Public not liable for motorway sinking into bog

THE NATIONAL Roads Authority has said the taxpayer will not be liable for delays caused by a section of the new M7 motorway sinking into a bog in Co Tipperary.

The €425 million 28km dual-carriageway section between the Nenagh bypass and the Limerick Southern Ring Road was initially to have opened completely in June 2009, but subsidence was noticed on a section of the road at Annaholty bog near Birdhill.

A section between Nenagh and Birdhill junction was opened to traffic at Easter, but motorists travelling the route to Limerick have had to use the old N7 between Birdhill and Annacotty due to the delay caused by the difficulties at Annaholty bog.

According to the National Roads Authority, the final section will now open next Tuesday, September 28th, following the building of “an underground bridge” across the bog.

The road authority said that a 100-metre section of the road was excavated and replaced with a reinforced concrete slab, which was connected to solid ground at depths of up to 30 metres by a series of reinforced piles.

The cost of the extra work was estimated in the region of €2 million to €3 million.

However, an authority spokesman said the design-and-build nature of the contract would ensure the taxpayer was not liable for the additional cost.

The remedial works were successfully completed in August. This was followed by load testing to ensure the integrity of the road in the area before it was certified fit for traffic.

The opening paves the way for the final section of the M7, between Castletown and Nenagh, which is now expected in November.

This project starts at the most easterly junction of the Nenagh bypass and finishes at the Borris- in-Ossory interchange.

The final section will then deliver motorway continuous standard connections between Northern Ireland and Co Clare via the M50 and the new Shannon tunnel.

Motorways are also complete between the M50 and the regional cities of Waterford, Cork and Galway.