Keatley calls for halt to Halverstown services work, on 'flawed policy' grounds
The proposed online motorway service station on the M9 at Halverstown has been criticised as representing a 'flawed' policy of the National Roads Authority, writes Brian Byrne.
“This is money is being incurred as a result of NRA policy to construct online service stations, that are only accessible from the motorways," Cllr Keating said today. "If this service station was being constructed at a location that already had a bridge across the motorway such as Tinryland Co Carlow a large amount of these costs could be avoided."
Cllr Keatley cites the privately-built and very successful service station at Junction 14 on the M7 which also allows access to non-motorway traffic. "Alternative options such as these would open this project up to private investment without the need for such state funding."
The NRA has recently concluded a public consultation process on their policy in the area of service stations and Cllr Keatley believes they should await the outcome of that consultation before proceeding to spend state funds on further online service stations such as that proposed at Kilcullen.
Before that section of the M9 was opened, the matter was the subject of a strong representation from local businesses that an offline link be made at the point of the motorway bridge at Kilgowan. The representations failed to change the policy, even after Transport Minister Leo Varadker met a delegation from the business interests.
The cost of the project was revealed in an answer to a Parliamentary Question by Deputy Martin Heydon.
