A report on the preservation of 38 archaeological sites along the route of the proposed M3 motorway through Co Meath is to be submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche, next week. But a decision on the project is "not imminent" the Department said yesterday.
The report, which details the significance of the sites uncovered in test digging close to the Hill of Tara, will be studied by the Minister before he decides whether to allow the National Roads Authority to remove the artefacts for "preservation by record".
Conservationists, academics and heritage campaigners are opposed to the route of the 49-kilometre motorway from Clonee to north of Kells because of its proximity to the Hill of Tara. At its closest point the motorway passes within two kilometres east of Tara, between it and the Hill of Skryne. The Save Tara and Skryne Valley Campaign claims Tara and Skryne are part of the same archaeological complex.
Excavation of the 38 sites will cost up to €30 million, and take about a year to complete, according to the NRA.
Mr Roche can now approve the removal of the identified national monuments or consult with the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, to whom the NRA reports, in an effort to find an alternative route.
One option available to the NRA would be to build the bypasses of Dunshaughlin, Kells and Navan as phase one of the project while the issue over Skryne valley is being resolved.
However, it would be difficult to attract a private sector partner and the NRA's plans to raise tolls on the road would be hampered.
