O’Dowd unable to give estimated completion date for Newbuildings to Strabane section of A5 road scheme

Transcript

00:00I wish to reassure Members that I remain fully committed to progressing the entirety of the

00:04scheme and to taking a statutory decision on whether to proceed with the remaining parts

00:09from New Buildings to south of Strabane and from Ballygully to the border south of Auckland

00:13Chloe at the earliest opportunity. My Department continues to work to progress these remaining

00:18parts.

00:19The 2023 PAC report raised a number of issues on the length between New Buildings and Strabane,

00:27with the main one regarding the potential of increased flooding risk in the River Foyle

00:31Basin. Work is ongoing to consider and address the PAC recommendations in this regard.

00:38As part of this, my officials have already initiated our progressing extensive engagement

00:42with the Irish Government's Department of Transport, Donegal County Council and the

00:50Office of Public Works. Work is ongoing with the aim of developing a common position on

00:55how to mitigate the flood risks. I am confident that the issue raised by the PAC can be resolved

01:01in due course, and that it is a reason to delay progress on other parts of the scheme.

01:06I welcome this statement and commend the Minister and his officials on their commitment to getting

01:12to this stage. It has been a long road and an extremely painful one for those who have

01:17lost loved ones on the A5 along the way. I commend all those who have played a positive

01:24role in campaigning for change. The Minister has outlined well the rationale for his approach

01:30and the phasing of the project, but could he provide an estimated date of completion

01:37for the entire A5 scheme?

01:40I thank the Member for his comments, particularly in relation to the work that my officials have

01:45carried out in regard to this scheme, which has been quite intense at times and well above and

01:52beyond the call of duty at other times. As for the estimated time for the completion of the

01:57entire scheme, I cannot give you now. The work that we are preparing to carry out in terms of

02:02the phase I have announced will take around five years from commencement and a full phase of

02:07construction starting mid-next year, but in terms of property works and advanced schemes starting

02:13early next year, I will most likely have to go through similar preparations for the other parts

02:20of the scheme, as I have done for this one. Both the new buildings to Strabane and the Ballygolly

02:29to Ait McLeod may require a public inquiry, so all those procedures will have to be followed,

02:33and they will take the length of time before a final decision is made.

02:37The Minister has highlighted that it is a commitment to see the entire scheme

02:41developed. In the new buildings to Strabane section, listening to your responses, it is clear

02:45that there will be some time away in terms of preparatory work, not least if there is a further

02:50public inquiry needed. Has the Minister given any thought to improving the existing A5 road

02:59in the short term? Obviously, road safety issues will still exist, whether this particular section

03:05of the scheme happens or not. We have spent considerable amounts of money in the last two

03:11years in terms of schemes on the A5, particularly in the areas where there have been the most

03:17significant recorded collisions. I will keep that under review, working along with my officials,

03:24and where there is required continued investment, that will take place ahead of any planned upgrade.