If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)

Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

[Article] No major cost overrun on Port tunnel - council

10-01-2006 11:29pm

#1

Victor

Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭

Join Date: December 2000

Posts: 68935

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/7148565?view=Eircomnet

No major cost overrun on Port tunnel - council
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 10th January, 2006

Dublin City Council today declared it had full confidence in the capital's troubled Port Tunnel and declared there was no serious cost overrun in the project.

After it emerged last week that half a litre of water per second was leaking into the underpass, city manager John Fitzgerald said there had been a lot of misinformation and an adverse publicity about the €752 million tunnel, due to open in April. Work began on the project in 2001.

"The leak looked worse than it is and made for great pictures, but the reality is that it is minor," he said, adding the problems was routine for such a large project.

Rigorous testing was being carried out by engineers on a regular basis and the leak did not raise "any undue safety or programme concerns", he added.

Mr Fitzgerald also disputed the size of the cost overrun on the project. He said the original €448 million being quoted by critics was the construction bid cost.

It didn't include other expenses such as land acquisition, construction supervision, project insurance, legal fees, utilities diversions and overhead properties guarantee scheme costs, he said.

"These total to €304 million, bringing the overall project budget to €752 million. The final cost will not be significantly more than this figure. In effect the Dublin Port Tunnel will come in close to the current budget cost."

The figure is around €200 million more than originally estimated, and Fine Gael transport spokesperson Olivia Mitchell claims the final cost will exceed €1 billion.

Mr Fitzgerald also said claims of structural damage to homes in the Marino/Fairview areas were not true. Each house above the tunnel boring machine was surveyed by the council before and after tunnelling.

"A total of 235 householders have notified the council of possible claims. The problems, though upsetting for the people concerned, were not serious in structural terms."

Our objective is to have these claims resolved as soon as possible through the existing processes. "It is likely that the total claims will be less than €1.5 million."

On the issue of height of the tunnel, Mr Fitzgerald said that if the council were to start designing and building the Dublin Port Tunnel again today, it would still build it to the same height.

"We could not justify recommending to Government that additional taxpayers' money be spent, solely to meet the need of a minority of users," he said.

Hauliers had complained that the tunnel would not accommodate "supercube" lorries that are higher than regular articulated lorries and favoured by many chain stores.

"The tunnel is in accordance with best EU standards. The clearance height is 4.9 metres height, with an operating height of 4.65 metres. More than 98 per cent of the HGVs currently using Dublin Port will be able to use the tunnel, as will double-decker buses," Mr Fitzgerald said.

0