Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Mid-Ulster, Sandra Overend, has welcomed the news that a contractor has been appointed to develop the key A6 Randalstown to Castledawson dualling scheme.
Mrs Overend, who is the Assembly Private Secretary for the Minister for Regional Development, said:
“I welcome the important announcement that the contract for the A6 Randalstown to Castledawson dualling is to be awarded to a Graham/Farrans Joint Venture. This appointment is a vital stage in the process of the development of this project, and it will ensure that – as the first part of the two-phase plan – the project will be at a shovel ready stage when the funding becomes available.
“As traffic levels continue to rise, this project will provide a much needed improvement in the structure of the carriageway, removing a major bottleneck, and at the same time enhancing this vital link between the North West, Londonderry and Belfast.
“Previous success of early contractor involvement on other major road improvement schemes has been encouraging, and Transport NI has again opted to use this approach to ensure that construction issues can be considered and addressed at an early stage, while leaving room to facilitate construction as soon as capital funding becomes available.
“A total of 14km of new dual carriageway will be constructed as part of the scheme. This will be in two sections: 7.3 km from the end of the M22 at Randalstown to the Toome Bypass; and 6.7 km from Toome Bypass to the Castledawson roundabout. This will improve safety, reduce congestion and improve journey times on this key route.”