Northern Ireland focuses on major road upgrades

The Northern Ireland Executive is pressing ahead with the plan to dual the A5 road between  Londonderry and the Irish border despite the Irish Government’s decision to withdraw funding for the 85km project last autumn.

NI regional development minister Danny Kennedy this week announced that almost £500m would be invested in road network improvements over the next four years, with over £300m being allocated to dualling two sections of the A5: the 15km section from Londonderry to Strabane and the 22km section from Omagh to Ballygawley.

Contractors FP McCAnn, BAM and Balfour Beatty have been appointed and work could start this autumn.

Kennedy also announced funding to dual 14km of the A8 Belfast-Larne road between Ballyclare and Larne at an estimated cost of £110m-£120m. This will complete a dual carriageway all the way from the port of Larne to Dublin. Work could start this spring. The contractors for the project are Lagan, Ferrovial, and Costain.

The third project for which funding was confirmed this week is widening 2.5km of the A2 Shore Road, Greenisland at a cost of £50m-£60m. No contractor has yet been appointed for the project. Construction could commence early in 2013. 

The A5 and A8 schemes are being taken forward as a result of an agreement between the NI Executive and the Irish Government. The Irish Government had pledged to contribute £400m to the projects but withdrew the offer last autumn because of the country’s budgetary problems. It has, however, pledged to provide £25m per annum in each of 2015 and 2016, the final two years of Dublin’s current capital programme.

The delivery of further improvements to the A5 beyond the current budget period of the NI Executive will be discussed by the North South Ministerial Council. 

Discuss this and more at LTT's Future of Highways Delivery Event on the 21 March 2012