Published: Thursday, 18th March, 2010 9:06am

Dail Committee to quiz NRA on whether pyrite was used to build M3

Deputy Shane McEntee has outlined his concerns to Ministers involved in the M3.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) is to be questioned by an Oireachtas Committee on the possible presence in excessive quantities of the mineral pyrite in the construction of the M3 motorway.

Measth East Fine Gael TD Shane McEntee, his party's spokesman on road safety, said he welcomed the fact that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport has invited the NRA to clarify its position regarding concerns that pyrite-infected materials might have been used in the building of the M3 from Clonee to north of Kells, which is due to open this summer.

Deputy McEntee said that, in the past week, he had written to both the Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Transport regarding his concerns. "I am glad that the NRA has accepted this inviation to speak before the committee on Wednesday 7th April. This is being done in the long-term interest of the M3," he said.

The Fine Gael Meath East TD said yesterday (Tuesday) that although some people were annoyed at him for raising the matter, he felt it was his duty to do so because of the concern he had that there might be pyrite in large quantities in materials used to build the motorway.

"It is my information that material used in the building of the motorway could have come from the same quarries which supplied material containing excessive quantities of pyrite. This led to horrendous problems among householders in the country and nobody wanted to take responsibility. The problem is being passed from one place to another," he says.

He said that, having dealt with the problem of the presence of pyrite in two homes in Kentstown, Navan, he knew how much suffering the families had been put through. Although the cases had now been settled, the whole affair had left a terrible mark on the people involved, he said. The mineral reacts with air and water, causing buildings to warp and crack if it has been used as infill material.

"I want to raise this problem now because we don't want to have to deal with it in 30 to 40 years' time. I am hoping that the Joint Oireachtas Committee will ask specific questions of the NRA as to their knowledge of whether there is pyrite used in the building or the M3 or not. It is a major concern and now is the time to clear it up for once and for all," he added.