New motorways - A lot done but questions to answer

THE last piece in the Dublin to Cork motorway jigsaw will fall into place towards the end of next month.

When the completed Portlaoise to Cullahill section is opened the new route will bypass Abbeyleix, Durrow and Cullahill. Though businesses in these towns may suffer it is suggested that the link will cut the journey time between the M50 and Dunkettle considerably – it has been suggested by as much as 45 minutes.

The Dublin to Cork link was included in the National Development Plan 2000-2006 and though it has taken rather longer than was envisaged and, at a cost of €2.6 billion, almost trebled the estimated cost, it is a very welcome achievement.

At 250km, it should be possible to drive from the Jack Lynch Tunnel to the Red Cow roundabout in about two hours and 30 minutes. This is a considerable saving, almost two hours in as many decades.

The final section of the link includes the division of the M7 Limerick and M8 Cork roads southwest of Portlaoise. All of this represents considerable progress and with some other projects – especially the tunnel under the Shannon downstream of Limerick, the Gort bypass on the road between Limerick and Galway and a motorway between Dublin and Derry – move Ireland’s transport network in the right direction.

Though it is a laudable achievement a few questions need to be answered. The obvious one is why do all of these projects end up costing many multiples of the original estimate? This seems a bad habit learned in an earlier time and it must be assumed that procedures are much, much tighter in today’s less indulgent climate.

Another question is the number of toll roads. This is a cultural change that we have not been give the opportunity to pass judgement on. It is a considerable issue as a company using the road six days a week will face charges of over €7,300 a year for every vehicle. In some cases this cost may outweigh the savings.

Tolls are a consequences of public and private partnerships and the funding methods involved are a mystery to all but the most informed. Even the Dáil Public Accounts Committee could not decide if some of the PPPs education projects represented value for money. More clarity is needed in this as vast sums are involved.

The completion of the motorway also underlines one more time the great contribution the EU has made to the development of our infrastructure. Without great European generosity it is impossible to imagine that we would have reached this point.

The role the National Roads Authority plays in planning decisions is also attracting some negative comment. An Taisce, who have made a formal complaint to the European Commission over a highway between Dublin and Derry, suggests that the NRA “has been given virtually autonomous legal status ... to plan, seek consents for and funding for motorway/dual-carriageway schemes, both contained in the National Development Plan and even not”. This is a substantial charge and deserves a response from Government.

Nevertheless, the development of our motorways is an achievement to celebrate even if belatedly. Now, if we could only do the same for our secondary roads, our broadband services and access to the electricity grid.