Purpose
Traffic congestion in central Dublin became severe at the turn of the century, with thousands of heavy goods vehicles travelling to and from Dublin port via the city centre. The tunnel relieves surface road congestion in Dublin city centre by diverting heavy goods vehicles (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.
The Dublin Bus Routes 142, 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 occasionally use the route as an alternative to the heavily congested surface roads.
Read more about this topic: Dublin Port Tunnel
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