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Update: The A5 motorway
- Updated: 24th April 2019
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For Oral Answer on : 02/04/2019
Question Number(s): 38 Question Reference(s): 9752/19
Department: Transport, Tourism and Sport
Asked by: Thomas Pringle T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport the rationale for rescheduling funding from the upgrade project of the A5 motorway; if funding will be provided for same in the future; the revised timeline indicated for the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
The planning and implementation of the A5 upgrade project is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland authorities.
The current funding arrangements in relation to the A5 are governed by the Stormont House Agreement and Implementation Plan – A Fresh Start. Under this Agreement the Government is committed to provide funding of £75 million (sterling) towards the cost of Phase 1a of the A5 upgrade scheme. The aim of this commitment was to facilitate the delivery of this phase of the scheme as soon as possible once the planning process in Northern Ireland was concluded.
As part of the Capital Plan Review in 2017 financial provision was made for meeting the Government’s commitment regarding the A5 in 3 tranches over the period 2019 to 2021. When those allocations were put in place it was anticipated that the planning process would have concluded and construction of the 1st phase started before now.
However, legal challenges to the approval of the scheme have resulted in unavoidable delays to the timeframe for implementation of the scheme. Following judicial review proceedings last year the scheme approval was quashed.
Allowing for the time required by the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to review work previously undertaken on the scheme and implement necessary statutory procedures, it was evident, following liaison at official level, that the initial €27 million tranche of funding would not be drawn down this year and would need to be rolled forward. As was the case for previous Government contributions, it is envisaged that payments towards the cost of the A5 will be based on an agreed protocol and linked to the achievement of construction stage milestones. Funding has been assured from 2020 onwards.
