A5 WTC (New Road from Aughnacloy to Derry)

[giveherlong]

I'd have thought this is a good thing. The court  case was challenging the fact that civil servants didn't have the power to make the decision based on the Buick judgement. Now that the legal challenge to this has ended are Civil Servants now free to retake the decision based on the new powers bestowed upon them by Karen Bradley

No powers until March 2019 and I believe they will be very rulunctant to exercise these powers in controversial cases

[Dougal Maguire]

There's a new Perm Sec in DfI and she's a 'doer' so I'd say she'll be happy enough to take the decision and move it along

[giveherlong]

We'll see what KG is made off but I wouldn't be holding out much hope. Would be delighted to be proved wrong!

[armaghniac]

The Freestate government should have put this into the UK Withdrawal agreement, together with an Enniskillen bypass and a tunnel under Culloville.

[trailer]

There's a new Perm Sec in DfI and she's a 'doer' so I'd say she'll be happy enough to take the decision and move it along

A civil servant who does anything would be something.
What they previously did was hold meeting with Ministers but not take ministers, shift blame, evade, tell untruths, forget things and go home early.

This whole project is peak NI government. Absent ministers, and incompetent civil servants. People should lose their jobs as a result. How many will? My guess is none. Menawhile the public has to limp on and put up with this shit show.

[Dougal Maguire]

Excellent stuff there. Brilliantly researched. Well done

[TabClear]

I'd have thought this is a good thing. The court  case was challenging the fact that civil servants didn't have the power to make the decision based on the Buick judgement. Now that the legal challenge to this has ended are Civil Servants now free to retake the decision based on the new powers bestowed upon them by Karen Bradley

No powers until March 2019 and I believe they will be very rulunctant to exercise these powers in controversial cases

Mu understanding is that they are not allowed to take decisions that are deemed controversial even if they were willing to. In all likelihood this will mean the A5 going in the "Too Hard" pile along with the Incinerator and North South Interconnector.

Its an absolute disgrace this road has been allowed to remain how it is. Another young lad from Omagh killed on it a couple of weeks ago to go along with far too many others since this bullsh!t objections campaign began.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Excellent stuff there. Brilliantly researched. Well done

Well, when you see the gross ineptitude surrounding RHI1 and RHI2, you gotta wonder is part of the job description for an NI civil servant involve having IQ in single digits?

[BennyCake]

The Freestate government should have put this into the UK Withdrawal agreement, together with an Enniskillen bypass and a tunnel under Culloville.

...and emerge next to the new Casement?

[trailer]

Excellent stuff there. Brilliantly researched. Well done

Well, when you see the gross ineptitude surrounding RHI1 and RHI2, you gotta wonder is part of the job description for an NI civil servant involve having IQ in single digits?

The incompetence of the NI civil service knows no bounds. But if you criticise it you don't know, you haven't researched it.
The NICS is full of people who wouldn't know a days work if it bit them on the arse. A wake up call is needed. When was the last time anyone in any area of authority lost their job in the NICS? Look at the list of failures that they have presided over.
Northern Ireland Civil Service is a by-word for gross incompetence.

[LeoMc]

Don't understand why people have objected to this? I assume they will lose their homes etc.

Any plans for a new route?

I don't think so, still showing the agreed route on the website.
http://www.a5wtc.com/Map

[Eamonnca1]

All three deaths on the A5 were on straight stretches of the road but due to current road design issues.

The poor man killed on the Great Northern was crossing the road to/from the industrial estate, a route taken by dozens every day to/from work. You have to cross to a tiny refuge island in the middle of the road but the road has a 50 mph limit. Traffic flows so fast that every takes some chance to cross over. Hundreds of people work in the industrial estate and even more visit it each day.

None of these deaths and the further accident yesterday evening on the A5 at the Bankmore Road junction would have been prevented by the new road because they occurred within the area of Omagh requiring the Omagh bypass which has always been left unscheduled as part of the A5 construction phases. It is the most obvious phase to put in place given the bottleneck of Omagh on the A5. However the phases are now scheduled Derry to Strabane (3 years) then Ballygawley to near Omagh (3 years) followed by the Omagh Strabane and Omagh bypass at some stage in the future when funds become available.

Those greedy farmers and landowners in the Anti A4 Alliance have a lot to answer for in the delays they have caused in the project which would have finished the first two phases in 2015 if they had not held it back because land prices crashed in 2008.  DFI incompetency has been exposed by the landowners but essentially they are looking for more money for vested land.

Mad that a high speed road is allowed through the middle of a town where it can mix with pedestrians. If the new A5 is only partly built it should at least bypass Omagh and allow the old Great Northern Railway to run through the town on its original route. Get Portadown and Derry reconnected by rail again, it'd eliminate thousands of car journeys.

[Aaron Boone]

Can see the new road being downgraded to a few more overtaking opportunities.  The overall political will isn't there for the expenditure on this road.

A new generation will get to wonder why the main road through Aughnacloy goes to Dungannon and the Dublin turn-off is a T-junction.   

[An Watcher]

As a regular user of this road it really angers me that no progress is being made. Similar to Casement Park.

[trailer]

Excellent stuff there. Brilliantly researched. Well done

Well, when you see the gross ineptitude surrounding RHI1 and RHI2, you gotta wonder is part of the job description for an NI civil servant involve having IQ in single digits?

The incompetence of the NI civil service knows no bounds. But if you criticise it you don't know, you haven't researched it.
The NICS is full of people who wouldn't know a days work if it bit them on the arse. A wake up call is needed. When was the last time anyone in any area of authority lost their job in the NICS? Look at the list of failures that they have presided over.
Northern Ireland Civil Service is a by-word for gross incompetence.

As true today as it was 3 years ago. Incompetence of the NICS remains unrivalled.