Judge to rule on future of A5 road scheme

A judge is due to deliver a decision on the future of the A5 road scheme later on Monday. The 58-mile (94km)£1.2bn project was given the green lightby Stormont ministers in October last year. However, the following month a group of residents and landownersbegan judicial review proceedingsagainst the dual carriageway. Preparation work had already started on parts of the long-delayed road scheme and in March this year the Infrastructure Minister visited a location where some advance works were underway. More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be upgraded. The scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of delays. A group of local residents, landowners and farmers mounted a fresh challenge against the decision to begin construction work. The umbrella group, known as the Alternative A5 Alliance, contended it would breach legislative targets set out in the Climate Change (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Part of the case centred on Planning Appeals Commission recommendations against proceeding with the scheme unless the department was satisfied it would not undermine those goals. The A5 is a vital artery of the Northern Ireland road network. More than 58 miles (94km) long, it has more than 200 side roads connecting to it. The road is single carriageway for most of its length, with overtaking lanes in some sections. It links Londonderry with Aughnacloy in County Tyrone and passes through towns like Sion Mills, Omagh and Strabane. It is the main north-south route in the west of Northern Ireland, providing a link between County Donegal and Dublin, via the N2 in County Monaghan. The road has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, with the exception of some town bypasses, but there has been a huge rise in the number of cars, lorries and agricultural vehicles using it since it was first built. Official statistics show there has been about a 10% increase in traffic on the road in the last 10 years alone. An increase of about 30% is forecast over the next 25 years. A plan for a new A5 dual carriageway was first proposed nearly 20 years ago. It's been at the centre of a raging debate ever since, between those who say a new, modernised road is needed to save lives - and others who worry about the impact on farmland and the environment. Approximately 1,200 hectares of land, impacting more than 300 working farms would be required for the construction of the full 85km A5 carriageway. Groups like the Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A) have repeatedly raised concerns about losing land that has been in their families for generations. They had called for the existing A5 road to be improved and pointed to the environmental impact of constructing such a large-scale project, as well as unresolved issues about building the new road near potential flood plains. Meanwhile, police figures have shed light on the cause of crashes on the A5, putting focus on driver responsibility. Driver error is the most common cause of fatal road traffic accidents on the A5, but it is also the most common cause of fatal accidents on the majority of roads across Northern Ireland. A previousinvestigation by BBC News NIfound that between 2012 and 2024, the A5 had the highest rate of deaths per kilometre of any road in Northern Ireland. In April this year Justice McAlinden heard arguments at the High Court from barristers representing the AA5A as well as from bereaved families and the Department for Infrastructure. The judge had previously said it was important the case reached a conclusion "as quickly as possible". A decision is expected later on Monday morning.