A decision by An Bord Pleanála not to increase the height of the planned €100 million River Shannon tunnel yesterday came under fire from the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA).
In a major step towards starting construction on the scheme, the board approved the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the €350 million bypass of Limerick city. The works are the largest capital project being undertaken by the State outside the capital. The €100 million 900-metre tunnel forms the central part of the 10 kilometre scheme, which is anticipated to eliminate the daily gridlock on routes leading out of Limerick by diverting 40,000 vehicles onto the new road each day.
In its decision relating to the Environmental Impact Statement, the appeals board ordered that a number of minor modifications be made to the scheme, but has ordered no changes to the height of the tunnel. The tunnel height is the same height as the Dublin Port Tunnel, with a clearance height of 4.9 metres and an operational height clearance of 4.65 metres.
The Limerick tunnel will be only the second under-river tunnel in Ireland after the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork.
The appeals board made its decision yesterday after conducting a seven-day oral hearing in Limerick last April, during which the hauliers lobby voiced its concern over the tunnel height.
Mr Jimmy Quinn of the IRHA said it was unforgivable that the same mistakes that had been made with the Dublin Port Tunnel were being repeated in Limerick. He said that to make a change to the tunnel height now "would involve a very, very small cost". He called on the Minister for Transport to intervene to resolve the situation.
In its decision yesterday, the appeals board ruled that having regard to the environmental sensitivity of the route, the road development would be in accordance with the proper planning and would not result in significant adverse effects on the environment. The appeals board also confirmed the CPO without modification, stating that the 42 objections could not be sustained, having regard to the necessity of the route.
The road will link all national routes converging on Limerick from Dublin, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Ennis and Shannon airport. Mr Fitzgerald said the scheme is to be run on a public-private partnership basis and that construction work should begin late 2005, early 2006.
