A5 recommended for approval by Minister

THE Stormont Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, has said that he will be recommending approval of the £1 billion A5 dual-carriageway.

He made the announcement during a sitting of the Assembly at Stormont this afternoon. His recommendation has been welcomed by the ‘Enough is Enough group, which has been campaigning for the major project to go ahead.

Mr O’Dowd said that in the coming days he would be issuing his initial response to the report of the Planning Appeals Commission into the Public Inquiry into the £1 billion road scheme.

“I will be making the recommendation that we proceed with the A5,” Mr O’Dowd told the Assembly.

“I am conscious that this is a cross-cutting issue and I will be issuing the papers to my Executive colleagues and awaiting their feedback. A further paper will then be submitted in mid-August for approval and then moving ahead with the A5 project.

Minister O’Dowd told the Assembly that 30 recommendations have been made by the PAC.

West Tyrone MLA, Nicola Brogan, welcomed the announcement. She said it would  be ‘really welcome news’ for people right across West Tyrone and for anyone who uses the A5 road.

“We have been waiting patiently for progress on this road and I thank the Minister for the work that he has done and his commitment to the A5.”

Niall McKenna, chair of the Enough is Enough group welcomed the fact that the Minister is to bring a position to the Executive which is to proceed with the A5.

“At the Public Inquiry last year we heard testimony after testimony from multiple families of A5 road victims detailing the devastating impact of losing a famy member to this road – an average of one person every three months,” he said.

“”We call for no further delay. No more evidence should be needed that the current A5 is not fit for purpose.”

Speaking in Strabane today, First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, welcomed the progress.

“It is well past time that work began to improve the A5. It has been the scene of too many tragedies,” she stated.

“Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has made it clear that he intends to bring a position to the Executive to proceed with the A5..”

Órfhlaith Begley, Sinn Féin’s Westminster candidate for West Tyrone, added, “Transforming the A5 will save lives, create jobs, and significantly cut journey times between the north-west and Dublin. The current A5 road has been the scene of heartbreak for too many families and has been held up for too long by objectors. Now is the time to move forward.”

West Tyrone SDLP MLA, Daniel McCrossan, said he had worked tirelessly to get the road delivered.