A5 WTC (New Road from Aughnacloy to Derry)

[ziggysego]

Shocking decision to not by-pass Omagh (insert obvious joke here) but that junction on the Omagh through-pass has to be one of the worst feats of traffic engineering ever developed.

I presume you're talking about the ridiculously short overtaking lane on the Strabane side of Homebase? Many a learner driver has had their pass on their driving test destroyed by that lane ending, with the test centre less than a mile in sight!

Yeah, that one is a nightmare. Always shards of broken glass there, from some collision. It's a wonder no-one has been seriously hurt there... yet.

[omagh_gael]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19062494

[ziggysego]

You beat me to it OG. 

Great to see part of this road has finally been given the go ahead and the work is to start this year. Hopefully the money will be found to link Omagh and Sion Mills, plus Ballygawley and Aughnacloy.

[EC Unique]

Great news. As a Ballygawley person this can only be good. We have been blessed with road improvements with this and the upgrade of the A4 Ballygawley to Dungannon.

[WeeDonns]

The 'Throughpass' has been a disaster since before it was finished. That junction had an accident a week when it was a roundabout.
Maybe it could be improved by keeping the lights green for through-traffic for longer, although that'll mean longer waits for those crossing the junctions or heading for Enniskillen.

Great to hear they're going ahead with the Omagh to Ballygawley bit, the new Ballygawley to Dungannon road has been a great improvement to the trip to Belfast, so this should make it even easier 

Omagh's still going to be a nightmare for those travelling further west though

[EC Unique]

Bit of a hold up now it seems
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21754435

[ziggysego]

Hopefully come 20th March, the A5 road gets the go ahead.

Crucial for the West to get a proper road infrastructure in place to aid the economic growth of the region and to ensure road safety. Too many accidents on this road in recent years.

[oakleafgael]

Bit of a hold up now it seems
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21754435

Wayleave fencing and hedge/tree removal is well progressed. The Ballygawley to Omagh section can start immediately going by the ruling today, although I have only seen the report of it on the bbc website and not the full ruling.

[ziggysego]

Wesley Johnston -  The judge has rejected all but one challenge against the scheme. He has ruled that the public inquiry was not unfair, that the environmental impact assessment is valid and that the landowners' rights have not been breached. The only one upheld is uncertainty over whether the assessment of the impact on the Rivers Finn and Foyle were valid, and the judge has given the DRD eight days to provide evidence that it was. It should be noted that both these rivers are on the Derry-Strabane stretch. There are now no outstanding challenges to the Omagh-Ballygawley section, so there is no reason why work on that stretch could not go ahead if the DRD can convince the judge of this.

[LeoMc]

Wesley Johnston -  The judge has rejected all but one challenge against the scheme. He has ruled that the public inquiry was not unfair, that the environmental impact assessment is valid and that the landowners' rights have not been breached. The only one upheld is uncertainty over whether the assessment of the impact on the Rivers Finn and Foyle were valid, and the judge has given the DRD eight days to provide evidence that it was. It should be noted that both these rivers are on the Derry-Strabane stretch. There are now no outstanding challenges to the Omagh-Ballygawley section, so there is no reason why work on that stretch could not go ahead if the DRD can convince the judge of this.

And the Judge could be minded to slap a hefty legal bill on the AAA5A.
"In relation to the issue of costs I will hear counsel both generally as to costs and specifically as to whether the costs involved in these proceedings were unnecessarily increased by the number of issues which were raised by the applicants. "

[WeeDonns]

Case adjourned until 12th April;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21850668

A5 road project: Court challenge is adjourned
A5 road No work can be done on the scheme until after the court case

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has been given more time to make submissions in a legal case over the A5 dual carriageway.

A group of farmers and landowners is challenging the redevelopment of the A5 between Londonderry and Aughnacloy, County Tyrone.

Last week, a judge said the department had not carried out a proper Habitats Directive assessment.

But the case was adjourned on Wednesday as a DRD barrister was unavailable.

The judge had previously said he was minded to quash the decision to proceed with the project because, he said, the department had failed to carry out an appropriate assessment of the rivers Foyle and Finn special areas of conservation under the Habitats Directive.

However, he gave the DRD until Wednesday to make further submissions on the matter.

He had rejected all the other grounds of appeal from those objecting to the project.

On Wednesday, a DRD lawyer conceded that if the judge found that there had not been an appropriate assessment carried out then a decision to proceed with the project had to be quashed.

However, the judge ordered that all work cease until the matter is resolved.

The DRD was also ordered to pay the adjournment hearing costs.

Another hearing will take place on 12 April.

[ziggysego]

Finance Minister says A5 plan should be scrapped and the £300m used elsewhere.

The Executive should cut its losses on the troubled A5 road project and spend its massive £330m budget elsewhere, the Finance Minister has demanded.

As he took stock of Chancellor George Osborne's budget on Wednesday, Sammy Wilson also predicted Northern Ireland would eventually be handed the powers to set corporation tax at an acceptable price – but not quickly.

The DUP minister's proposal to ditch the A5 scheme – Northern Ireland's biggest roads project ever – risks a blazing row with Sinn Fein. The party is the strongest champion of the road, which runs through Sinn Fein constituencies for its entire route.

"They are not acting rationally on this issue. It is hard to get any logic out of them," Mr Wilson told the Belfast Telegraph.

He intends to raise the issue at the Executive and suggested spending on the A6 – which runs from Londonderry through Dungiven to Toome – would be a better use of the money.

As well as being Northern Ireland's biggest civil engineering project, the A5 work represents a major boost to the construction industry. Work is currently halted because of a court challenge from local protest groups on environmental grounds. At present the Department of Regional Development, where Danny Kennedy (right) of the UUP is minister, is seeking to reverse the order that halts the scheme.

"Even if the department wins in the end it could take around a year and a half to take that through the court and complete whatever additional environmental work is required.

"That would be much too late to spend the money on the A5 in this budget period," the Finance Minister said.

"It would be a total disaster to sit on £300m for a year or even two when we are crying out for work.

"I'd urge Danny Kennedy to look for another road scheme – and there is one that is sitting there which could proceed quickly.

"The A6 from Londonderry through Dungiven to Toome would improve the movement of goods, services and people just like the A5. It would improve the accessibility and productivity of the north west."

Belfast Telegraph

[Walter Cronc]

I say spend it on the A6, just as long as they dont build through Watty Graham Park 

[Billys Boots]

Would the A6 not be crossing the river Foyle too?

[omagh_gael]

Bend over and squeeze Sammy, i'm sure there is more shit to dump on the west/south west.