13 March 2006

A2 SHORE ROAD GREENISLAND PUBLIC CONSULTATION BEGINS

A second two-day public consultation exercise for the A2 Shore Road Greenisland Scheme has been announced.

Divisional Roads Manager, Joe Drew, said the public consultation will take place at the Clarion Hotel, Carrickfergus, on Wednesday 22 March (4:30 -9:00pm) and Thursday 23 March (2:00 - 9:00pm).

"Roads Service has already commenced a process to reduce congestion on the Shore Road Greenisland section of the A2 between Belfast and Carrickfergus. I am committed to keeping the public fully informed at every stage in this process," said Mr Drew.

"I have decided to hold a second public consultation to inform the public of the scheme options that we have assessed and highlight the options that we believe are most suitable to provide for the future transport needs of the corridor.

"The public will have the opportunity to clarify any issues about the design process and to express their views on the options being considered by Roads Service. These views will help us to decide on the preferred option."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The Regional Transportation Strategy, approved by the Assembly in 2002, confirms the need to address bottlenecks on the strategic highway network.

2. The Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan 2015, published in November 2004, identifies the Greenisland section of the A2 as a bottleneck on the Belfast Metropolitian Area strategic network, which causes significant congestion and long delays on this corridor at peak times.

3. The A2 Shore Road Greenisland scheme is included in the Roads Service Major Works Preparation Pool.

4. Roads Service held a Preliminary Public Consultation event in May 2005.

5. Roads Service will not present a preferred scheme at this stage.

6. The A2 Shore Road Greenisland carries some 30,000 vehicles a day.

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