The parties involved in the construction of the Dublin Port Tunnel have described a report advocating an increase in the its height as "fundamentally wrong".
The Transport Umbrella Group (TUG) yesterday published an economic analysis saying failure to make the tunnel accessible to "supercube" trucks would result in average economies of €6 million per year being lost over the next 14 years.
Today the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Dublin City Council responded saying the TUG claim that savings of €51 million in accident costs would be made over the next 14 years was incorrect. They said in a statement today that savings of only €150,000 would accrue.
Supercubes are around 4.8 metres in height and account for two per cent of the throughput of lorries at Dublin Port. The new tunnel which is due for completion in 2005 will be 4.65 metres high and therefore will not accommodate supercubes, which will be instead be directed through Dublin city centre.
The council and the NRA said: "Were it to be true for the two per cent of vehicles that it has been calculated for, then by extension the other 98 per cent of trucks would contribute €2.5 billion-worth of accident savings which is an unbelievable figure never achieved by any scheme anywhere in the world."
The TUG claim of lost economies worth €76.37 million over the next fourteen years was therefore "overstated by 50 million", the council and the NRA said.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has commissioned a report by engineering consultants, Atkins, in to the TUG's claim. It is due to be finalised in the next two weeks.