Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has ruled out imposing any new tolls on the State’s roads.*
The Minister today said he would not be introducing tolls at the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork, the M1 at Dundalk or the N11 at Arklow.
He also ruled out installing additional tolls along the M50 in Dublin in addition to the one at the Westlink bridge.
This morning, he said the cost of installing tolls would be prohibitive and was ruling them out due to “a combination of cost and common sense”.
"The benefits are much less than the costs and I am no longer considering the proposal," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
Mr Varadkar said motorists are already being hit by rising fuel costs and he was not in favour of increasing their burden.
“In the longer term the reality is that fuel prices are going to rise so I don’t particularly want to hit people with extra tolls as well,” he added.
Last July, the National Roads Authority said it was seeking advice on how to raise additional revenue from new tolls on existing roads, following cuts to its budget.
At that time, Mr Varadkar said new tolls to fund road projects or public transport cannot be ruled out. However, he said such a move was likely to be years away.
Last November, Mr Varadkar ruled out installing tolls on the M18 route at Ennis.
*This article was amended on June 6th 2013 to correct a factual error