The Government is in talks to buy back the controversial Westlink toll bridge.
The National Roads Authority confirmed last night it was in talks with the Government in a bid to buy up the bridge.
Arial view of the toll bridge.
National Toll Roads (NTR) has the contract to operate the M50 toll plaza, through which over 80,000 vehicles pass each day.
Toll prices increased to €1.80 in January and motorists blame the Westlink for daily peak-time gridlock on the motorway.
National Roads Authority chief Fred Barry hinted at the Oireachtas Transport Committee yesterday that it was in talks with the Government to buy NTR out of the contract - which was negotiated in the mid-1980s.
He said: "We are in discussions with the Department of Transport and others as to just what we want to do in that arena. It's all fairly commercially sensitive at the moment.
Mr Barry emphasised, however, that no negotiations on the matter were taking place with NTR, but that the feasibility of buyout proposals were being looked at by the NRA, with the intention of preparing proposals to put before the Department of Transport.
He said some dialogue between NTR and the NRA was continuing but it had to do with improvements in traffic flow on the West-Link.