The Kildare town by-pass is to go ahead, the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Kildare County Council said yesterday. Clearance for the tendering process was given by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey.
The project is of particular national significance, according to the NRA. Traffic congestion and delays in Kildare town made the construction of a motorway by-pass an urgent necessity.
Environmental concerns about the Pollardstown Fen have been addressed, the NRA added. The fen is a unique nature reserve, located some 4.5km from the proposed new motorway. The fen is especially noted for the presence of a rare species of snail (the whorl snail) and a special type of spring (tufa springs).
Conditions imposed by Mr Dempsey in granting permission for the project include measures for the enhanced protection of the ecology of the area. For the first time in Irish road construction, a system known as "tanking" will be used, the NRA said.
Pioneered in the Netherlands, tanking is used in road- and bridge-building as a controlling mechanism for groundwater drainage.
The NRA claims the tanking method will minimise changes in groundwater levels at Pollards town Fen, ensuring the protection of its natural habitat.
Traffic conditions through Kildare town continue to deteriorate, the county council said yesterday. Weekends were particularly bad, the council added, and it was anxious to advance the motorway project as quickly as possible.
The main construction contract is expected to start this summer. The estimated cost is £70 million, with completion in 2002. Use of the tanking method has added £5 million to the cost of the project, according to the council.