The introduction of the biggest traffic change on St Stephen's Green since the Luas Green Line was constructed almost a decade ago has started smoothly.
At noon council workers removed barriers and cones from the east side of St Stephen’s Green to allow traffic flow through to Merrion Row.
The new system gives two right-turning lanes on to Merrion Row from the Green and one left turning lane continuing around the Green.
New traffic routes are being introduced to divert cars and buses away from the site of the cross-city Luas line ahead of the start of work to lay the tracks.
Until today traffic heading north on the east side of the Green had to turn left passing in front of the Shelbourne Hotel.
Motorists who wanted to go to Merrion Row, to Baggot Street or to Merrion Square, for example, had to take a right on to Dawson Street and use either Molesworth Street or Nassau Street to loop back around to the Green and on to Merrion Row.
The new Luas line will connect the existing Green and Red lines through the city centre before continuing north to the new DIT campus planned for Grangegorman, then on to Phibsboro and Cabra where it will terminate at the Iarnród Éireann station at Broombridge.
The line will begin at the terminus of the existing Green line on St Stephen’s Green West, turn right on to St Stephen’s Green North and then exit the Green left on Dawson Street.
The turns off the Green are being introduced to divert traffic from this area.
Restrictions and traffic bans will come into force from next year onwards when the left turn from Dawson Street on to Nassau Street, used by buses and for deliveries at certain times, will be closed to traffic.
