Minister looking at cost of raising the Dublin Port Tunnel

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has asked contractors building the Dublin Port Tunnel to give him a legally binding agreement on the cost and delay involved in raising the clearance height within the tunnel.

The request, which is currently being met, was made after the Minister rejected options offered by consultants Atkins as "too broad". The Minister said the options ranged from a minimum cost of €20 million to a maximum of €120 million, while the time delays ranged from one to five months. Such a broad spectrum was, however, unacceptable to the Minister who has now asked the contractors to assess the cost and time needed to raise the clearance height in the tunnel from 4.6 to 4.9 metres. Mr Brennan said he had been told work on the tunnel had not yet progressed to a point where it was too late to alter the clearances.

"It will still open on time but work is not yet at the stage where they are putting in the internal fixtures and I am not prepared to make that call until I am given the exact number of euro and time it will take. I want a legally binding contract with exact figures for what it will cost." Mr Brennan said he thought the process would take "about seven to eight weeks more".