The final leg of the M50, Dublin's C-ring motorway, is not now likely to be completed until 2005 as a result of a dispute between the contractor, Ascon, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
The dispute, which centres on the timetable for completion of the 36-month construction contract, has recently been sent to arbitration.
The county council had hoped that the 11km motorway from the Ballinteer interchange to the Shankill/Bray bypass would be open by June 2004, but delays with contracts meant that the contractor could not begin work until last October.
The loss of the summer months - vital in construction terms - has further delayed the scheme, and Ascon recently told the county council that the best opening date was now March 2005.
It is also understood that any attempt to open the motorway on a phased basis would jeopardise this timetable.
This is because of the complexity of junctions at Sandyford, Carrickmines, Laughanstown, Shankill and the Drummartin Link from Sandyford interchange to Goatstown, an ancillary scheme which is integral to the motorway.
While Ascon could not be contacted for comment yesterday, it is understood that having a temporary road in place during the construction phase could cause considerable inconvenience and delays.
Commenting on the delays yesterday, Ms Olivia Mitchell, Fine Gael TD for Dublin South, repeated her call for urgent traffic-relief measures for the area.
"The traffic is pouring down the M50 to Ballinteer and crawls through the Wyckham bypass and up Sandyford Road to the industrial estate. It also crawls in the opposite direction, backed up through four separate roundabouts," Ms Mitchell said.
"You can't get out on to the Sandyford Road to go right or left at any time of the day now, and to say that this might go on until 2005 is unthinkable."
Ms Mitchell said there was no guarantee that the opening of the Luas system, which is due next year, would alleviate the problem, as the Sandyford terminus would "probably attract car commuters to the park-and-ride facility".
