28 June 2005
£3.3 MILLION HILLSBOROUGH ROAD UNDERPASS OPENS
Roads Minister Shaun Woodward opened a £3.3m scheme designed to significantly improve road safety on the A1 near Dromore.
Speaking at the official opening of the A1 Hillsborough Road underpass in Dromore, the Minister said: "This scheme will significantly improve safety at this busy junction on the A1 at Dromore and was implemented in response to justifiable public concerns about the number of serious traffic collisions that have occurred on this route in the past.
"The completion of this scheme is a further demonstration of my Department’s commitment to the improvement of Northern Ireland’s Strategic Road Network , particularly the key A1 route between Belfast and the border.
"Roads Service and their consultants are currently developing proposals to provide bridges at four other junctions between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland, and also provide a central safety fence along the A1. I have no doubt that such work will further improve the safety on this very busy road."
The junction improvement scheme allows traffic travelling to and from Dromore to access the Belfast-bound carriageway using a new underpass. This eliminates right turning movements across the dual carriageway at a very busy junction, which will benefit both road safety and traffic flow.
The work involved the construction of a substantial underpass, a 385m long link road, the closing up of the former gap in the central median of the dual carriageway and the provision of a safety fence. Nearly one kilometre of the A1 has also been reconstructed.
The Department is grateful for the support of Banbridge District Council and the patience and co-operation of landowners and the people of Dromore and the surrounding area during the construction of this new junction.
Roads Service is also pressing steadily on with its proposals to upgrade the section of road from Loughbrickland to the border to full dual carriageway standard.
South of Loughbrickland work is continuing on the £21 million scheme to provide nine km of dual carriageway with completion expected next summer.
Work has also commenced south of Newry on the £33 million scheme to provide a high standard dual carriageway, with grade-separated junctions, from Cloghogue to the border. This is part of the cross-border Newry to Dundalk Link Road project.
A scheme, estimated to cost £102 million, to complete the remaining section of the route between Beechill and Cloghogue by providing 12 km of high standard dual carriageway also with grade-separated junctions, is currently being progressed through the Statutory Procedures with work expected on the ground in 2007.
The Minister also took the opportunity to announce the opening of widened carriageway road schemes on the A5 at Blackhill, Omagh, Co Tyrone and on the A4 at Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh. Both these schemes on the Strategic Road Network will improve traffic flow and safety.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Three major works schemes are being progressed to upgrade the section of the route south of Loughbrickland to dual carriageway standard.
- A £21 million scheme to provide a dual carriageway from Loughbrickland to Beechill is progressing on site.
- A £33 million scheme to provide a high standard dual carriageway with grade-separated junctions from Cloghogue to the Border has recently commenced on site. This is part of the £86 Newry to Dundalk Cross Border Link Road Project.
- Public Inquiries into the Environmental Statement and draft Direction Order for a £102 million scheme to provide a high standard dual carriageway with grade-separated junctions between Beechill and Cloghogue were held in April and May of this year.
- Proposals to provide bridges at four other junctions on the A1 between Lisburn and Loughbrickland are being developed. These are at:
- Dromore Road, Hillsborough;
- Banbridge Road, Dromore;
- Dromore Road, Banbridge and
- Dublin Road / Grovehill Road, Loughbrickland
- The contractor for the Hillsborough Road scheme is Graham (Dromore) Ltd with T J Loughlin (earthworks) and Tullyraine Quarries (surfacing). Technical advisors were Tony Gee and Partners who designed the bridge.
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