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Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has reaffirmed her commitment to delivering the A1 Junctions Phase 2 Scheme despite the uncertainty surrounding an appeal on a decision to halt the A5 road on climate change grounds.
It follows a meeting with campaigners calling for safety upgrades on the road. The Minister met with Monica Heaney, Sinead Lunny and Councillor Joy Ferguson, who have been long campaigning for improvements to the A1. Minister Kimmins said: "Every death on our roads is a profound loss to families and communities and unfortunately the A1 is a road where, over the years, too many collisions have occurred, and too many lives have been forever changed by loss or injury."
She added: "I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Monica, Sinead and Cllr Ferguson to provide an update on the scheme. I greatly admire their courage in sharing their heartbreaking experiences and I wholeheartedly support their call for safety upgrades. I am committed to delivering this scheme."
Addressing concerns raised about the potential impact of the A5 appeal on major road projects, Minister Kimmins said it was vital that the outcome of the appeal was carefully considered before any next steps were taken. "It is critical that we consider the outcome of the appeal before taking the next steps. We do not want to be in a scenario where we face challenges on everything, which would further delay the projects and increase costs."
The Minister confirmed she had recently instructed officials to extend the restricted list of tenderers for a period of 12 months, a measure she described as a contingency to keep the scheme live while the A5 appeal is underway. She noted that the procurement process can be resumed at any stage.
Minister Kimmins added: "I remain as committed as ever to the delivery of this vitally important road safety upgrade."
