Brexit-related traffic management plans have been announced for Dublin Port and Dublin city.
These contingency plans will be in place from January 1st, 2021 to mitigate the impact that Brexit-related traffic congestion may have on Dublin Port and the potential knock-on impacts on Dublin city (particularly the Port Tunnel and motorway system).
These plans have been formulated by the Traffic Management Group, chaired by the Department of Transport, which includes representatives of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Dublin City Council (DCC), An Garda Siochána (AGS), Office of Public Works, Revenue Commissioners and Dublin Port Company (DPC).
The Traffic Management Group was established to develop and undertake the contingency responses necessary to deal with potential congestion at the port and surrounding areas.
The traffic management plan is based on a colour coded Traffic Light System: Status Green, Status Amber, Status Red and Status Blue with associated communication plans and mitigation actions which are built on cross-organisational cooperation and response.
There will be a hierarchy of interventions by relevant agencies based on the level of congestion impacting on Dublin Port, the Port Tunnel, city roads and M50/M1, this includes:
- Enhanced traffic spacing at the northern Dublin Port Tunnel entrance.
- A queue management system for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on M50 Northbound approach to M1/M50 Junction and on M1 southbound. (See figures 1 and 2 below).
- Additional HGV parking capacity at motorway service area’s on the M1 (both northbound & southbound).
- Off-line Emergency HGV Parking.
- Turn-around facility at Tunnel Slip to Dublin Port (Promenade Road) (see figure 3 attached).
- Assistance of An Garda Siochána and motorway service operators.
Traffic conditions in the Port and the adjacent roads including the Port Tunnel will be actively monitored and communicated via the DPC’s Ports Operation Centre, TII’s new combined Motorway and Tunnel control room and dedicated incident room, along with the DCC’s Traffic Control Centre.
This will ensure that the status in which the Port is operating is continually monitored and will provide the information necessary to trigger implementation of any phased traffic management response measures required.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “No matter what happens in the ongoing Brexit negotiations, there will be major changes in how we do business with the UK from January 1st.
“This traffic management plan, which is the result of close collaboration by many different agencies, is designed to deal with any congestion that may arise due to increased level of checks at Dublin Port and to minimise the impact on the Port tunnel, nearby motorways and the rest of the city.
“We know that Brexit is a challenge for our hauliers, and thank them for their cooperation in ensuring they have the correct documentation to enter the port and that they follow the alerts and signage provided.”
