26 March 2002
MAJOR STRENGTHENING WORKS FOR A2 BELFAST TO BANGOR ROAD
Regional Development Minister, Peter Robinson, MP, MLA, today announced that a £600,000 scheme to resurface and strengthen a failing section of the main Belfast to Bangor Road would be carried out during the summer.
Work on a 2.1 kilometre stretch to the east of Holywood, between Whinney Hill and the Ballygrainey Road, is expected to begin in early June and continue for a period of three months.
The Minister said: "Up to 40,000 vehicles per day travel along this road and disruption to traffic due to the works will, unfortunately, be unavoidable.
"However, Roads Service is carefully programming the works and traffic management arrangements in order to minimise inconvenience to the travelling public. They will also embark on a publicity campaign in order to keep the public and effected businesses informed.
"These essential works will mainly consist of overlaying the existing surface. However, approximately 10 percent of the area will require full depth excavation and reconstruction. This is a time-consuming and expensive element of the work and is a consequence of long term under funding of road maintenance activities in Northern Ireland.
"Normally, Roads Service staff aim to resurface roads before structural failure occurs in the foundations, but because they receive only half of the funds that would be required to maintain this good practice, there will inevitably be cases where expensive reconstruction is required before resurfacing can take place."
During almost all of the works, three lanes will remain open to traffic. In the mornings two lanes will be operational for Belfast-bound traffic and in the afternoons two lanes will be provided for those travelling to Bangor.
However, for safety reasons it will be necessary to close the road to Belfast bound traffic during one weekend in late August in order to complete the final surfacing operation.
Diversionary route signing will be in place to assist the travelling public.
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