The opening of the M50 is good news, but we must now complete the circle with a road around the east of Dublin, says Reg McCabe
The opening of the M50 southeastern motorway is undoubtedly a significant watershed in terms of our roads programme. However, it is just a further stage in the construction of a complete Dublin motorway ring.
We now urgently need to speed up the planning and construction of the rest of the orbital and connect the northeast of the M50 directly to the southeast of the city. This is the proposed Dublin Eastern Bypass, which would transverse Dublin Bay either by causeway or tunnel.
The completion of the circle would rebalance traffic flows around the city and, by shifting traffic to the east, dramatically reduce congestion in the city centre, and on the gridlocked western and northern sections of the M50 near the Red Cow roundabout and the West-Link bridge.
The Dublin Eastern Bypass would make it possible to drive from Wexford, Dún Laoghaire or Sandymount to the airport without either snarling up the city centre or diverting "way out west" on the current M50.
The project is included in city and regional planning strategies and perhaps most importantly is included as a project priority in the Dublin Transportation Office's "platform for change" strategy.
The challenge now to the Government is to put in place the changes that will deliver this vital project within years, not decades.
Before we get too excited about the M50 opening, we need to recognise the imperative to radically change the way we plan and construct our infrastructure. There must be no repeat of the colossal failure to deliver on the present M50 a decade ago.
It need not have taken 20 years to build this road, which progressed at a build rate of only 2.5km per year. This compares very unfavourably with the 15km per year achieved during construction of London's M25 orbital. At a similar rate of construction, the M50 could have been completed in four years.
The M50 delay is largely attributable to an utterly fragmented approach to construction, which progressed in four distinct phases in the period since 1988. Progress towards completing the project was further obstructed by budgetary delays and court challenges.
Not only has this prolonged delay he+ld back our economic performance, it has vastly contributed to the stress and frustration of anyone who has to get around Dublin. The next stage of the roads programme must not fall victim to similar delays.
The initial project appraisal for the Dublin Eastern Bypass, completed in 2000, was very positive and indicated that it had the potential to deliver real benefits in terms of improved traffic flows and congestion relief. A subsequent feasibility study, completed for the National Roads Authority, estimated the cost of the project at €1.4 billion - at 2002 prices.
In terms of distance, in 2006 and after the port tunnel is opened, 90 per cent of a full motorway orbital of the city will be in place. Let us finish the job as quickly as possible.
An important consequence of the Dublin Eastern Bypass for city centre traffic is provision for the first time of a workable alternative to the Pearse Street-Gardiner Street corridor. Current peak-time gridlock experienced in the business district centred on Pearse Street will be consigned to history. It will also significantly improve traffic movement around Dublin port.
Despite the obvious benefits, the cost of the project remains an important consideration, especially from the taxpayer perspective. Financial modelling conducted by Ibec indicates that, at a reasonable rate of tolling and with realistic traffic flows, the project can be entirely self-financing under a public-private partnership arrangement.
The project should take eight years to complete, but only if we show decisiveness now and determination in the intervening years. It is a frustrating distraction to see politicians talk about an outer ring road around Dublin, which would deliver little in terms of the city's traffic problems.
The project has now been referred to the Minister for Transport for consideration in the context of the department's 10-year plan for transport. A firm commitment from Government will take political courage, but the necessary analysis is complete. We do not need any more excuses.