Traffic blamed for partial collapse of Slane bridge

The Irish Times - 15 February 2011

CONSTANT HEAVY traffic on Slane bridge appears to have been why it partially collapsed last month, an oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála into a proposed bypass of Slane village heard yesterday.  At the time, Meath County Council said the collapse of a stone wall on the western facade of the bridge was due to icy weather.  However, yesterday Seamus Mac Gearailt of Roughan O’Donovan engineers, which oversaw the selection of the bypass route on behalf of the council, said “it appears to have been due to heavy traffic loading over years”.

The council is seeking permission from the planning board to build a 3.5km dual-carriageway at a cost of €46 million to the east of the village. The route will take it some 500m from the buffer zone to Brú na Bóinne, a Unesco world heritage site that includes Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth.  Mr Mac Gearailt also told the hearing, chaired by planning inspector Michael Walsh, that it was not just Slane bridge that posed risks to traffic but all of the road layout through the village.  The N2 has steep hills on both approaches to Slane bridge and it also intersects with the main Drogheda to Navan road in the middle of the village.

Mr Mac Gearailt said Slane had the “longest and most severe descent on any national primary route”.  As a result, “vehicles have considerable difficulty in braking safely – overheating can lead to brake failure at a critical point”, he told the hearing.  Between 1996 and last year there were 40 incidents in Slane, of which 35 per cent involved trucks. The steep gradient is the key factor, the hearing heard.

At the moment, some 17,700 vehicles pass through the village each day; after the bypass, the number of vehicles will drop by a third. The number crossing Slane bridge daily will reduce by 7,700.  Mr Walsh said it was not proposed to build a bypass to the west of Slane, although it had been desirable to “tease out” what a route to the west would look like and this took place last year.  At the start of the hearing it was put to Mr Walsh that the environmental impact statement submitted by the council could be deficient and inadequate. Mr Walsh said the board “has not decided yet whether it is adequate or not. I haven’t either”.

He was speaking after Colm Mac hEochaidh SC, for former attorney general John Rogers, who lives in the area, said the recommendation by the board to the council to retain an expert on the impact of the scheme on Brú na Bóinne, including Newgrange, implied that the environmental impact statement submitted needed “a fix”.  He said it appeared the statement could be deficient “in that it does not address the impact on the world heritage site”, and if that were the situation then An Bord Pleanála had no jurisdiction to hold the oral hearing.  He put it to Mr Walsh that the first thing the board must do is decide on whether it had a lawful environmental impact statement.

The hearing also heard that the flight paths of bats in the Boyne valley were taken into consideration in selecting the height of the bridge that would carry the road across the Boyne.  It was decided that a three-span, steel-concrete composite 200m bridge that was 21m above the valley floor would be the preferred design.  Mr Mac Gearailt said the bridge design “respects its surroundings” and “we recognise it is an intrusion but leaves no stone unturned in trying to blend into its environment”.

Save Newgrange and TaraWatch, in co-operation with Matt Schwoebel of the 2048 Project at University of California, Berkeley, are launching an online petition drive on Friday, 21st August, to mark the beginning of Heritage Week in Ireland. We are asking people to complete the Irish Heritage Rights Survey, which will be sent to the Human Rights Committee in the United Nations, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. If you are concerned that Irish heritage is not getting adequately protected, particularly when it comes to majorly important sites like Bru na Boinne and the Hill of Tara, then please fill out the survey and pass it on to your friends and contacts. Thank you.

The Irish Times - Monday, June 14, 2010

AN BORD Pleanála has asked Meath County Council to supply detailed additional information on the proposed N2 Slane bypass – including whether any alternative route west of the village had been examined.  The current proposal, which includes a new bridge over the river Boyne, runs to the east of Slane and has proved controversial because this would bring it close to the Brú na Bóinne archaeological complex – a designated Unesco World Heritage Site.

The council, which is acting as agent for the National Roads Authority, has now been asked to furnish 12 points of additional information to “clarify” its environmental impact statement (EIS), to assist the appeals board in adjudicating on the scheme. Seeking details of any alternative route, the board said: “If such a route has not been examined, a desktop study and drawings are required of a potential route to the west of Slane to the same level of detail as the routes examined [but not chosen].”

Referring to a statement in the EIS that the route selection for the Slane bypass “has been influenced by its potential for future inclusion in a longer [dual-carriageway] route between Ashbourne and Ardee, the board wants more information on this plan.  “The non-technical summary of the EIS should be expanded to include an illustration of the proposed bridge, a map showing alternative routes considered for the road and a map/aerial photograph showing the route in relation to the world heritage site”. It is also seeking details – “with drawings as appropriate” – of alternative designs examined for the proposed bridge over the Boyne, which has been criticised by objectors as unnecessarily intrusive in the context of the landscape of Brú na Bóinne.

The board’s request said it considered that the photomontages in the EIS are “not of sufficient scale” to enable it to “fully assess the landscape and visual impacts of the proposed development”, and more high-quality photomontages are required. These should include views from the Hill of Slane looking east, the Knowth prehistoric site at both ground level and from the top of this monument, and existing and proposed views from the river valley 300 metres east of the planned Boyne bridge. The board also wants A3-size photomontages of views of the bridge from Knowth, the Hill of Slane, the Battle of the Boyne crossing point at Rosnaree, poet Francis Ledwidge’s cottage, and a typical point within the world heritage site buffer zone.  It has also asked the council to provide a report of “all geophysical and archaeological investigations carried out for the purpose of route selection and impact identification” to clarify the extent of land subject to surveying, field walking and excavation.  The council has been given a deadline of next Monday to respond.

Board seeks more technical information on Slane bypass

Meath Chronicle: Wednesday, 26th May, 2010 4:56pm

A request by Bord Pleanala for further information on the Slane bypass has been welcomed by local councillor, Wayne Harding, who said it would help clear up a number of issues.  Stressing the need to proceed with the project as quickly as possible, Cllr Harding pointed out that the board has sought further information on proposed routes to the west of the village. The route which is currently the subject of a planning application runs east of the village.

“The board sought more technical information on routes to the west. I have no problem with that as it will show that the route to the west is not viable,” he said. “I want to see as much information as possible forwarded to Bord Pleanala. The more information sought and the more elaborate the plan, the better the scheme will be and it will be better for Slane,” Cllr Harding added.  Cllr Harding said it was very important that the scheme proceeds as quickly as possible because of the dangers facing the people of Slane and those travelling through the village very day. Meanwhile, Bord Pleanala has confirmed that there will be an oral hearing on the N2 Slane bypass in the coming months, but a date has yet to be fixed.

The Save Newgrange Campaign had made written objections to the scheme, and filed an EU complaint about the development. Save Newgrange is also calling on the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, to immediately present the National Monuments Bill to the Oireachtas for passage, in order to protect the Bru na Boinne UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The group is also calling on the minister to make his position on the bypass known before planning permission is granted. Minister Gormley announced that the Bill was approved by the Government last month but it has not gone before the Oireachtas.

Save Newgrange spokesman, Vincent Salafia, said: “The minister must immediately present the Bill for passage, or it is likely that Bord Pleanala will approve the N2 route, leading to long delays due to protest and legal action.  “The Bill is already years overdue, and it must be passed before the Dail breaks for summer, or Bru na Boinne will be under threat. The minister must also take a position on the N2 route now, so as to inform An Bord Pleanala in their decision-making. We don’t want a repeat of Tara,” he added.

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The Irish Independent – Thursday February 18 2010

The Save Newgrange campaign submitted a document to An Bord Pleanala yesterday outlining opposition to the route of the proposed N2 Slane bypass.  The submission was handed in by model and spokeswoman for the campaign Constance Buccafurri, dressed as Celtic goddess Eriu.  The proposed route of the motorway is 500 metres from the World Heritage site. The group is asking for a 90-day extension for public consultation. It has also submitted a complaint to the EC.  Eriu was one of the Tuatha de Danann, who were believed to dwell in the megalithic tomb of Newgrange. In this picture, by Niall Carson, Ms Buccafurri is holding a replica of the Book of Kells, which contained the submission.

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Photo by Niall Carson, Press Association

Ex-attorney general among objectors to Slane bypass near prehistoric sites

The Irish Times – Wednesday, February 17, 2010
FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

FORMER ATTORNEY general John Rogers SC, who lives in the Boyne valley, will be among the objectors to plans by Meath County Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) to build a bypass of Slane 500 metres from the Brú na Bóinne archaeological complex. Today is the last day for making submissions to An Bord Pleanála, which will adjudicate on the scheme under the 2006 Strategic Infrastructure Act. Depending on the number of objections, the board may decide to hold an oral hearing.

The proposed route, running east of Slane, is being opposed by the newly formed Save Newgrange campaign, led by Vincent Salafia, who was prominent in the protracted struggle against the M3 motorway because of its proximity to the Hill of Tara. Yesterday, Mr Salafia called on An Bord Pleanála to extend the deadline, arguing that the public notice was inadequate, that more time was needed by the public and that access to information on the project had been “unreasonably curtailed”.  He said Save Newgrange had lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission, alleging the public consultation process was “flawed” and calling on the commission to intervene so the deadline could be extended for 90 days.

The planned new section of the N2 is 3.5km long and would cross the river Boyne on a new bridge at a location 1.1km to the east of the existing Slane Bridge, which has been the scene of several traffic incidents involving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The frequency and severity of these incidents have been reduced since 2002, when the county council introduced extra traffic signals and an overhead gantry on the steeper southbound approach to the bridge, to control HGVs. It is estimated that some 1,600 HGVs pass through the centre of Slane village every day.

The volume of such traffic on the N2 led local residents to campaign for a ban on HGVs in Slane, and this was adopted by the county council in April 2009. The resolution was not implemented because of fears that it “could have serious consequences for Meath County Council in terms of possible legal exposure, delivery delays and business frustration”, according to director of services Eugene Cummins. The environmental impact statement (EIS) on the bypass proposal says it would remove through-traffic from the existing N2 through Slane, improving the village’s environment as well as giving an “improved level of service” on the route.

However, it concedes that the new stretch of the N2 route would be “just over 500 metres from the Unesco World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne, comprising the three main prehistoric sites [of] Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth”, on the north bank of the Boyne. “The assessment identified 44 archaeological and cultural heritage constraints within 500m of the route. Of these, five will be impacted directly, two will be impacted indirectly and 34 will have no predicted impact,” according to the EIS. For the 10 sites that would be affected, the potential impact is rated as “potentially significant” for three, “moderate” for two, “slight” for another two and “no predicted impact” for one.  The remaining two are “areas of undetermined archaeological potential”.

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RECENT NEWS

10-03-2010 Neolithic discoveries likely on Slane route – Meath Chronicle, Letter to the Editor

09-03-2010 Neolithic remains delay bypass – The Irish Times

03-03-2010 Moate’s Heritage Warrior – Westmeath Independent

18-02-2010 There is a way around planned Slane bypass – Irish Times, Opinion by Frank McDonald

17-02-2010 ‘Outside’ views should have been heeded – Meath Chronicle, Letter to the Editor

10-02-2010 2009 pile-up proves Slane dangers still exist, say locals, Meath Chronicle

10-02-2010 HGV ban would resolve Slane problem – Meath Chronicle, Letter to the Editor

03-02-2010 Save Newgrange ‘campaign of misinformation’ on Slane bypass condemned- Meath Chronicle

03-02-2010 Slane should ignore outside interference – Meath Chronicle, Letter to the Editor

01-02-2010 Slane bypass groups clash over Brú na Bóinne – Irish Times

01-02-2010 Controversy over Slane bypass – Irish Times, Letter to the Editor

29-01-2010 Controversy over Slane bypass – Irish Times, Letter to the Editor

27-01-2010 Think before you decide on Slane – Drogheda Independent, Letter to the Editor

27-01-2010 Minister urged to fast track new bill – Drogheda Independent

27-01-2010 Road 500m from buffer zone –not Newgrange – Drogheda Independent

27-01-2010 Bypass plans finally revealed – Drogheda Independent

27-01-2010 Bypass ‘a matter of life and death’, Slane group tells protesters, Meath Chronicle

27-01-2010 Slane bypass about saving lives, Meath Chronicle, Letter to the Editor

26-01-2010 Controversy over Slane bypass proposal, Irish Times, Letter to the Editor

22-01-2010  Fears over M-way near ancient site – Irish Independent

22-01-2010  Slane bypass to run close to Boyne heritage sites – Irish Times

22-01-2010  Bypass will run 500 metres from Newgrange complex -Irish Independent

21-01-2010  Slane bypass would run close to Newgrange – RTE News (Video)

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