Consultant archaeologists acting for Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) yesterday began preliminary work in advance of archaeological excavations of 38 sites on the most controversial section of the proposed M3 motorway.
The road plan is opposed by groups which want it rerouted further away from the historic Hill of Tara.
The work being carried out by Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd involves topsoil assessment, sod removal and metal detecting but no "digs", according to Marie FitzGerald, acting project archaeologist for the NRA. "After further fieldwork is completed, a report will be compiled for submission to the Department of the Environment," she said.
Asked why work had started on the most contentious 15.5km section of the route between Dunshaughlin and Navan, which runs close to the Hill of Tara, Ms FitzGerald said ministerial directions had so far only been issued for that section.
She explained that decisions would be made after consultation with the department on whether to use mechanical diggers to remove the layer of topsoil, which is generally 80cm deep.
The director of the National Museum, Dr Pat Wallace, questioned the proposed use of 22-tonne mechanical excavators in stripping topsoil to expose archaeological features, saying the chances of retrieving objects in this way was "very limited indeed". Ms FitzGerald said Dr Wallace's recommendations - made in a letter on March 16th last - had been incorporated into the directions issued by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche on May 11th.
The Save Tara-Skryne Valley group, which wants the M3 routed further away from the Hill of Tara, believes Mr Wallace wrote a second, even more hard-hitting letter afterwards, to which it is seeking access under the Freedom of Information Act.