County: Dublin Site name: Dublin Airport North Runway Project
Sites and Monuments Record No.: Near DU011-043 Licence number: 17E0055
Author: Deirdre Murphy
Site type: Monitoring
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 714447m, N 744140m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.434919, -6.277588
Monitoring was undertaken as part of the proposed North Runway development which is located to the north and parallel to the existing main runway 10/28 in a development area of 261ha which is wholly owned by the Dublin Airport Authority. The monitoring included supervision of groundworks during the construction of the new Naul Road including Toberburr Road, Dunbro Lane, St. Margaret’s Bypass and construction of the new Forrest Little Road including Forrest Road, Forrest Little Road and all associated utility and site works for both roads. The monitoring of the general site clearance works including all hedge rows, tree lines, general site clearance and all associated site works, utility and other service diversions was also completed. One team consisting of three supervisors undertook the monitoring under the supervision of Deirdre Murphy. Topsoil was removed from the proposed road routes by a 360 degree mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket working under continuous supervision.
The same team monitored the general site clearance works which involved the removal of trees and shrubbery within boundary ditches and hedge rows. This was completed using a harvester and a tracked excavator and mulcher. No ground disturbance was caused during the hedge and tree clearance works.
The Dublin Airport North Runway Project has been subjected to a series of intensive archaeological investigations in recent times. A non-invasive geophysical survey by Target Geophysics (16R0097), archaeological test-trenching (16E0335) by Courtney Deery and monitoring of geotechnical works took place across the development lands prior to this current phase of assessment works. In addition to the general monitoring works, full excavation of a number of sites identified during advance works was also carried out under separate licences. These include excavations at Sites A, B, C, D, I and J and additional sites 1-11.
Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit, Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth
