State set for E600 million bill

National Toll Road’s (NTR) proposal to sell their interest in the M50 toll could cost the tax payer in the region of E600 million, according to the National Roads Authority (NRA).

At a meeting of the Dail Public Accounts Committee yesterday, NRA officials pointed out that delays at the pay plaza means that the NTR are not meeting their target and have stressed that they may be forced to sell the toll to the State.
NTR Chairman John Barry has strongly denied that the tolls are the reason behind the long traffic jams going and coming from the city and he revealed that a state buy-out would cost in the region of E600 million.

The situation on the toll is expected to get worse when an extra 2,500 heavy goods vehicles take to the road when the Port Tunnel opens later this year and Barry admitted that there was no contingency plan in place to manage the extra traffic.