Press Release. Save Tara Campaign,
8th. October 2008, 08:00 hrs.

M3 could cost the country more than €2 billion

Save Tara campaigners have sent a pre-budget submission to the Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, asking that he re-evaluate the need for the M3 through the Gabhra Valley at Tara and opt for one of the options put forward over the last eight years by various campaigners, particularly the Meath Master Plan.

They drew attention to climate change and the fines that are being imposed on Ireland due to excessive carbon emissions and the increasing cost of the motorway that was recently estimated to cost nearly €1 billion. Losses in tourism earnings could bring the overall cost of the road to more than €2 billion as Ireland can no longer present a "green" image abroad.

Other factors that militate against the viability of the M3 include the very high toll charges, a huge rise in unemployment in commuter counties, including Meath, and the resulting fall in the driving population in the country. This would mean that the estimated use of the motorway, predicted to be 74,000 by 2024 by the NRA, are highly unlikely to materialise.

The planned rail link at Dunboyne will include a park and ride charge at the station. The commuter will have paid at least one toll at this point and is highly unlikely to pay for parking and a railway ticket as well. The high cost of getting to work will deter people from living in Meath in comparison with Kildare and Wicklow where there is a train service and no tolls to go to work.

There is evidence that there are no plans to build an underpass at the intersection of the proposed rail line and the M3 at Cannistown near Navan as promised by the NRA. This means that the railway to Navan and Kells will probably never be built. To run the line over the motorway would be massively expensive with a 26-foot embankment required to run for kilometres on either side of the M3 to allow the railway pass above the motorway.

One of the most radical and far-seeing alternatives is the Meath Master Plan This integrated, sustainable plan had been presented to the relevant Ministers 12 months ago and components of it have been proposed as far back as 2005.

It calls for modifications to the current project that would remove tolls, using the "footprint" of the present M3, cancelling the M3 contract, continuing with the present bypasses of the towns and upgrading the section of the N3 to a 2 plus 1 scheme through the Gabhra Valley and promoting a heritage park in the Tara region. This would facilitate the early building of the Navan rail link, promote the use of coaches and protect the Gabhra Valley. It calls for the creation of a UNESCO World Heritage Park in the Tara Landscape, using land acquired under CPO within the Gabhra Valley as its nucleus. This would allow for reconstruction of national monuments such as that at Lismullin for educational and tourism purposes.

The plan would substantially reduce CO2 emissions, costly congestion and oil consumption leading to estimated benefits from the plan amounting to €114 million per annum. Meath residents could save up to €2,600 per annum in tolls, plus additional amounts in fuel costs and other charges.

ENDS

For verification:
Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin
Tel: 087-9249510
E-Mail: info@savetara.com
Web site: http://www.savetara.com

Related:
Meath Master Plan.
Recent Photos of construction work in Gabhra Valley.