Three years after Fingal County Council applied for approval, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, has finally sanctioned the Northern Motorway linking the M1, at its turn-off to Dublin Airport, with the Balbriggan bypass.
The order made yesterday by the Minister contains a number of design modifications to the controversial bridge spanning Broad meadow Estuary, west of Malahide, which he said would help to minimise environmental impact.
Since a 1995 public inquiry into this motorway scheme, the report of the inspector has been on the desk of Mr Dempsey and his predecessor, Mr Brendan Howlin.
One of the most sensitive aspects of the proposed motorway concerns the bridge over Broad meadow Estuary, where there are large numbers of swans and other birds. It is designated for special protection under two EU directives covering wild birds and habitats.
Mr Dempsey said he was satisfied that the ameliorative measures proposed by Fingal County Council, together with the stringent measures he had specified, would ensure that no significant environmental damage would be caused to the estuary.
As modified by the Minister, the bridge is to consist of two parallel five-span cantilever structures separated from each other by a gap of at least six metres. Its permanent support piers are also being limited in size to a total plan area of not more than 1,820 square metres.
Other than these piers, no support structure for the bridge is to touch the estuary water, marsh or mudflats. Permanent lighting is to be designed to minimise nighttime illumination of the estuary, and an ecologist is to be employed during the construction phase.
The motorway, costing about £98 million, forms part of the designated Euroroute between Larne and Rosslare. It also provides a by-pass of the existing Swords bypass, which could not be upgraded to a motorway because of the number of houses built along it.
Designed as a dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction, the 16km motorway requires a land "take" of 250 hectares (600 acres). Interchanges are being provided at Cloghran, to serve Dublin Airport, as well as at Lissenhall and Balbriggan.
