DUBLIN MOTORISTS ARE set to be hit with major delays next month when the next round of Luas works begin.
An extension to the operating hours of the bus gate situated in the College Green area of the city could see major delays for private cars.
The bus gate currently is in operation from 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm Monday to Friday.
New plans discussed today in a monthly meeting of the main parties involved in the project would see the window of time that private cars are prevented from using the bus gate increased to between 7am and 7pm.
It is thought that these new restrictions could come into place by 10 August and are expected to run until November.
Plans are in place to start laying track for the Luas Cross City line around College Green on 20 July. This will then continue along Westmoreland Street and onto O’Connell Street.
It is hoped that traffic restrictions will be eased in time for Christmas.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie this evening a spokesperson for the Luas Cross City project said that the restrictions on cars passing through the bus gate are intended to keep the route as clear as possible for Dublin Bus – which runs around half of its routes through the junction.
“There is going to be disruption, because you can’t lay two sets of tracks through the heart of the city and not have that.”
“We need to make sure that the city keeps thriving and keeps living. We are trying to strike that balance,” the spokesperson said.
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