This follows a public inquiry held into the proposals to provide a new dual carriageway between Shore Avenue (University) and Seapark.
Following the publication of the Draft Statutory Orders in March 2007, a public inquiry was held in October 2007 and the inspectors reported their findings to the Department for Regional Development in January of this year. Having considered the inspectors’ report and all other representations made, the department carried out a thorough re-examination of the issues raised and concluded that the proposed route was the correct option.
The minister said: “I am pleased to be able to confirm my department’s position following the public inquiry. I am well aware of the strong support for this scheme, given the significant improvement it will bring to regular users of this route and the economic benefits for Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey.
"I am also mindful that the scheme will affect a significant number of people, however I believe that it strikes the right balance between the benefits to the wider public and effects on landowners. The proposal has been thoroughly evaluated and I am satisfied that it provides the best overall solution to this longstanding problem.”
The department proposes to proceed with the scheme to detailed design, incorporating amendments highlighted in the Departmental Statement, which is available now that the Notice of Intention to Proceed and the making of the Direction Order have been published.
Roads Service will now further develop the design of the scheme and carry out an economic appraisal, before completion of the remaining Statutory Orders. Subject to satisfactory completion of these, and the availability of finance, the scheme would then proceed to procurement. The construction stage of the works is likely to take up to 2 years to complete.
The DRD Investment Delivery Plan for Roads indicates the an estimated completion date of 2012/13.
Notes to Editors:
The Inspectors’ Report on the Public Inquiry and the Departmental Statement may be inspected during the period t October to 12 November at the following offices
- Roads Service – Eastern Division, Hydebank, 4 Hospital Road, Belfast BT8 8JL
- Roads Service – Headquarters, Room 2-01, Clarence Court, 10-18 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GB
- Newtownabbey Borough Council, Mossley Mill, Newtownabbey, BT36 5QA,
- Carrickfergus Borough Council, Carrickfergus Museum & Civic Centre, 11 Antrim Street, Carrickfergus BT 38 7DG.
An electronic version of the Departmental Decision will be available on the DRD Webpage subsequent to the publication in the press. It may be viewed at
www.drdni.gov.uk/index/publications.htm.
The A2 route connecting Belfast and Carrickfergus carries some 36,000 vehicles a day and is one of the Metropolitan Transport Corridors within the Belfast Metropolitan Area.
The majority of this route between Belfast and Carrickfergus has two lanes in each direction, either in the form of a motorway (M5), a dual carriageway, or as a four lane single carriageway. However, the 2. 4 km section of the A2 Shore Road at Greenisland has only 2 lanes. This causes significant congestion and long delays on this corridor at peak times, particularly for public transport.
The Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan 2015 identifies the Greenisland section of the A2 as a bottleneck on the Belfast Metropolitan Area’s Strategic Highway Network.
The Department proposes that the A2 at Greenisland will be improved to provide 2 lanes in each direction by provision of a new dual carriageway by widening the existing Shore Road from Shore Avenue (University) to Station Road Greenisland and providing a new inland road from there to Seapark where it will re-join the A2 at the existing dual carriageway.
Media queries to: Emma Flynn Davies, Department for Regional Development, Press Office, 028 9054 0007. Out of office hours contact the duty officer on 07699 715440 and your call will be returned.
