The construction contract for the first new bus corridor under the BusConnects programme in Dublin is due to be signed next month, according to the National Transport Authority (NTA).
Construction of the first two corridors had been due to start this autumn, but it is understood the NTA now expects to be in a position to move forward at an earlier stage.
The first corridors to get under way will be the Liffey Valley to city centre route and the Ballymun/Finglas to city centre scheme.
Representatives of the NTA, including its interim chief executive Hugh Creegan, will appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee on Wednesday.
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They are due to tell the committee that planning consent has been received from An Bord Pleanála for all 12 BusConnects corridors, though judicial reviews have been initiated against some of these approvals.
[ Final BusConnects corridor secures planning permissionOpens in new window ]
The construction contract for the first corridor is to be signed in June, their opening statement to TDs says.
The construction of all of the 12 corridors could impact on more than 700 properties, according to the latest estimates from the NTA, with more than 3,000 trees potentially felled and 827 parking spaces lost.
Separately, the NTA will tell the committee that work is ongoing to “further develop and refine the design” of MetroLink and to prepare tender documentation for the three major contracts that will deliver the overall project.
“It is understood that the Government will be considering the MetroLink project during the preparation of the new National Development Plan,” the NTA’s opening statement says.
“Assuming its inclusion in the new national plan, then, subject to approval by An Bord Pleanála during this year, and assuming no delays due to judicial review proceedings, tendering for the construction work could commence next year, with construction commencing about 18 months later.”
The NTA will also say the construction of Luas Finglas is dependent upon “the outcome of the planning process and the availability of funding under the new National Development Plan”.
A railway order application was submitted to An Bord Pleanála in November 2024.
