The Jack Lynch tunnel under the river Lee in Cork will stay closed until Monday after an accident that caused four miles of tailbacks yesterday. Olivia Kelleher reports.
Motorists experienced significant delays after a truck, which was too high, struck the entrance to the tunnel.
Single-lane contraflow traffic operated in the north bore of the tunnel yesterday afternoon while the south bore was closed because of the damage.
The southbound lane is used by traffic from Dublin and Waterford.
The incident occurred at 3 p.m. when the truck crashed into the south-bound bore on the Dunkettle side of the tunnel damaging ceiling, lights and control cables.
However, there was no structural damage.
Motorists were advised to take alternative routes yesterday afternoon to avoid traffic congestion.
Nobody was injured in the incident which is under investigation.
The crash could not have happened at a worse time, with the Friday afternoon rush getting into full swing. Four miles of tailbacks occurred as frustrated motorists attempted to get to their destinations via alternative routes.