21 December 2004

SPELLAR WELCOMES ROADS FUNDING PROPOSALS

Regional Development Minister, John Spellar, MP, has welcomed the funding proposals for Roads, set out in yesterday’s budget announcement.

"The proposals make full use of a variety of funding options to enhance the roads infrastructure across Northern Ireland, from Newry to the Northwest," he said.

"In addition to schemes already in the programme, the Budget confirms the funding necessary to take forward Roads Service’s PPP package 1. This project will include the widening of M1 / Westlink between Black’s Road and Divis Street, including underpasses at Broadway and Grosvenor Road roundabouts, as well as widening the M2 to three lanes between the Sandyknowes and Greencastle junctions and the provision of slip roads onto the M2 at Antrim Area Hospital.

"The Budget makes provision for the funding necessary to take forward PPP package 2. This will provide a high standard dual carriageway on the A1 between Beechill, north of Newry and Cloghogue, and the provision of flyovers at four junctions on the existing A1 between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland. When this work, together with other schemes already in the programme, is completed, it will mean that the A1 between Belfast and the border will be fully upgraded to dual carriageway standard. PPP package 2 also provides for the dualling of the A4 between the end of the M1 at Dungannon and Ballygawley roundabout."

Provision has also been made for a number of other major road improvements to be started towards the end of the budget period. These include:

- the dualling of the A6 between the end of the M22 at Randalstown and Castledawson roundabout;

- the dualling of the A2 at Broadbridge in the North West;

- an improvement scheme at Carland Bridge on the A29 between Dungannon and Cookstown;

- the A32 Cherrymount Link in Enniskillen; and

- completing the dualling of the A514 Crescent Link in Londonderry.

"All of these major road schemes are subject to the completion satisfactory economic analysis and clearing the statutory procedures of Environmental Assessment, Planning and Land Acquisition," Mr Spellar added.

"The Budget will allow us to spend around £60 million a year on structural maintenance in 2005-06 and 2006-07, rising to nearly £70 million in 2007-08. Since 2002, there has been a significant increase in structural maintenance spending and we continue to aspire to the levels envisaged in the Regional Transportation Strategy adopted in 2002 (£78 million year). This reflects the relatively tight constraints on the current expenditure side of the budget."

Minister Spellar also welcomed the publication of the draft Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland.

He said: "If adopted, this would allow us to continue the implementation of the existing Regional Transportation Strategy and to deliver additional investment on high standard carriageways to improve access to our major population centres.

"Subject to the outcome of consultation, and the delivery of the necessary resources, we look forward to developing plans to deliver this increased investment on road improvements across Northern Ireland.

"The implementation of the Strategy will, of course, depend on the necessary resources, both capital and current, being made available through successive annual budget processes. These will determine the scale and pace at which the projects in the draft ISNI will be delivered in the 10 year period."

The Budget also heralds continued capital investment in both bus and rail services. On railways, DRD has secured the resources necessary for Translink/NIR to deliver a significant programme of capital works on both the core and on the less heavily used lines. This builds on recent developments which have seen the start of the phasing in of the new trains.

The resources available will allow the retention and maintenance of the lesser used parts of the network in line with option 2 of the Railway Review Group report, which was the subject of consultation earlier this year.

The budget allocations will also further assist the review and development of bus services, with the planned introduction of the Metro concept within the Citybus network and the review of Ulsterbus services, carrying on from the recent announcement by Translink of an investment of some £50 million for new buses.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Structural maintenance is the maintenance of the surfaces and underlying foundations of roads and footways and covers activities like resurfacing, surface dressing and patching.
2. Commitments to proceed with major capital schemes cannot be given until appropriate economic and other appraisals have been considered and any other statutory procedures satisfactorily concluded.

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