£5 million West Tyrone roads schemes in doubt due to legal challenge

THE completion of dozens of roads schemes in West Tyrone totalling £5m remains in doubt due to the long-running legal challenge against the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), We Are Tyrone can reveal.

There are currently almost 80 resurfacing schemes lying in wait, prompting concerns for the safety of motorists on rural routes during the coming winter.

Among the schemes which remain uncompleted are one worth £500,000 on the Drumnakilly Road between Omagh and Carrickmore, £550,000 on the Creggan Road, £100,000 at the Dromore Road Retail Park and £200,000 on the Derrybard Road near Fintona.

As a result of the legal challenges early this year, the DfI decided to stop its procurement for resurfacing, including for contracts in both the Derry City and Strabane and Fermanagh and Omagh council areas.

Roads Minister, Nichola Mallon, said she hopes that a new procurement strategy will lead to the awarding of new contracts early next year.

‘SHOCKING’

But the extent of the works which are still in the pipeline due to the delay has been described as “shocking” by the Castlederg-based MLA, Maoliosa McHugh, who obtained the figures from the DfI.

“We need to see a lot of this work completed by the end of the financial year in 2022, but that is a long time to wait for the many important schemes on the list,” he said.

“It is a really significant issue for rural communities where people are constantly and consistently highlighting the poor state of roads in the countryside. They feel that they are being left as the poor relation to more urban areas.

“The scale of the work and the amount of money involved is really quite shocking. Everyone will hope that the Minister does everything in her power to ensure that the roads resurfacing projects highlighted here are delivered as soon as possible.

“The problem is that in many of these schemes things are already extremely bad and in urgent need of repair to the surface and potholes that have developed.”

ALTERNATIVE

The Minister said that the department is committed to seeking alternative means to delivering much-needed investment in the roads network.

She added that the allocation in 2020-21 of a £12m capital budget included £10m specifically directed to rural roads.

“These improvements targeted many short lengths of rural roads that were in particular poor condition, with over 750 locations on the rural network benefiting from this initiative.

“Following the success of last year’s fund, I set up an enhanced fund in 2021-22 and have allocated £17m to a Roads Recovery Fund, with £15m specifically directed towards rural roads.”