St Stephen’s Green traffic changes start

The biggest traffic change on St Stephen's Green since the Luas Green Line was constructed almost a decade ago, comes into force today.

From noon two new right turn lanes will be opened from St Stephen’s Green East on to Merrion Row.

Until today traffic heading north on the east side of the Green had to turn left passing in front of the Shelbourne Hotel. Motorists who wanted to go to Merrion Row, to Baggot Street or to Merrion Square, for example, had to take a right on to Dawson Street and use either Molesworth Street or Nassau Street to loop back around to the Green and on to Merrion Row.

New system
The new system gives two right turning lanes on to Merrion Row from the Green and one left turning lane continuing around the Green.

New traffic routes are being introduced to divert cars and buses away from the site of the cross-city Luas line ahead of the start of work to lay the tracks.

The new Luas line will connect the existing Green and Red lines through the city centre before continuing north to the new DIT campus planned for Grangegorman, then on to Phibsborough and Cabra where it will terminate at the Iarnród Éireann station at Broombridge.

The line will begin at the terminus of the existing Green line on St Stephen’s Green West, turn right on to St Stephen’s Green North and then exit the Green left on Dawson Street.

The turns off the Green are being introduced to divert traffic from this area.

The changes will be permanent.

No routes are being closed off to traffic at this stage.

Restrictions and traffic bans will come into force from next year onwards, however, when the left turn from Dawson Street on to Nassau Street, used by buses and for deliveries at certain times, will be closed to traffic.