The Roxboro shopping centre, the Galvone industrial estate and the city's new Quality Hotel could all suffer a falloff in trade if proposed changes to exit routes off the southern ring road are introduced, a city councillor has warned. A plan to prohibit motorists' access to Childers Road from the ring road at the former Krups exit will lengthen journey times and force some drivers to negotiate the city centre before they can access the Southill area.

"This would have a severe negative impact on businesses in the area including the new Quality Hotel, one of whose principle selling points is the ease of access from the ring road. That access would be gone under these proposals, " warns Fine Gael councillor Diarmuid Scully.

"The hotel is in a fantastic location . . . currently. However, when the new traffic plan is introduced anyone travelling to the hotel from Shannon airport will have to drive through heavy city centre traffic adding up to an hour to their journey time.

"It will have a major detrimental effect on the Roxboro Shopping Centre too. And the Galvone Industrial Estate will be similarly affected, " he says.

"Because access is easy at the moment, large numbers of people from rural areas drive in to do their shopping at the centre.

"That easy access will now be lost. These changes will be happening after a lot of effort has gone into trying to revitalise the industrial estate following years of decline."

The changes to the trafficflow system are due to come into effect when the construction of the tunnel is complete sometime within the next three years. That project also involves the construction of approximately 10km of new dual carriageway, along with associated link roads and side roads.

The tunnel scheme will incorporate a fourth crossing of the Shannon in the environs of Limerick city. This crossing will involve an immersed tube tunnel, linking the townland of Coonagh, on the northern bank, with the townland of Bunlicky on the southern bank of the river. In this aspect, it will be similar to the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork where immersed tube technology was used for the first time in Ireland. The scheme also involves the construction of a new dual carriageway and four grade-separated junctions.

The scheme has been developed by Limerick County Council in association with Limerick City Council, Clare County Council and the National Roads Authority.

"We anticipate the tunnel having a positive impact on the city's retail sector, " says John Buckley of Sherry FitzGerald O'Malley. "It will take away all the traffic headed for Galway which at the moment passes along O'Connell Street, the main thoroughfare. That alone will make the city centre a more attractive place to shop and do business. As well as that, it will open up tracts of land for future development out around the Coonagh Cross shopping centre."

The 260m tunnel won the European PPP Deal of the Year and Project Finance Deal of the Year 2007 awards in international competitions.

Councillor Scully has made his concerns regarding traffic flow changes known to the transportation committee of Limerick city council. He told director of services Pat Dromey that regeneration plans for Southill were predicated on attracting investment into the area by taking advantage of its excellent geographic location on the main access routes to Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Dromey has promised a special meeting of the committee to discuss the issue further.