The Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has received its yearly update on road infrastructure projects in the district.
On Monday 29 September, DfI (Department for Infrastructure) Roads Southern Division presented its annual report at a special meeting of the local authority. Addressing councillors, Divisional Roads Manager Cindy Noble said that, whilst there had been welcome increases in DfI’s overall resource budget (up £77.6m to £637.1m) and capital budget (up £63.4m to £917m), these do not “fully meet the requirements of the department, and, therefore, decisions on prioritising the budget have been made.”
“The opening capital budget for structural maintenance stands at £68m, which falls significantly short of our funding requirements,” she continued. “This will allow the delivery of our highest priority resurfacing projects, roadside stability and drainage projects. The department has operated within a constrained resource budget for many years, and, to help address historic underfunding, additional funding has been allocated to essential maintenance and enhancing signs and lining, and builds upon the existing level of service.”
The annual report reiterated an announcement made by DfI Minister Liz Kimmins in March that, under current financial planning, works on the Ballynahinch Bypass could start in spring 2028. It also confirmed that work on updating the outline business case for the Southern Relief Road is continuing.
In relation to this, it was pointed out that the department is still considering a June court ruling that blocked the upgrade of the A5 Western Transport Corridor. “This was the first legal test of the Climate Change Act and the Climate Action Plan, and the judgement was extremely detailed,” the report read.
“This judgement is something that every department will now have to consider. Department officials are currently working through the judgement; however, it is too soon to conclude on the implications to other infrastructure projects, such as Newry Southern Relief Road.”
