NEARLY AS many cars as heavy goods vehicles used Dublin’s Port Tunnel last year, according to figures released by the National Roads Authority (NRA).
According to the figures, an average of 16,000 vehicles are using the tunnel every day during the week.
Some 8,500 of the total are trucks and buses and the remaining 7,500 are cars and vans.
In 2007, approximately 13,000 vehicles were using the tunnel daily, evenly split between heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and cars. At weekends, the number of cars using the tunnel far outstrips the number of HGVs. Some 6,750 cars are travelling in the tunnel on Saturdays and Sundays, compared to just 2,250 HGVs.
A spokesman for the NRA said the numbers of HGVs using the tunnel was “within expectations” but the figures for non-HGVs were “above expectations”.
Lower toll prices on weekend days have seen motorists flocking to the tunnel to avoid city-centre traffic.
Rush-hour toll charges are €12 on weekdays, while the charge drops to €6 between 10am and 7pm and to €3 overnight during the week.
In July 2007, the NRA decided to reduce the weekend toll from €6 to €3 to increase the number of vehicles using it. A €3 charge applies on Saturdays, Sundays and on bank holidays.
A total of 4,961,914 vehicles passed through the Port Tunnel between January and December 2008, an increase of about one million – from 3,918,369 vehicles in the 12 months of 2007 – the Authority said.
The Port Tunnel was opened, after many delays, in December 2006 at a cost of almost €1 billion. It opened to all traffic on January 28th, 2007, and a HGV ban was introduced in Dublin city centre the following month.
Since then the number of vehicles using the route has grown steadily.
The highest monthly total so far for the tunnel was achieved in May 2008, when a total of 445,342 vehicles used it. This represents an increase from 312,087 recorded in May 2007.
More than 400,000 vehicles used the tunnel each month during February, April, June, July, August, September, October and November of last year.
