Kimmins reiterates commitment to A1 upgrade

The Minister was speaking following a meeting with Monica Heaney, Sinead Lunny and Councillor Joy Ferguson who are campaigning to have the road upgraded.

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.

“I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Monica, Sinead and Councillor 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.

“I appreciate that some of the public commentary on the impact of the A5 appeal on major projects has caused some concern. However, it is vital that we get this right.

“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.

“I recently instructed my officials to extend the restricted list of tenderers for a period of 12 months, continuing to keep this important scheme live, pending the outcome of the A5 appeal. This is a contingency measure to keep the scheme live whilst the appeal is underway. The procurement process can be resumed at any stage.

“I remain as committed as ever to the delivery of this vitally important road safety upgrade.”