The National Roads Authority (NRA) is to hold an oral hearing next month on its draft tolling scheme for the proposed M3 motorway from Clonee to Kells in Co Meath amid indications that preparatory work for the road is already under way.
Local sources say heavy machinery has been moved on to a site near Clonee, where some land has been cleared, while trees have been felled in a wood on the controversial route chosen for the motorway at Skryne, opposite the Hill of Tara.
Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin, of the Save Tara campaign, said she was "extremely disturbed that they appear to be starting any work on the M3 before a contract is even signed" with a prospective public-private partnership (PPP) consortium.
She queried whether all of the archaeological sites along the route had been properly resolved, and said a further legal challenge to the M3 might yet be mounted in an effort to have the motorway route relocated from the Tara-Skryne valley.
An earlier High Court challenge by campaigner Vincent Salafia was dismissed and an appeal to the Supreme Court withdrawn on foot of an agreement to cover his costs.
Claims that this action delayed the scheme have been rejected by the plaintiff.
Dr Ní Bhrolcháin said the Save Tara campaign would be stepping up its political lobbying in the New Year in advance of next summer's general election.
"We've received written pledges by Labour and the Green Party to reroute the M3," she told The Irish Times.
"Either of those parties could be the king-makers, depending on the election outcome, and they will keep this issue on the table as a bargaining chip."
However, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain committed to pursuing the present proposal.
The oral hearing on matters raised in objections to the NRA's draft tolling scheme is scheduled to start on Wednesday, January 17th, at the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan, with Department of the Environment inspector Dom Hegarty presiding.
The NRA could not be contacted yesterday to comment on the Save Tara campaign's latest claims or to clarify what is the current status of the M3 contract.
Given that it is being procured as a PPP project, tolling is an essential element.
