Minister for Transport Martin Cullen denied the Government intends buying out the toll plaza on the M50 in Dublin.
Mr Cullen said there had been an "over-interpretation" in the reporting of remarks made by the new chief executive of the National Roads Authority (NRA).
"The impression has been given that there is an immediate prospect of the toll plaza being bought out, but that is not the case," he added.
"The income stream from the toll plaza is funding the upgrade of the M50. It is an important stream of finance."
Mr Cullen said that in future there would be issues surrounding traffic into Dublin and demand management would legitimately arise in the context of how the M50 was used by consumers.
"However, it is not an immediate prospect," said Mr Cullen. "That should be made clear because I got the impression today that this is a matter that is under negotiation in a detailed way. There are no proposals on my desk or in the Department of Transport."
He said that he had met with the NTR recently and told its representatives in unequivocal terms that he was anxious to move to barrier-free tolling as quickly as possible. "I do not accept that a timeframe of four or five years is necessary to achieve it," he added.
Labour's transport spokeswoman Roisín Shortall said the NRA was not talking about removing the tolls but about facilitating free flow on the M50 and replacing the existing tolls with demand management tolls on the approach roads. There would be no cost to the State.
Mr Cullen said the solution to freeing the M50, and he was open to correction, was badly needed investment in public transport facilities. When Ms Shortall suggested that the Minister's approach was at variance with the NRA, he replied: "It is not."
