The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, needs to re-think his notion of raising Luas "on stilts" over the Red Cow roundabout given the very clear advice he has received from the much-maligned Railway Procurement
Agency that such a scheme makes no sense. For it would do nothing to relieve the notorious traffic congestion at this junction on the M50, despite an estimated investment of at least €50 million. Not only that, but it would also add a further two-and-a-half year delay to the delivery of Luas or, alternatively, disrupt the service between Tallaght and Connolly Station for 15 months after it finally starts running next summer.
As reported in today's newspaper, the RPA's chief executive, Mr Frank Allen, has told the Minister that the Tallaght line, as currently designed, would not impede the movement of other traffic at the junction and would have "minimal effect" on road congestion. That's what the technical analysis carried out by the Dublin Transportation Office shows.
It is also important to note that this analysis has not been disputed by the consultant engineers engaged by Mr Brennan to examine the feasibility of building a new bridge to carry Luas over the Red Cow interchange. Indeed, they have acknowledged that Luas will be able to cross two of its slip-roads "without impact on traffic in normal conditions".
So why all the fuss, with so many senior politicians who should know better clamouring for change at this stage? The only explanation is that interventions by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, and others are driven by the public hysteria that now envelops the Luas project.
This hysteria is based on a fundamental misconception about how modern trams operate in an urban environment. It is as if motorists believe that they will be facing a version of Merrion Gates at the Red Cow, held up in an ever-lengthening tailback while the trams pass through. However, Luas is not DART - and, as the RPA points out, it will be able to clear the busiest junction in the State in just 60 seconds, assuming that motorists observe its "yellow boxes".
There is simply no sustainable case for wasting €50 million of taxpayers' money in a radical change of design. Even this figure must be treated as elastic because it does not include any provision for compensating Connex, the French company that won the contract to operate Luas last year, in the event that the service it is meant to run - and generate revenue from - is disrupted.
Luas has been delayed for long enough; Mr Brennan must now concentrate on delivering it.