An Taisce's hopes for major changes to the Carrickmines junction of Dublin's South Eastern Motorway cannot be accommodated, according to the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.
This is despite a significant archaeological find in the vicinity of nearby Carrickmines Castle.
While the Minister said he was "sensitive" to the archaeological importance of the site, he has told The Irish Times he would not support any amendment to the scheme which would put the motorway back in the planning process and delay it by five years.
He said the preservation proposals put forward by the National Roads Authority (NRA) protected 90 per cent of the site and if he was satisfied by his visit (undertaken on Thursday morning) that the NRA "could do no more" he would give the work the go-ahead.
"If I am satisfied that 90 per cent of the archaeological remains has been protected - and the other 10 per cent excavated - then I think it would be reasonable to proceed," he said.
In the clearest indication yet of his thinking on the issue the Minister said more than 100 archaeologists had been working on the site for two years at a cost of €6 million.
He felt it would be reasonable to proceed in those circumstances, if the National Roads Authority could assure him they had gone as far as they could, without going back to the planning process.
The Minister visited the archaeological remains on Thursday, meeting senior archaeologists from Dúchas, the Heritage Service, and officials from the National Roads Authority, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
After the meeting a spokesman for the Minister said the NRA was looking again at how much of the remains could be protected, but repeated that the motorway could not be allowed to drift back into the planning stages. Mr Brennan said he intended to announce his decision on the issue next week.
