Minister for the Environment opens Balbriggan bypass as angry local people protest at proposed dump.
Minister for the Environment and Local Government Noel Dempsey officially opens the £43 million Balbriggan bypass in north county Dublin months ahead of schedule.
The new motorway link on the M1 Dublin to Larne route is 13 kilometres in length and includes eight bridges and three interchanges. The bypass will save motorists up to 30 minutes at peak time.
The Minister is confident the completed motorway will bring major benefits to Balbriggan,
From an economic point of view it will be a huge boost to Balbriggan which is choked with traffic for so long.
Hundreds of angry local people use the occasion to demonstrate at plans by Fingal County Council to dump Dublin city commercial waste in a new landfill site in the Lusk area.
Sarah Harmon is protesting because the proposed site for the dump is right beside a school. Parents are worried their children will be brought up in a potentially hazardous environment.
John Shortt is hugely critical of the proposed landfill site. He thinks the Minister for the Environment and Fingal County Council should be championing new approaches to waste disposal.
We are not yet talking about recycling, waste minimisation nor are we even talking about the thermal type treatments to reduce landfill.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 9 October 1998. The reporter is Teresa Mannion.
