Vol. 572 No. 3
64 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Transport his plans in respect of the Red Cow roundabout; the timescale for this work; the implications for the commencement of the Tallaght Luas line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23406/03]
My Department has been assured by the Dublin Transportation Office and the Railway Procurement Agency that, under the current scheme, Luas, which has its own over-bridge and will travel on its own dedicated track, will have no negative implications for traffic on the Red Cow roundabout. Given the concerns which have been expressed about the potential for traffic congestion at the roundabout, my Department commissioned a technical report to analyse the feasibility of providing a separation between the Luas and local road infrastructure. The consultants indicated that the cost would be in the region of €20 million to €30 million. The RPA has recently communicated to the Department its views on the proposals put forward in the report and has estimated that a realistic cost of constructing a grade separated solution and the consequential costs arising from interruption of services would be at least €50 million, with a minimum timescale of 2.5 years.
The NRA today announced proposals which could achieve major improvements in the key traffic movements on the M50, including at the N7 Red Cow roundabout. The proposals would involve total expenditure of some hundreds of million euro. Subject to approval of the necessary environmental impact statement and motorway scheme by An Bord Pleanála, it should be possible to start construction of phase one of the M50 project in 2005. This would mean upgrading the N7 roundabout and the N4 interchange at Palmerstown, as well as construction of a third lane in the centre median for each carriageway between the two interchanges. The Department has been informed that other parties are also interested in providing these facilities on a public private partnership type basis. In finalising the design of the upgrade, the NRA will give further consideration to a number of issues, including the interface of the upgrade with Luas.
This morning we read of yet another plan for the Red Cow roundabout, the third in three weeks. Today's plan is for a €300 million flyover, last week's plan was for a €700 million spaghetti junction and the week before the Minister planned to put Luas on stilts. Today the Minister has mentioned a fourth plan for a PPP proposal. Will the Minister definitively outline his intentions in respect of the Red Cow roundabout? Is he still looking at the plans? Has he made a decision? He indicated earlier that he supported today's plan. Which plan will be chosen? It seems that the Minister and the various agencies involved are making this up as they go along. Will the Minister give a definitive answer today with regard to his intentions for the Red Cow roundabout? Which plan will be implemented, what is the cost and what is the time scale involved?
Within a couple of weeks I should be able to give a final decision on these matters. There are some options. First, however, it depends on whether one accepts that the Red Cow roundabout is a problem. If one does not accept it is a problem, that is fine.
Does the Minister accept it?
I do, and I have said it many times.
Irrespective of Luas?
Which question does the Deputy want me to tackle? I have said many times that I regard the Red Cow roundabout as a problem. It carries 90,000 cars per day, it is a major intersection of the M50 and the main Cork road and the Luas is on top of it. That is a problem and I am sorry if that offends some people. I am looking at solutions. I am not an engineer but a number of solutions have been put forward. One is to elevate the track on its existing alignment. We arranged to have that option studied independently. The outside consultants said it would cost between €20 million and €30 million while the RPA, after looking at that study, said it would cost twice as much. Engineers differ—
The RPA is good at doubling figures.
—on these matters but I have to draw conclusions. The NRA takes a medium-term view. It tells me that the roundabout needs a substantial upgrade. The €300 million figure quoted in the newspaper is not for the roundabout but relates to the complete upgrade of the M50 and the provision of additional lanes.
One solution is to take the upgrade of the roundabout out of the broader M50 upgrade, bring it forward by a couple of years and, in conjunction with that, remove the tracks from the roadway through the roundabout, which is an engineering matter. That is another option as we go forward. I will study what I have received from the NRA. Like the Deputy, I saw the NRA announcement this morning in the newspapers, but have not received it officially. Apparently, it arose from a board meeting of the NRA yesterday in Limerick. When I receive the NRA's formal report, I will study the plan and make a quick decision.
If the Deputy accepts that this matter needs to be sorted, there are two solutions. One is to authorise the elevation of the track and the other is to bring forward the general upgrade of the roundabout and incorporate the solution into that upgrade. I have no figure from the NRA for the upgrade but I estimate that it would cost up to €100 million.
Does the Minister accept that grade separation at that roundabout is essential? The problem is that a roundabout was used for that junction because of penny-pinching by one of the Minister's predecessors.
What is the Deputy's view?
I accept it. Does the Minister accept it?
I do.
It is extraordinary—
That is two of us. If the Deputy gets her colleague on board, we will be in business.
A meeting of minds.
It is extraordinary that the Minister has admitted that the first he heard of the NRA's plans was this morning in the newspapers.
I did not say that. The Deputy should read the record.
That is what I understood the Minister to say.
I said I heard of its decision last night. The first I heard of that decision was this morning.
Will the Minister confirm that he will make a final decision on what will happen to traffic at the Red Cow roundabout within the next two weeks? That is what I understood him to say. Will he also give an assurance that irrespective of what decision is made, the Tallaght Luas line will commence operations next summer as promised?
The Deputy is trying to have it both ways and in Opposition that is possible. She is asking me to separate them but without a delay occurring. That is not possible.
Make the decision without delay.
No, the second part was about—
When will the Minister make the decision?
We have exceeded the time on this question.
The Deputy's second question asked me to ensure there will be no delay in the opening of the Tallaght line. If we separate the track, as the Deputy and I favour, it will not open on time.
Separate the roads.
If we attempt to separate the train track from the road on that roundabout, the Luas will not open on time.
I am talking about separating the roads, the grade separation of the two roads that intersect at that junction.
I call Question No. 65. We have to move on.
That is what grade separation involves.
I will make a decision on this matter in a couple of weeks. However, if work is done on the roundabout, it will delay the Luas. There is no way around that.
That is not what the NRA says. It says it does not have implications for the operation of that line.
The Chair has called Question No. 65.
That is because the NRA is not necessarily the agency to do it.
We are no wiser.
I wish I had hours to explain this to the Deputy but I do not.
