RHA urges swift movement on Northern Ireland’s A5 upgrade

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure to commence work on the A5 Western Transport Corridor without further delay, after a court hearing last week cleared the way for the road project to go ahead.

The long-planned £1.7 billion scheme to modernise and upgrade 85km of the A5 between New Buildings near Derry and Aughnacloy in County Tyrone to dual carriageway – set to be the largest road project ever undertaken in the province – had been halted last year due to concerns that the proposed road may not comply with climate change targets.

But last Tuesday, Belfast’s Court of Appeal overturned that decision. In her judgment, the Lady Chief Justice, Dame Siobhan Keegan, said the project was a “priority investment” that “should be proceeded with”.

Northern Ireland’s infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins said she was “delighted” with the decision.

“I know this outcome will come as a huge relief to many people particularly the families who tragically lost loved ones on the existing A5 and who have campaigned tirelessly over many years for a safer road,” she said.

“Today is their day, they have campaigned for this through unimaginable grief and loss and they never gave up. My thoughts are primarily with them today as we move into the delivery phase of this life-saving project. I am sure as much as they are relieved, it does not take their pain away.

“While I will take time to consider the detail of the judgment, it provided important legal clarity and vindicates the Department’s position throughout, that it complied with the requirements of the Climate Change Act.

“This is a very welcome outcome, providing the certainty needed not only for the A5 Western Transport Corridor but for the delivery of major infrastructure projects across the North. I will continue to work with DAERA and Executive colleagues to support infrastructure delivery while maintaining our climate ambitions.”

RHA policy lead James Barwise said the decision was the right one, and “long overdue”.

“People living in Tyrone and the North West, local firms and the lorry and coach drivers who use the A5 every day have waited many years for a safer, more efficient road,” he commented.

“New roads save lives, boost business and better connect communities. A modern, safe and fit for purpose road network is an economic necessity – and in Northern Ireland, where all freight moves by road, our members depend on roads like the A5 to keep shops, farms and factories supplied.

“Now we need spades in the ground on this key transport corridor. We’d like to see a clear timetable for construction, with safe parking and roadside rest facilities for drivers designed in from the start. We stand ready to work with the Department for Infrastructure to make it happen.”

The RHA said it wanted planning on key road projects “sped up across the UK, so that schemes like the new A5 are not left waiting the best part of 20 years to be built”.