News

Local Authorities working in partnership to improve the Northwest Road Corridor

22 August 2023

A cross-border committee of Local Authority representatives has been meeting and working collectively to ensure projects proposed along the A5-N2 northwest corridor are being progressed in a co-ordinated way.

Councillors from Derry City and Strabane, Mid Ulster and Fermanagh and Omagh District Councils, as well as Monaghan and Donegal County Councils, meet four times a year to review and report on progress on road projects in each of their respective jurisdictions. Monaghan County Council is the lead authority for the committee in the current year, and Cllr. Brian McKenna is the Chairperson for the 19 member committee.

A key objective of the committee is to lobby the Northern Ireland Assembly, UK and Irish Governments, and relevant central government departments to ensure progress on road projects both sides of the border. Once delivered, the proposed road improvements will deliver a consistent and high-quality upgrade of the northwest transport corridor to provide regional and cross-border connectivity, facilitate the sustainable development of the northwest region and support economic growth.

Key projects currently being progressed along the route include;

• The A5 Western Transport Corridor (A5WTC), which comprises c.55 miles of road to be upgraded through Northern Ireland,
• The 28km N2 Clontibret to Border Road Scheme in County Monaghan,
• The 32km Ardee to Castleblayney Road Scheme in County Monaghan and County Louth, and
• The Donegal Ten-T project, which provides onward connectivity to the north and west.

At the July meeting of the committee, the members were informed of recent progress on some of these projects. A Public Inquiry on the A5 Western Transport Corridor in Northern Ireland has recently concluded, and it is anticipated that the Planning Appeals Commission will issue their report to the Department for Infrastructure by the end of 2023. In County Monaghan, it is expected that European Funding will allow the design of the N2 Clontibret to Border Road Scheme to re-commence in late 2023. The committee were also informed about the recently published All-Ireland Strategic Rail Review and the strategy for the development of the rail network in Ireland by 2050. The next meeting of the committee takes place in September 2023.