A5 road commitment can be 'significant breakthrough for Donegal'

The A5 road was first proposed for an upgrade in 2007 - but now we will finally see the long-awaited upgrade to the much-maligned road. 

Since 2007, more than 50 people have been killed on a stretch of road that serves as the main road to Dublin for many in County Donegal.

The A5 spans some 58 miles between Derry and Aughnacloy. For most of its length, the road is a single carriageway with overtaking lanes only in some parts.

As well as those who have lost their lives, there have been over 1,200 people injured on the A5 since plans for its upgrade were approved by the Northern Ireland Executive in 2007.

A variety of legal challenges and protests saw the plans hit an impasse but now the €2 billion project - with €600 million being pledged by the Irish government - is finally set to see action.

Sinn Féin TDs for Donegal, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty, have said that today’s A5 construction commitment represented a significant breakthrough for Donegal.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn said: “This is a day all of us in Donegal and the Northwest have been waiting for. The announcement of an infrastructure project that will go a great way to address regional imbalance and improve infrastructure to and from Donegal.

"As well as improving road safety, this project will address the deep regional imbalance on this island, create jobs, benefit the economy and improve journey times for the thousands of daily users of this route. 

“Following the Executive’s commitment, the Irish Government must now also take all necessary steps to ensure that the Ten-T Road upgrade projects for Donegal, connecting to the A5 and related N2 upgrades, receive approval and are delivered as speedily as possible.”

Traffic on the road has increased by an estimated 10 per cent in the last 10 years and that figure is forecasted to soar by up to 30 per cent across the next 25 years.

The work is expected to be completed on a phased basis, the first of which will see the majority of the route, stretch from Strabane to Ballygawley, upgraded. It is expected that work could get underway in early 2025.

Deputy Doherty said: “I am delighted that my colleague John O’Dowd has sanctioned this project that we have fought a very long time for.

“In fact, both Deputy Pádraig MacLochlainn and myself were in attendance at St. Andrews in 2006 when Sinn Féin received a commitment from both Irish and British governments to get the road upgraded.

“We also attended the public inquiry in Omagh last year and heard the testimony from individuals who had lost family members on the road.

“I understand how transformative the upgrading of this road will be for Donegal and the Northwest and how much safer the road will be as a result.

“Donegal is a county that has been left without rail infrastructure and the upgrading of the A5 is even more important in this context.@