Government awards €600m contract for maintenance of Ireland's major road network

Concerns have been raised about traffic gridlock on the eastern approaches to the Jack Lynch Tunnel and the Dunkettle Interchange.

A massive State tender potentially worth up to €600m has been awarded to operate and maintain major roads, including the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork.

The awarding of the contract to Egis will see it responsible for the Dublin tunnel and the Motorway Operations Control Centre, which monitors 1,200km of Ireland’s motorways.

Transport minister Darragh O’Brien said these were all “critical pieces of national infrastructure” that contribute to the Irish economy as well as improved road safety.

“Egis and Transport Infrastructure Ireland [TII] have worked together to identify and implement upgrades to improve operations and reduce emissions,” he said.

Under the contract, Egis will oversee tolling at the Dublin tunnel as well as being responsible for maintenance, fire safety compliance and the upkeep of key infrastructure such as electrical and drainage systems.

In areas with widespread camera coverage like the M50 in Dublin, it will have to detect incidents and coordinate the response, monitor traffic and direct the coordination between emergency services during incidents.

Furthermore, it will also manage calls from the 1,600 emergency roadside telephones on Irish motorways and be responsible for the real-time information on signs across the network.

It must also align itself with TII’s sustainability plans, which includes the “intention to source 100% of operational energy from renewable sources from day one and continuing to transition the infrastructure to net zero”.

Its stewardship comes after concerns were recently raised about traffic gridlock on the eastern approaches to the Jack Lynch Tunnel and the Dunkettle Interchange.

Last month, it emerged that Cork County Council engineers would raise the issue with the project team in charge of the multi-million euro road upgrades in the area.