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The full scale of the Brexit-related congestion at Dublin Port won’t be seen until next week, authorities said.
Transportation representatives have said that the effects of the changes in customs regulations will likely not be seen this weekend due to the new year, but at a briefing at the port today, a Department of Transportation official said the true level Arrears could be seen next week.
Eddie Burke said it was unlikely that there would be New Year’s Day scenes of trucks queuing to enter or leave Dublin Port and that any delays that occur due to new customs checks would only be seen as the weeks progress.
“We do not expect (there will be a build-up) on January 1, we expect Friday and the weekend to be relatively quiet. But we can expect there to be an increase in trade and heavy vehicles from the 4th or 5th. “.
However, Burke said any traffic congestion at the port, which handles 410,000 freight vehicles a year, will be resolved with a contingency plan that would see up to 900 trucks “stacked” at different points on the M1 and M50 highways.
In the worst case, or in the case of code blue, heavy vehicles will be blocked from entering the port tunnel and asked to wait at the north end of the tunnel or in places such as the blue parking lot at the airport of Dublin and the motorway service stations in Lusk.
However, the closures will put carriers at risk of losing ferries, which are unlikely to delay departures.
The priority of the plan is to ensure that the port tunnel remains open for non-cargo traffic and Mr. Burke said it will be communicated to drivers via signage along the highways because the situation at the port may “change quickly”.
“Traffic can build up at the port very, very quickly,” Burke said. “And that is why the communication part of this is so important. We will communicate through social media, websites and radio. The linchpin will be signage.”
“Dublin City Council will be able to control that centrally. As we move, we increase and those messages will go away. Drivers alighting from the north will see signs on the road telling them what to do.”
“The service stations will have screens showing the situation in the port for diverted drivers.”
Mr Burke said that communications of the situation can be made “immediately” from the Dublin city traffic control center.
In general, officials at the Treasury, An Garda Síochána and the Transport and Agriculture departments have warned people to be prepared for delays at the port due to the Brexit changes, which will take effect tomorrow at midnight.
Hazel Sheridan from the Department of Agriculture said it was not known how many companies import or export to the UK and this made it impossible to know how many were not ready for Brexit.
He said “many, many people” had contacted, but asked that any companies that are not Brexit ready contact them immediately.
“I think some people thought that the trade agreement would make some change that the controls would not be necessary, but these controls will apply from Friday, so get in touch.”
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