M4 Kilcock-Kinnegad

Mailman

http://www.onbusiness.ie/2003/0324/nra.html

The National Roads Authority has signed the contract for a public private partnership project to build a 39km long motorway to by-pass Kinnegad and Enfield on the Dublin-Galway road.

The Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan said the project would cost €320m, with the government contributing a maximum of €170m. It will also spend an additional €100m to buy private land required for the road.

The Minister said that when the project is completed in three and half years time, car drivers could expect to pay a toll of about €2.30, and lorry drivers a toll of €5.70.

He said the road will cut half an hour off the journey time from Dublin to Galway, and will by-pass the towns of Kinnegad, Clondard, Moyvalley and Enfield.

The National Roads Authority says it estimated it would cost the government €500m in total to deliver a similar project using its own financing.

The road will be constructed by the Eurolink consortium, which is backed by Spanish engineering firm Cintra. The minister said he could not disclose the level of investment by Eurolink for commercial reasons.

The consortium will operate the road with a 30-year concession, recouping some of its construction and maintenace costs through the collection of tolls.

The N4/N6 Kilcock-Kinnegad scheme is one of eleven PPP projects identified by the NRA as part of its National Development Plan strategy.

In the next 12 months the NRA anticipates awarding PPP contracts on three other schemes: The M1 Dundalk Western by-pass, the Rathcormac/Fermoy by-pass, and the N25 Waterford by-pass.

Mailman

1) Half hour total journey time saving on 24 Miles of road seems optimistic - perhaps the don't intend to put any traffic cops on the new route.
2) For a difference of 230 Million Euro the government elected to go with PPP
3) 2.30 Euro one way which is 5.60 round trip.
4) 5.60 at todays prices will probably equate to 6.50 euro by the time the work is complete
5) By-passing the towns mentioned and upgrading the current road to Dual carraigeway was ignored - do we really need more roads? According to the road needs survey conducted some years ago we don't!
6) Long term the current roads will still have to be maintained in addition to the new motorway once it comes into public ownership
7) 30 years is a long, long time.

Victor

Originally posted by Mailman
3) 2.30 Euro one way which is 5.60 round trip.

Then just pay 2 single tolls instead of a return!

Mailman

Error noted.

dmeehan

i like the idea of penalties if the queues are too long
so instead of incurring a penalty, they are going to open the barriers if it gets too congested

maybe they should apply this logic to the M50?

Victor

Originally posted by dmeehan
maybe they should apply this logic to the M50?

I heard a guy from the NRA the other day (at a private meeting), the problem isn't so much with the number toll booths, but with the existing bridge (2 "narrow" lanes each way). The bridge can't deliver traffic at an adequate speed to the booths and when a tailback forms this very quickly overspills onto the N4 junction (the booths are probably too close to the junction). Adding the second bridge means traffic can safely travel faster acroos the bridge and more of any potential tailback will be at the bridge, not at the junction.

Mailman

Doesn't explain why there are tailbacks going southbound from Finglas to the toll plaza too.

Victor

Toll firm faces cash penalties if traffic builds up at booths
From:The Irish Independent
Tuesday, 25th March, 2003
Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/419491?view=Eircomnet

OPERATORS of the country's first ever public-private motorway costing €320m face cash penalties if more than six cars are lined up waiting to pay at toll booths.

The initiative built into the contract for the 39km Kilcock to Kinnegad motorway may see barriers being thrown open when traffic builds up, and should relieve the kind of gridlock experienced at booths on Dublin's Westlink Bridge. There will also be penalties for queues which take longer than 30 seconds to pass the barriers.

The contract for the road being built and operated by a private consortium was signed yesterday, with work starting in May and the road due to open in 2006. The project will cut 30 minutes off the journey time from Dublin to the West.

The consortium EuroLink - comprising SIAC Construction and Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructras de Transport SA, a leading Spanish multinational firm - will build and operate the toll road and keep the profits for a 30-year period.

They stand to make a fortune in toll revenues, although the amount was not publicly disclosed yesterday. However there is a cap on the profits that they can make, it was learned. If traffic goes beyond a certain level the revenue is then shared with the Exchequer.

The consortium will hand back the ownership of the road to the State after the 30-year period.

Under the public-private partnership deal announced yesterday by Transport Minister Seamus Brennan, the Government is putting in €170m and the private consortium is investing €150m.

The State cost includes up to €100m for land purchased along the route at an average cost of €40,000 per acre - far higher than its value under agricultural use. The biggest payouts made to date were to two landowners who each received €1.5m.

The highway will link the N4 to Sligo and the N6 to Galway with the M4 from Maynooth. It is part of the plan for full motorway/dual-carriageway between Dublin and Galway. The road will by-pass Enfield (already by-passed by the existing N4), Moyvalley, Clonard, and Kinnegad.

It will run almost parallel to the existing N4 which will continue to take traffic for motorists who wish to avoid the tolls of €2.30 for cars and €5.70 for trucks on the new road.

The operators may opt to throw open the toll barriers rather than incur the cash penalties for six motorist/30 second delays. The AA said while it was opposed to tolls on this road it welcomed the penalty rules to avoid delays, and suggested they should be applied to the Westlink Bridge on the M50.

Transport Minister Brennan yesterday said while he fully supported the Kilcock-Kinnegad project he was keeping the whole tolling issue under constant review.

Mr Brennan is demanding fully automated toll facilities on the new road, such as systems in Spain where drivers go through barriers and the toll is deducted from an account.

The NRA expects to award contracts for three other schemes, the M1 Dundalk Western by-pass, the N8 Rathcormac-Fermoy by-pass and the N25 Waterford by-pass.

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/04/27/story144837.html

Kildare road development under threat
27/04/2004 - 7:25:20 PM

Farmers and landowners have withdrawn co-operation with Kildare County Council over compulsory acquisition of property for the proposed Enfield to Edenderry Road.

They have criticised the lack of progress in reaching an agreement.

The group claim after 18 months of frustrated discussions, local farmers feel they are being "fobbed off" by Kildare County Council.

The withdrawal comes at a time when the council requires the full support of farmers to enter onto their lands to carry out intrusive site investigation works for the preliminary design of the road.

mcnickle

Just wondering where people will be charged at the toll plazas. From Kilcock can you get onto the M4 and go to Dublin without paying? Ditto back?

Victor

mcnickle wrote:

Just wondering where people will be charged at the toll plazas. From Kilcock can you get onto the M4 and go to Dublin without paying? Ditto back?

Kilcock-Dublin is free, but Kilcock - Galway means you have nowhere to get on free until Kinnegad (there are toll on the on-ramps at Enfield and the main plaza is between Kilcock and Enfield).

BrianD3

As Victor says. There will be two toll plazas on the M4. The main one is east of Enfield and before Kilcock. AFAIR the other one is on the westbound on-ramp at Enfield. Therefore:
Kinnegad to Enfield is free
Kilcock to Dublin and Dublin to Kilcock is free

cullenswood

BrianD3 wrote:

As Victor says. There will be two toll plazas on the M4. The main one is east of Enfield and before Kilcock. AFAIR the other one is on the westbound on-ramp at Enfield. Therefore:
Kinnegad to Enfield is free
Kilcock to Dublin and Dublin to Kilcock is free

There will also be a toll plaza on the east bound exit at Enfield, so this will mean that Kinnegad to Enfield is not free.

impr0v

One mainline toll plaza, between Kilcock and Enfield, and two at the Enfield interchange, one on the eastbound off-ramp (therefore as cullenswood and Victor said above, Kinnegad to Enfield isn't free) and one on the westbound on-ramp.