Exchequer got almost €100m from toll roads last year

THE EXCHEQUER received almost €100 million in revenues from the five tolled roads in the State last year, according to figures released by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

They show the M50 generated revenues of just over €81 million. According to the NRA, average daily traffic volumes rose 5 per cent to 87,233 between September and December, following the introduction of barrier-free tolling last August.

Approximately €25 million of this was required to cover the initial operating costs of barrier free tolling (€10 million of which was a once-off cost) and €50 million was allocated to meet the purchase costs of the M50.

The State paid NTR €488 million to buy out the West-Link toll bridge contract, a cost which will be met over 12 years. The M50 will remain a tolled route after 2020 when this fee is paid off.

The other State-owned tolled route, the Dublin Port Tunnel, contributed revenues of €13.5 million.

According to the NRA, 8,500 of the 16,000 vehicles using the tunnel on weekdays were HGVs and just 2,250 of the 9,000 vehicles accessing the route at weekends were, meaning more cars now use the tunnel than lorries.

Discussions concerning the final cost of the tunnel are ongoing with estimates suggesting it will be close to €750 million.

Of the three other tolled roads, the M1 contributed the next largest amount with €1.3 million.

This sum is payable to the State under a shared revenue agreement based on a minimum number of vehicles using the route annually. A similar arrangement applies to all privately operated toll roads, although the rates differ.

The bypass was a public private partnership (PPP) built and operated by the Celtic Roads Group at an estimated cost of €200 million. The company has a 30-year toll concession with average daily traffic of 33,146 vehicles.

If annual traffic volumes are extrapolated from this, and using an average car toll fee, this suggests revenues of approximately €23 million a year for the operator.

The M4 Kilcock to Kinnegad bypass was built by Eurolink, which includes Siac and Cintra Concesiones, in return for a 30-year toll concession.

The State received €500,000 last year as part of the shared revenue agreement. Average daily traffic volumes were 22,555, suggesting annual revenue of approximately €24 million.

The final tolled route – the Rathcormac to Fermoy bypass on the M8 – had insufficient traffic volumes last year for any revenues to be due to the State.

This route cost €220 million and was built by Direct Route consortium, and it has a 30-year concession.

An NRA spokesman said the PPP programmes for the tolled routes contributed €2 billion to the road budget. “Without those funds these roads would not have been built,” he said.

Toll rate increases are linked to the consumer price index.

Conor Faughnan, spokesman for AA Ireland, said the State’s share of revenue from toll schemes was “pitiful” and said individual motorists were being asked to pay many times over for the same road.