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Worried motorists can breathe a sigh of relief today as the Minister for Transport has officially ruled out the possibility of new tolls being placed on Irish roads.

The Irish Daily Mail has an interview with Leo Varadkar in which he quashes rumours about the possibility of introducing tolls at the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork as well as other busy roads like the M1 at Dundalk and the N11 at Arklow. He has also said that there will be no additional tolls on the M50 in Dublin.

The addition of new tolls has been speculated about for months after the National Roads Authority said it was seeking advice on adding new tolls in order to raise revenue last summer.

Speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland this morning, Varadkar explained that “a combination of cost and common sense” meant that he was now ruling out plans to instate new tolls on the country’s roads.

“The benefits are much less than the costs and I am no longer considering the proposal,” he said.

The Minister for Transport said that he did not wish to hit motorists any more than they are already being impacted by rising petrol and diesel costs and the added expenses of running a car.

“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.

Current tolls are set to increase in line with inflation over the coming years, but for the moment, motorists won’t have to worry about any extra charges for using the roads.