6 December 2004
PUBLIC VIEWS SOUGHT ON THE A1 BEECH HILL TO CLOGHOGUE DUAL CARRIAGEWAY
DRD Roads Service is inviting the public to an exhibition on the A1, Beech Hill to Cloghogue dual carriageway scheme, at Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, 1a Bank Parade, Newry, on Wednesday, 15 December 2004.
The A1 is progressively being upgraded to dual carriageway standard and the Beech Hill to Cloghogue scheme is the final section to be considered for dualling. It will link between the Loughbrickland to Beech Hill scheme, which is under construction at present and the Newry to Dundalk scheme, where construction work is expected to commence early in the new year.
The public are invited to visit the exhibition to voice their views on the scheme. The preferred route will be on display and Roads Service personnel and their technical advisors will be available in the Carroll Gallery between 9:30am and 9:00pm to describe and explain the scheme.
The preferred route extends 12.7 km from Cloghogue roundabout on the southern outskirts of Newry to Beech Hill, about 5 km north of the city. It follows the line of the existing by-pass as far as Camlough Road. The route then continues northwards, initially adjacent to the railway line before diverging towards the Armagh Road crossing it in the vicinity of the dismantled railway line at Cuan Mhuire from where it swings north eastwards to cross the Tandragee Road, on the north side of Carnbane Industrial Estate. From here it continues cross-country approaching the existing A1, at Sheep Bridge, from where it continues parallel to the existing road, which it joins at Beech Hill.
Access to this new high standard dual carriageway will be limited to five strategic junctions located at Cloghogue, Chancellors Road, Camlough Road, one serving both Armagh Road and Tandragee Road and at Sheepbridge.
The Environmental Statement and the draft Trunk Road Order may be inspected by any person, free of charge, at all reasonable hours until 17 January 2005 at the Department’s Roads Services offices, Headquarters, Room 2-01 Clarence Court, 10-18 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GB; Southern Division, Level 5, Marlborough House, Central Way, Craigavon, BT64 1AD; Newry Section Office, 1 Cecil Street, Newry, BT34 6 AU; and also at the offices of Newry and Mourne District Council, O’Hagan House, Monaghan Row, Newry, BT35 8DJ.
This provides the public and statutory consultees with an opportunity to comment on the scheme and Public Inquiries may be required. Timing of the start of construction will be dependant on the outcome of these inquiries.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The A1 route from Beech Hill to Cloghogue forms part of the Strategic North-South link between Belfast and Dublin. It is one of the Key Transport Corridors identified in the Regional Transportation Strategy for Northern Ireland.
- Roads Service announced the preferred route for the scheme in September 2003 following a comprehensive assessment of environmental, engineering and economic factors associated with route options and the responses received from an exhibition, attended by over 450 people, held in February 2003.
- Formal notices relating to the Environmental Statement and the draft Trunk Road Order were published in the local press during week ending Friday 26 November 2004 and will be published again during week ending Friday 3 December 2004.
- Notice of the Information day will be published in the local press during weeks ending Friday 3 December 2004 and Friday 10 December 2004.
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