Dublin Port Tunnel
The Cache
The cache is located in a green area situated above the Port tunnel overlooking the south end of the tunnel.
Please note the following: On the map the cache appears to be in the tunnel so just to be clear,
the cache IS NOT located in the tunnel. The cache IS NOT accessible from the tunnel so there is no need to pay the toll to get to this cache. Also if travelling by car the cache IS NOT accessible from the Alfie Byrne road or East Point Business Park as there is no were to park your car there. To access this cache it is recomended you park your car in the public car park on Clontarf Rd. Waypoint provided. It is a pay and display car park Mon - Fri from 8am to 6pm and free on weekends. Alternatively, Clontarf DART station is a short walk from the cache site.
The cache difficulty is 5 (though some eagle eyed cachers may find it easier :) ). It contains log only so don't forget to bring a pen. Feel free to post photos from your trip to the cache but PLEASE, NO SPOILERS!
Dublin Port Tunnel
After 10 years of planning, construction of the Dublin Port Tunnel commenced in June 2001. It opened to HGV traffic on Dec 20th 2006 and to all traffic on 28th Jan 2007. It cost approx. €752 million.
It's a twin bore tunnel 4.5km long with a height clearance of 4.65m. It's part of the M50 motorway and completes the northern part of the C-Ring around Dublin city. The tunnel links Dublin Port to the national road network .
Interesting Facts
- Dublin Port Tunnel is the largest ever civil engineering project in Ireland; only the electrification dam on the River Shannon at Ardnacrusha in the 1920s comes near.
- The project employed 5000 people over the course of its construction
- It is the longest road tunnel in an urban area in Europe.
- 2 million tonnes of rock and clay were moved over the course of the project
- Much of the Tunnel is between 21 and 23 metres (7 storeys deep) below ground level, through hard limestone. There is approximately 10 metres of rock and 12 metres of boulder clay above the Tunnel.
- Grainne, the hard rock tunnel boring machine, weighed 1800t, was 156m long, used 3.2Mw of electricity and cost approximately €27 million. It required 45 tunnellers per shift to operate
- Megan, the boulder clay boring machine, weighed 1100 tonnes was 60m long, used 400kw of electricity and cost €10million. It required 18 tunnellers to operate it on a shift basis.
- Both tunnel boring machines were dismantled when they completed the first tube and reassembled in the return position - an operation that took three months for each machine.
- The same operation took place when they finished in 2004 before being moved off site.
- The tunnel boring machines were guided by lasers with an allowed variation of + or – 6mm.
- Fairview Park contained an excavation the size of a cathedral during the construction of the cut-and-cover phase, which was reinstated and reverted to parkland.
- Alfie Byrne Road was raised by between 1.5 and 2 metres also providing a new entrance to East Point Business Park.
- The project built 4,500 meters of boundary walls, all of which was either stone clad or fitted with acoustic panels.
Aerial views during construction work
- The Project planted 40,000 trees and shrubs
The tunnel is a toll road. The tolls apply to cars, taxis, motorcycles and car vans/light commercial vehicles of 3.5 tonnes and under. The toll costs between €3 and €10 depending on time of travel, however
certain vehicles can use it for free: All commercial vehicles above 3.5 tonnes design Gross Vehicle Weight and Buses with more than 25 seats.
- Did you think the tunnel was out of bounds all the time for pedestrians?Well Dublin Port Tunnel Run was held for the first time on 10th Dec 2006 when people got the opportunity to run through the tunnel before it officially opened and the tunnel was closed to traffic to facilitate the run again this year on 12th August 2012
info. sourced from dublinport.ie
Feel free to post photos from your trip to the cache but PLEASE, NO SPOILERS! : )