Dublin Port Tunnel
Dublin Tunnel, southbound entrance, December 2006
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°21′40″N 6°14′03″W / 53.36118°N 6.23410°WCoordinates: 53°21′40″N 6°14′03″W / 53.36118°N 6.23410°W |
| Route | M50 |
| Start | Dublin Port |
| End | M1 motorway |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | June 2001 |
| Opened | December 2006 |
| Owner | Transport Infrastructure Ireland |
| Operator | Transport Infrastructure Ireland |
| Technical | |
| Length | 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi)(immersed tube tunnel section) 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) (total roadway) |
| No. of lanes | 2 cells of 2 each |
| Operating speed | 80 km/h |
| Tunnel clearance | 4.8 metres (16 ft) (internal) |
| Width | 11.77 metres (38.6 ft) (internal) |
The Dublin Tunnel (Irish: Tollán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a road traffic tunnel in Dublin, Ireland, that forms part of the M50 motorway.
The twin tunnels form a two-lane dual carriageway connecting Dublin Port, which lies to the east of central Dublin, and the M1 motorway close to Dublin Airport. The tunnels are 4.5 km (2.8 mi) in length and total project length of 5.6 km (3.5 mi). It had final cost of approximately €752 million.
The tunnel was officially opened on 20 December 2006 by then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern; it was initially only open to HGVs. It was opened to all traffic on 28 January 2007.
Traffic congestion in central Dublin became severe at the turn of the century, with thousands of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) travelling to and from Dublin port via the city centre. The tunnel relieves surface road congestion in Dublin city centre by diverting HGVs from Dublin Port directly onto the motorway network. This has positive knock-on effects for bus users, pedestrians and cyclists travelling along the city quays, including better air quality and safer travel.
To discourage commuters from using the tunnel, vehicles other than HGVs are heavily tolled. HGVs travelling north and west benefit from the expected six-minute journey time through the tunnel. A tunnel was chosen as it was decided that a surface relief road was not feasible.
Dublin Bus routes 142, 33x and 41x use the tunnel to get to the port area of the city from the northern suburbs.
Longer distance buses from Belfast, Derry and Letterkenny use the route as an alternative to the heavily congested surface roads.
The tunnel was first suggested in the 1990s after a number of transportation and engineering studies and was included in the Dublin City Development Plan 1999 – 2005. The project was approved following a public inquiry in 1999.
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