Landowners along route of Shannon tunnel share €70m

Limerick and Clare landowners along the new route of a Shannon tunnel are sharing in a €70 million bonanza.

Work is continuing on the €810 million scheme, and the National Roads Authority (NRA) yesterday confirmed that €70 million has been spent on the compulsory purchase of land along the route.

The money has been paid to 49 landowners for an estimated 566 acres in an area that straddles Limerick and Clare on both sides of the Shannon.

One of the biggest landowners along the route is Irish Cement Ltd. The company operates a plant and quarry adjacent to the route, and had 43 acres compulsorily acquired by Limerick County Council.

A section of the Irish Cement Ltd landholding includes Bunlicky lake, where a causeway has been built as part of the scheme.

Limerick County Council has turned down a Freedom of Information request seeking details on the individual amounts paid out as part of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process.

Work has been continuing on the project for the past year, with a large proportion taking place in Clare where a 675-foot tunnel is being constructed in a dry basin.

The road is the first to be tolled in the west. It is being built through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and the State's spend on the scheme is €349 million.

The NRA has estimated that if it was to undertake the construction and operation of the road over the next 35 years, it would cost it €660 million.

The addition of €150 million spent on land acquisition, preliminary studies to identify the route, advance ground investigation, initial archaeological testing and resolution, and supervision of its construction brings the total cost to €810 million.