No movement on A5 upgrade is costing lives, claims GAA official

ONE OF the county’s most senior GAA officials has blasted the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) for its lack of progress on upgrading the A5 road after another year of tragedy for Association members in Tyrone.

Dominic McCaughey steps down as county secretary at next Tuesday night’s Tyrone GAA Convention in Garvaghey, having served as an administrator for over 35 years.

In a wide-ranging report to delegates, he outlines his annoyance with the government department charged with improving the main road network in the county, and talks about the human cost of their paralysis.

“Included in the most tragic events of the year were the road traffic accidents that occurred on the A5 – part of the arterial route from the capital, Dublin, which runs through from Aughnacloy to Ballygawley and on to Derry.

“It is sad to record the deaths of three young members on this road, in close proximity to the County GAA headquarters (Garvaghey) at the start of the year: Peter McNamee, Peter Finnegan and Nathan Corrigan; and then in October, another club member, and former U20 Tyrone player, John Rafferty, died in another accident.

“Perhaps, if this road had been upgraded to dual carriageway standard as planned some 15 years ago, these young men (and many others) would still be with us today,” stated Mr McCaughey.

The Trillick man voices his frustration at the ongoing delay in improving the route deeming the situation as unacceptable, because of the rising toll of victims.

“Tyrone GAA first responded to the consultative process regarding the A5 upgrade in 2009 and it is most shameful that the Department for Infrastructure, and its predecessors, have failed to progress this proposed upgrade.

“Bereaved families and communities have paid a huge price for failure and inaction during the last decade, and cannot accept further public consultations, planning appeals, judicial reviews, and stalling.

“It is not an acceptable situation to continue to not make major improvements or undertake any upgrading of this busy main road, while members of our community, members of our GAA clubs in Tyrone, and general road users travelling through rural Tyrone, continue to die or suffer serious injuries on the A5.”