Madam, - I write as chairman of the Transport Umbrella Group of Dublin Port (TUG) in response to the article on the Dublin Port Tunnel in your edition of January 9th the quotes therein from Mr Tim Brick, deputy city engineer.
I am astounded at statements which he and others within Dublin City Council and the National Roads Authority are putting out on this issue. Mr Brick says: "If we were to accommodate trucks of 5.3 metres. . ." and "nobody heard of 5.3-metre trucks when this project was designed." Trucks 5.3 metres high do not exist either here or in the UK nor have we ever looked for them. We are seeking an internal height which will allow trucks of 4.9 metres through. These trucks are and have been a fact on our roads and those of our nearest and biggest trading partner for the past 20 years, and as the UK seeks to improve its environment their numbers are growing.
To this end we have been lobbying since 1998 for a port tunnel height in line with that imposed by the NRA on the rest of our motorway system and in line with that of the UK and Northern Ireland. DCC engineers have highlighted the height of pre- motorway tunnels in the UK to justify their height while ignoring post-1950s tunnels such as the three on the M25 and throughout the UK. I have direct from the UK Highways Department its guidelines on tunnel heights which contradict Mr Brick's position.
Again, DCC engineers have highlighted tunnels throughout the EU that support their case while ignoring others such as the EU-funded Oresund tunnel (Denmark/Sweden), which has an internal height of 6.1 metres and was completed in 2000. The EU has no intention of ordering maximum height rules, but it does have a minimum height rule of 4 metres for new tunnels.
We are aware that our aims of a motorway gauge tunnel were, as construction proceeded, becoming less and less likely because of both the delay and cost implications of such a change. We therefore reviewed our needs and at a meeting last December attended by both the director of traffic, Mr Owen Keegan, and Mr Tim Brick, they agreed to to review the internal design of the tunnel to see if the height of trucks able to use it could be increased from 4.65 metres to 4.9 metres and also to conduct a new survey of truck heights monitoring all three access/egress points.
A height of 4.9 metres would allow any truck capable of travelling by motorway within Ireland and the UK to use the Dublin Port Tunnel. This would seem a reasonable aim as the tunnel's stated purpose is to carry trucks to and from the port to the M50.
If this does not happen an alternative route will have to be designated for taller trucks and this route will inevitably become a rat-run for all trucks seeking to avoid paying tolls at Westlink. It will also contribute to increased fuel consumption in the city with consequent increases in pollution levels - which is not something Mr Martin Cullen, Minister for the Environment, should tolerate. - Yours, etc.,
Transport Umbrella Group,
Vernon Avenue,
Dublin 3.