €750m Dublin Port Tunnel

The Dublin Port Tunnel has been officially opened by the Taoiseach today after taking five and a half years to construct at a cost of €751m.

The 4.5km tunnel is designed to relieve congestion in the city centre by taking thousands of trucks from Dublin Port to the M50 motorway ever day.

It will be toll-free for trucks and buses, but other vehicles will have to pay between €3 and €12 to use it.

The tunnel plans were approved after a public inquiry in 1999 and it was originally expected to cost €450m and open in 2005.

However, the project has been dogged by delays and controversy.

Early in the scheme, critics argued that the tunnel would not be high enough to take large trucks, while the structure was also hit by major leaks and more than 200 households are seeking compensation for damage caused to their homes during the construction phase.

Despite being designed to ease congestion, there are fears that the tunnel will actually create more gridlock by putting thousands of extra trucks on the M50 every day.

Truckers want roads around Dublin Port to remain open to heavy goods vehicles for a number of months until the M50 is upgraded to accommodate the extra traffic.