Work on a long-awaited upgrade of the A5 road from Derry to the Border is to begin early next year after the project was approved by the Northern Executive.
Announcing the decision on Wednesday, Minister for Infrastructure John O’Dowd said the move to expand the road to a dual carriageway would be “in honour of all those who have lost their lives and been seriously injured on this road”.
The total cost of the 53-mile (85.3km) project is estimated at around £1.2 billion (€1.44 billion), with £500 million (€600 million) being contributed by the Irish Government. The first phase of construction work will cover 34 miles (54.7km) between Strabane and Ballygawley, Co Tyrone.
The A5 runs from Derry City to Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, where it joins the N2, and is part of the main route from Dublin to Donegal and the northwest.
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The upgrade of the road from single to dual carriageway was first approved by the Northern Executive in 2007, but it has been held up by legal challenges and uncertainty over funding. More than 50 people have lost their lives on the road since then and campaigners have long argued the upgrade was desperately needed to save lives.
[ A5 road upgrade: ‘Everyone who has lost a loved one on that road will be happy’Opens in new window ]
Mr O’Dowd said the decision to begin with the Strabane to Ballygawley section was made because it had had the most fatalities, but he was committed to delivering the entirety of the project.
“As well as improving road safety, this Executive flagship project will provide for critically important infrastructure improvements that will address regional imbalance, create jobs, benefit the economy and improve journey times for the thousands of daily users of this route,” he said.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill also paid tribute to those who had died on the A5 and said she hoped to “turn a new chapter ... to fully realise and really fully enjoy the benefits of the road itself”.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said the campaign for the upgrade “has been long, it has been difficult, it has been challenging, but I have no doubt this will be welcomed by many, many people”.
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