Limerick Tunnel, Ireland’s third underwater motorway, was opened earlier this week by Taoiseach Brian Cowen, two months ahead of schedule. The official opening will be later in the year.
The 9.75km tunnel and associated dual carriageway connects the M7 Dublin to Limerick route with the N18/M18 Galway to Limerick road and completes the southern bypass of Limerick city.
It was developed under a public private partnership between the State and Direct Route with land and construction costs amounting to EUR 605M (USD 783.4M).
About EUR 200M is to be spent on maintenance over the life of the partnership before the tunnel reverts to the State in 2041. The 35-year was signed in August 2006 and became immediately active.
The tunnel becomes the third underwater motorway after the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork, which goes under the Lee, and the Dublin Port Tunnel, which goes under the river Tolka and part of Dublin Bay.
