ROSTREVOR’S Shore Road should be reopened to two lanes “in the near future”, the Infrastructure Minister has said.
Speaking in the Assembly last Tuesday, John O’Dowd stated that “we need to move towards doing that” during a discussion on the need for road improvements in South Down.
However, the partial lane closure on Hilltown’s Kilkeel Road looks set to remain in place for the immediate future.
The debate had been tabled by local DUP MLA Diane Forsythe, who highlighted that the two roads had suffered serious damage as a result of “significant adverse weather” in November 2023.
“Both roads still operate with temporary traffic lights and single-lane traffic, 13 months after they were first damaged and closed,” she told the chamber.
“That is not good enough for the people of South Down and those who travel to and through it.
“The failure to repair and reopen those roads for so long is raised with me every week, everywhere I go.
“My constituency office is inundated, so I ask the minister to hear the significant impact that it is having on people and businesses and to please take some urgent action.”
The local representative stressed that the Shore Road is “the main road from Newry through Warrenpoint to Kilkeel and Newcastle”, and pointed out the negative impact on emergency services, businesses and local residents.
“Minister, when you respond to the debate, I ask you to please advise when the A2 Shore Road in Rostrevor can be opened to two lanes of traffic again and repaired,” she said.
“People in the area see no end to the situation.
“They are depressed and in despair, and they are just looking for clarity.”
Speaking in relation to the Kilkeel Road, Ms Forsythe stated that it is “the main road through the mountains from Kilkeel to Hilltown and Rathfriland”, and that “it is used by many commuters and large vehicles every day”.
“The minister has outlined the complexity of the land slippage and the scale of the repairs in previous responses to me,” she added.
“Again, however, as with the road in Rostrevor, I ask you, Minister, to please advise when the Kilkeel Road at Hilltown can be open again to two lanes of traffic and repaired.
“I make the point again that people are exasperated and are looking for some progress and clarity.”
Mr O’Dowd responded that he recognised “the inconvenience with the A2 Shore Road in Rostrevor, which is due to a landslide that occurred in late 2023”.
“Since it occurred, my officials have been engaging with DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs), the Forest Service and NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) to bring forward an appropriate, safe and sustainable solution to the issue,” he continued.
“I recently visited the location to see it for myself.
“Due to the scale and complexity of the work that is required, we needed to obtain the necessary environmental improvements.
“Those have now been obtained, which allows us to carry out the work.”
The minister noted that “Forest Service wishes to coordinate tree works on the embankment slope to allow us to reopen the road to two lanes”.
“If Forest Service is not in a position to move onto that site in the near future, however, I will ask that the road be reopened to two lanes,” he added.
“We want to work in cooperation with other agencies, but, if we can open the lanes without the work that Forest Service needs to carry out, we need to move towards doing that.”
Mr O’Dowd said that he also recognised “the inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of one lane of the Kilkeel Road in Hilltown due to verge slippage”.
“The member (Ms Forsythe) will be aware of the scale and complexity of the work required at the Kilkeel Road,” he concluded.
“It is significant, which means that it will take time to deliver a safe and cost-effective scheme.
“My department will continue to work hard to open the road to two-way traffic as soon as possible.”
