Now that Ireland is in recession, and the National Development Plan, which funds the M3 motorway, is going to be slashed, TaraWatch is seeking proposals and analysis for alternatives to the current plan to complete four motorways, through County Meath, including the M3 motorway through the Hill of Tara.Over the years, a number of proposals have been put forward by local residents and campaigners, including:
PRESS RELEASE -TARAWATCH.org -12 September 2008
‘M3 Misinformation Designed to Improperly Influence Budgetary Spending on Roads’
TaraWatch refutes claims made in The Irish Times and the The Evening Herald today about the M3 motorway, that the M3 motorway is far ahead of schedule, and accuses the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, of wasting more taxpayers’s money on Transport 21 propaganda. The Irish Times quoted a “well-placed source close to the project”, who said it was going “exceptionally well”. The un-named source “estimated that building works are at least 10 months ahead of schedule.” and would “open to traffic in advance of the official completion date of June 2010.” The claim is false, as the M3 is actually behind schedule, after delays due to the discovery of new archaeological sites, financial difficulties with contractors and court challenges. The estimated date of opening, found on the SIAC-Ferrovial contractors’ web site is 2011. It states: “M3 Motorway between Clonee and Kells: Contract is due to commence in the Spring 2007 and the contract duration will be approximately 4 years.”
Meath Chronicle – ‘No delay’ to M3 despite difficulties
Evening Herald -’Motorway a year ahead of schedule despite Tara row’
Controversial M3 motorway through Tara may open early
The Irish Times – Friday, September 12, 2008
ELAINE KEOGH
THE CONTROVERSIAL M3 motorway is understood to be nearly a year ahead of schedule and it is hoped it may open to traffic in advance of the official completion date of June 2010. The progress on the project has been welcomed by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who is a TD for Co Meath. However environmental group TaraWatch has repeated its call for the scheme to be cancelled and a heritage trail to be created, which, it said, would bring more benefit to the county. The motorway passes through the rich archaeological landscape of the Tara-Skryne valley. Last year a national monument was discovered in the middle of one of the lanes of the motorway itself.
How the Government’s ‘superfluous’ Tara Valley motorway plans are just ‘pork barrel spending’
METRO EIREANN – Written by Gearóid Ó Colmáin – Thursday, 11 September 2008
WITH OIL PRICES continuing to rise, our economy keeling over and the obvious effects of global climate change manifesting in this increasingly rain-swept island of ours, this might be a good time to reflect for Dáil Éireann. One cannot deny the necessity of new motorways connecting key nodal points on this island, but certain projects defy rationality. The most notorious of these is the controversial M3, set to dissect the Tara Valley. Apart from the irrevocable damage such a road would cause to the valley’s archaeological heritage – much of which has yet to be excavated and studied – the motorway is itself superfluous, and it is unlikely to ease congestion for motorists connecting to the M50.
[Image by Nial Carson, Press Association]
Tara Group Smoke Out Greens
The Irish Sun – Tuesday, September 9, 2008
DEMONSTRATORS Siobhan Rice, Vincent Salafia and Colm MacNiallais, of the Save Tara Campaign don fat cat suits and smoke cigars to protest at Green Party headquarters in Dublin yesterday. They say the land for road construction at Tara highlights the Greens ‘sell-out’ since entering government with Fianna Fail. The fuming trio also slammed the party’s failure to deliver on their pre-election promises. A recent carbon tax call by the Greens as well as their support for budget cuts in spending on public transport, such as the Metro and the Western rail link were raised by protestors.
M3 motorway partners see 12pc drop in share price
Irish Independent – Tuesday September 02 2008
THE Spanish construction giant Ferrovial Group , a partner in the construction of the controversial M3 motorway, saw its shares fall 12pc yesterday , after it reported a 25pc drop in earnings for the first half of 2008. While the group’s cash flow remained healthy at more than €1bn over the period, it said earnings before interest and tax fell 25pc to €691m.