Construction work and congestion could force all through traffic to be diverted away from Dublin city centre, the council has warned.

According to a consultation paper, the velocity of commuters in the capital is set to double, which means there would be no room for cars on city centre streets.

The news came as Dublin City Council continues to formulate its 2011 development plan.

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The council's planning department has suggested the influx of Dublin commuters could top 375,000, almost double current levels, by 2020.

City roads could not deal with this capacity, which could result in all traffic being banned from the heart of the city, if traffic-modelling systems are to be believed.

This could mean access only for motorists in the city centre, with other traffic directed onto orbital routes.

Transport 21 has been cited as a major construction scheme that would interfere with Dublin congestions, particularly the Metro North project, which is due to kick-off in two years.

The paper has not mentioned the possible effects of the economic downturn on its projections.

(PR/JM)