The Transport Umbrella Group (TUG), which has been campaigning for an increase in the height of the Dublin Port Tunnel, has put forward its own proposals to allow access to taller "supercube" trucks. Frank McDonald, Environment Editor, reports
TUG's solution would raise the operational clearance of the €625 million tunnel from 4.65 to 5.05 metres by changing the width of the carriageway and its verges to make trucks travel closer to the middle of the tunnel where the height would be greater.
Mr Jerry Kiersey, chairman of the group, said yesterday that the proposals, which are based on up-to-date maps supplied by the National Roads Authority (NRA), would resolve the current conflict over access for "supercube" trucks to the tunnel.
Insisting that the TUG's proposals could be implemented at "very little" extra cost, Mr Kiersey said an immediate review was required before construction work proceeded to a point where it would be too expensive to make the proposed changes.
"We are calling on Minister Seamus Brennan to talk with the NRA to cost and review these changes to the Dublin Port Tunnel immediately. We will make our engineer, Mr Cormac Rabbitt, available for consultation if required", he said.
He pointed out that the NRA's own guidelines on road, bridge and tunnel building meant that the road surface under the Luas bridge in Dundrum had to be lowered when it was found to be less than the required clearance of 5.3 metres.
"The Port Tunnel is a critical and strategic corridor in our transport network. We firmly believe that if these changes are implemented a key issue will be resolved and we can then work towards making the tunnel run effectively", Mr Kiersey added.
The group is due to present its proposals on the port tunnel to the Oireachtas Joint Transport Committee today. It says its only purpose is to protect and enhance access to, and egress from, Dublin Port and it has lobbied since 1986 for a port access route.
TUG represents Irish Ferries, Stena Line, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Irish Petroleum Industry Association, Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics, Irish International Freight Association, Irish Road Haulage Association and Irish Exporters' Association.
The organisations all maintain that the restricted height of the port tunnel will present difficulties for a number of port users and that adequate alternative transit arrangements must be made to cater for trucks too tall to fit into it.
Noting the tunnel was expected to cater for 9,000 trucks per day, Mr John Whelan, chief executive of the Irish Exporters Association said a port tunnel "jammed with traffic at its entrance and exit" would do nothing to improve the average transit time to the port.
Mr Eamonn Morrissey, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said its members feared that the introduction of the port tunnel "may cause greater time delays which are quite evident at present on the M50 tollbridge and the Red Cow roundabout."
Referring to the controversy about the tunnel's height, he said: "Our members are more concerned to have adequate arrangements for heavy goods vehicles moving around the city and into the port regardless of whether they can or cannot use the port tunnel because of height restrictions."