If you've been in Dublin any time over the past couple of years, you'll have noticed roadworks and congestion. Especially if you were going from the M1 to the city centre. All over the head of the new Port Tunnel - which whisks you straight from the M1 to the entrance to the Docks. It's been open a couple of weeks so far, but only for HGVs (which are allowed through it for free), but tonight when we were coming down the M1, the signs said 'Port Tunnel Open' with no restrictions. So Robert and me went through the new Port Tunnel.
It is amazing!!! To be just under the streets and houses of Dublin and yet on a free-flowing road is just great - we only saw one other car in it the whole way through. And it's a dual carriageway, with one-way direction for each tunnel - so really there are two port tunnels. (I wonder was that intentional - did one team start at one end and another at the other, and they ended up not meeting, but in the process providing two tunnels?)
What a feat of engineering, though, for the structure to be built at all. There's a 50 km/h speed limit in it, but it was an a digital display, so I presume it can be altered. I just wouldn't want to get stuck inside it...
We had a great time in the new tunnel, although it was a bit of a diversion - great craic to see, but not really handy for our route to college, as we then had to go over the Eastlink toll bridge and round by Blackrock. Now and again though, it''l be a nice diversion!
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