Construction of an outer orbital route for the M50 is to be made a priority by the National Roads Authority within the next two years, NRA Chief Executive, Fred Barry, has revealed.

Once the major inter-urban motorways linking Dublin with the other main cities are completed in 2010, planning would begin on what is being called the Leinster Outer Orbital Route which will connect with most of the main routes out of the capital.

The cost of the new 80km route is being put at €3bn.  It would run outside the M50 and link the M1 near Drogheda, through the N2 at Slane, the N3 at Navan and the N4 at Kilkock, lining into the M7 at Kilcullen.

Mr Barry also made the case for an Eastern By-pass of Dublin. 

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CROKER CAR BAN PARKED FOR THE PRESENT 

A plan to ban parking within a 2km zone around Croke Park on big match days will not happen this year, it is understood.

The move is part of a wider plan by Dublin City Council to impose similar bans around other major sporting and entertainment venues such as the new Lansdowne Road, the RDS and the new Point Depot.

However, Croke Park Stadium Director, Peter McKenna, has said that with a public consultation process ongoing until the middle of next month, it will be some time before Dublin City Council can confirm how the ban will actually work. 

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NORTH-SOUTH LINK-UP ON PENALTY POINTS 

Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD, is to meet the North’s Minister for the Environment, Arlene Foster, in an attempt to overcome difficulties with mutual recognition of motorists penalty points by authorities north and south of the Border.

Mr Dempsey said he had initially hoped mutual recognition of the separate systems could be agreed by this autumn and in place by the end of the year.   However, administrative difficulties meant it could now be three or four years before a solution is found.

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ROADS PLAN CUT BY €1 BN 

Local authorities, builders and other interested groups were shocked to read a report that the Government has withdrawn €1 billion from exchequer funding for the national roads programme contained in Transport 21. 

The funding cut was made, apparently, after a government review of the financing arrangements for the projects in Transport 21.   The affected road projects were all due to begin in 2010. 

According to the report, the NRA is now seeking private developers to build the roads involved which include large section of the proposed Atlantic Corridor linking Donegal, Galway, Limerick and Cork. 

However, NRA Chief Executive, Fred Barry, said the change would not affect its road-building plans.   “If we’re authorised to go ahead with PPP projects, that’s not affected by day-to-day up and downs in the government’s finances”, he insisted. 

The Department of Transport stated that the €1 billion taken from the roads programme would be used instead on future public transport projects, instead of planned PPPs.

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PRIVATE CARS TO BE BANNED FROM DUBLIN CITY CENTRE?

A plan prepared by an Oireachtas Committee which would see all private cars and vehicles banned from part of Dublin city centre has met with mixed reaction from businesses in the affected areas. 

The proposal – which is to be put to the Minister for Transport, Mr Noel Dempsey TD, shortly – would allow only public transport into O’Connell Street, Westmoreland Street, College Green and Dame Street. 

The Oireachtas Committee on Transport wants to see the plan fast-tracked because of Dublin severe traffic congestion and maintain that the ban could be in place next year. 

This would involve putting in place a number of Bailey Bridges across the Liffey at key points – such as between Marlborough Street and Hawkins Street and further down river at Macken Street – which would carry public transport only. 

Some city centre businesses welcomed the move to free up the area for public transport and pedestrians but others worried about the potential damage to trade.  A major stumbling block to the plan, however, is that no one has yet been able to say where the displaced traffic is going to go. 

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€11 M TO BE SPENT ON GALWAY ROADS 

Over €11m is to be spent on Galway city’s roads and transportation this year. 

Galway City Council is to provide funds of €6.5 m, the Department of Transport will contribute €4.1 m and the NRA will pay €960,000 into the package. 

The project will cover about 150 miles of road of which 120 miles are minor urban roads, 25 miles of regional roads and about 12 miles of primary and secondary roads.

Works include road resurfacing, road widening and footpath provision.

All fatal crash sites will be investigated by an expert engineer within 72 hours to see if the road is dangerous under an initiative to be rolled out nationally in the near future by the National Roads Authority.  

A pilot project involving the NRA, Kilkenny County Council and the Kilkenny Garda Division has been in operation in the county for the past 12 months.  As part of this, a County Council engineer has met with the investigating Garda at the scene of all fatal or serious crashes within three days of the accident to discuss whether road engineering was a contributory factory.

Mr Harry Cullen, Head of Safety with the NRA, said the current system meant that it could take up to 18 months for a Garda report to be analysed.   “The benefit of the approach we are taking in Kilkenny is that the engineer visits the site and decides if there is a road-related issued.  If there is a problem, it can be remedied immediately rather than waiting 12 or 18 months for the data to be analysed.”