Campaigners for the long-awaited A5 road upgrade have hailed news that it has finally been given the green light as a “momentous day”.
Stormont ministers approved the project, including a full dual carriageway, on Wednesday with work set to begin early next year.
There have been 57 deaths on the road, which links Derry with Aughnacloy in Co Tyrone, since 2006.
A scheme to turn the road into a dual carriageway was first approved by the Executive in 2007, but it has been held up by legal challenges and uncertainty over funding.
There have been frequent protests over the long-awaited upgrade amid the number of fatalities on the route.
Just last week, classmates of a Co Tyrone teenager who died on the A5 a day after attending a protest calling for the road’s upgrade travelled to Stormont to meet with Infrastructure minister John O’Dowd, presenting him with crosses to symbolise the lost lives.
Kamile Vaicikonyte (17), a Year 13 pupil at the St Ciaran’s College Ballygawley, died in the crash alongside her 19-year-old boyfriend Jamie Moore from Omagh in May.
Mr O’Dowd last month confirmed that preparatory work had been completed and he was awaiting approval from the Stormont Executive before publishing the plan.
On Wednesday, he confirmed work will begin on the Strabane to Ballygawley section early next year and would be completed on a phased basis.
“This will be the first phase of the construction work covering over half of the total project, 34 miles out of the total 53 miles, with my intention to make a formal decision on the remaining sections at the earliest opportunity,” he said.
“This section has had the most fatalities. We will continue to address the PAC recommendations on the other two sections.
“The project will provide for critically important infrastructure, create jobs, benefit the economy and improve journey times.”
He told a press conference it will take an estimated five years of “intensive” construction work followed by “some continuing work”.
The total cost of the road upgrade is estimated to be around £1.2 billion, with £500 million coming from the Irish government.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly also paid tribute to campaigners and many families of those who had lost loved ones on the stretch of road.
Ms O’Neill said: “Every life lost on the road is one too many.
“There have been many setbacks on this journey and they have been well-documented, but today we have turned a new chapter.”
Ms Little-Pengelly added that the announcement “brings much-needed certainty, will improve connectivity and address road safety issues”.
Campaigners for the upgrade have welcomed the announcement including the A5 Enough is Enough group, which was formed by Tyrone GAA following the deaths of four young players on the notorious road in less than a year.
Niall McKenna, chair of the group, said: “Provision of a new dual carriageway along this section will greatly enhance road safety and reduce the horrendously high number of accidents and fatalities.
“The A5 has left a catastrophic and notorious legacy in this area with too many broken families devastated by its unsafe construct.
“We look forward to an imminent start, successful completion of this phase of the project and the remainder being similarly progressed in due course. Our thoughts, as always, remain with the families of victims of the A5.”
SDLP’s West Tyrone MLA, Daniel McCrossan, who has campaigned on the issue for a decade, said approval for the A5 road upgrade was a “momentous day for the entire region”.
“As a local MLA I have spend years working day and night for the delivery of this road, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with the many families who have suffered the worst consequences of this road in losing a precious loved one,” he said.
“Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one on the A5 and the campaigners who made this possible.”
Praising the many other campaigners for their determination, he said: “This must be a watershed moment – it cannot be another false dawn.
“The A5 is key to the future of this entire region, not only in saving lives and preventing injuries, but in creating economic opportunities by making our towns and cities better connected, bringing much needed investment and jobs.”
The A5 has always been my Top Priority - Let’s get it done!The A5 has been my Top Priority from the moment I was elected. Approval for the A5 road upgrade is a momentous day for the entire region. As a local MLA I have spend years working day and night for the delivery of this road, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with the many families who have suffered the worst consequences of this road in losing a precious loved one. Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one on the A5 and the campaigners who made this possible.
Posted by Daniel McCrossan MLA on Wednesday 2 October 2024
Sinn Féin MP Órfhlaith Begley said it was a “hugely positive day for people across the island”.
“My first thoughts are with each and every family who have tragically lost a loved one on this stretch of road,” she said.
“Today is for them and also in memory of those who have lost their lives.
“Transforming this road will save lives, create jobs and significantly cut journey times between the north-west and Dublin.”
DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said the road would deliver “essential road safety improvements”.
“Foremost in our minds today are the lives lost on the A5 and the families who grieve the loss of loved ones.” she said.
“The planned road upgrade will deliver essential road safety improvements and will help save lives on what is an extremely busy arterial route.”
Gael Gildernew, chair of the A5 N2 Cross Border Committee, also said: “The significant increase in deaths on our roads over the last number of years has been well publicised, and on this significant day, we are thinking about all those lives lost and the families, friends and communities devastated by these tragic losses.
“The work confirmed today on the first section between Strabane and Ballygawley will significantly improve the safety of all our citizens travelling to and from the northwest.
“As well as improving safety standards, the proposed road improvements will deliver on regional and cross-border connectivity, helping to facilitate the sustainable development of the northwest region and support economic growth.”
