West-Link

:"For other uses, see Westlink"The West-Link (irish place name|Droichead Nascbhóthair Thiar) is a toll bridge (actually two twin bridges) on the M50 motorway to the west of Dublin, Ireland, operated by BetEire Flow Limited (trading as eFlow) for the National Roads Authority.

Structure

The bridge crosses the River Liffey at a point known as the Strawberry Beds. On the motorway it starts at a point approxemetly 2km south of junction 6 (Blanchardstown) and runs to a point almost immediately north of junction 7 (Palmerstown). It is 385 metres long, and its highest elevation above the valley it traverses is 41.5 metres. It currently handles 98,000 vehicles per day. The bridge is the only Liffey crossing between Chapelizod and Lucan (both of which are narrow two-lane structures and thus it carries a large amount of traffic passing between the north and south Dublin suburbs.

Tolling system

Since 30 August 2008, tolling is by means of number plate recognition via overhead gantries. The toll is currently EUR 2 for vehicles with a pre-paid tag, EUR 2.50 for vehicles whose number plates have been registered with eFlow, and EUR 3 for unregistered vehicles. Unregistered vehicles who fail to pay at Payzone outlets receive escalating fines depending on how long the toll remains unpaid.

Prior to 29 August 2008, tolling was usually by cash payment at a toll plaza to the former operators NTR plc. A prepaid tag system, Eazy Pass, was also used since the early 2000s but was not barrier-free unlike the present arrangements.

The tolling remains a single point operation

History

The bridge was constructed as part of the first phase of the M50 motorway, and it and the section of motorway associated with it (junctions 6-7) were the first section of the M50 to open in 1990. Built by NTR plc (then called National Toll Roads plc) under a deal with Dublin County Council, the bridge was an early example of public private partnership (although that term was not used at the time) and was the first section of toll motorway to open in the State. In return for constructing and maintaining the bridge NTR received the right to operate it as a toll bridge for thirty years. Originally a single span structure, a second span was completed and opened in September 2003. In 2007, the National Roads Authority reached a deal with NTR to buy out the toll bridge effective 1 August 2008. However, for traffic management purposes, a toll remains, a situation prompting widespread and ongoing criticism. NTR continued to operate the bridge until 29 August 2008 when, at midnight eFlow took over. The toll plaza was at that point replaced by overhead gantry based electronic tolling.

See also

* East-Link (Dublin)
* Roads in Ireland

External links

* [http://www.ntr.ie/companies/roads/ntr-roads/default.asp Official Website of National Toll Roads]
* [http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/ProjectTracker/M50SecondWest-LinkBridge/ NRA website - West-Link widening details - Including specifics on tolls and other responsibilities under PPP agreement]
* [http://eflow.ie eFlow website - barrier free tolling operators on the M50]

References