Ireland's first official Motorway Service Area (MSA) officially opened yesterday, Wednesday 15 September, at Lusk on the M1 Motorway in Co. Dublin.
The Motorway Service Areas will be run and managed by Applegreen on behalf of the SuperStop Consortium (made up of Applegreen, Pierse Contracting and TOP), as part of a tender process that saw the 100% Irish consortium win the PPP contract from the National Roads Authority.
The opening ceremony featured a blessing ceremony and was attended by 250 people including the Chairman of the National Roads Authority, Peter Malone, the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern, TD, and the Board of Directors of the SuperStop Consortium.
The Lusk Motorway Service Area will see the opening of two sites, one on either side of the M1 Motorway. The sites will provide facilities on a par with those seen in Continental Europe, with specific services for both hauliers and private motorists. These facilities include parking for 246 vehicles, with designated spaces for 184 cars, 13 motorbikes, 10 coaches and 39 HGVs.
The MSAs are also more family friendly than anything else seen to date, with everything from baby bottle heating facilities and changing rooms to indoor and outdoor playgrounds. These facilities include public toilets – 10 female toilets, 10 male toilets - two female and two male showers, two baby changing rooms, two disabled toilets, indoor and outdoor playgrounds as well as food outlets Burger King, Costa Coffee and an aCafé. There is indoor seating for 250 diners with an additional 30 outdoor seats to enjoy during the better weather.
The overall project, comprising the three locations of Lusk, Castlebellingham and Enfield, represents an investment of more than €70 million on behalf of the consortium.
Pictured: Members of the Superstop Consortium and Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern planting an apple tree.