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Another piece of progress in the delivery of Phase 2 of the A1 upgrade scheme has been announced today by Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd.
Campaigners have long called for investment in the road which has been the location for many fatal accidents over the years. Conversion to a dual carriageway took many years starting in 1971 but many gaps in the central reservation still allow traffic to criss-cross the 70mph road.
* In 1964 proposals were made by Home Affairs Minister William Craig for the M11 running from the M1 at Finaghy north round Lisburn, crossing south and going all the way to Newry but in 1969 the Belfast Transportation Plan proposed the scrapping of the M11.
The A1 Scheme will include the provision of 4 new grade separated ‘flyover’ junctions, the closing up of all gaps in the central reservation and the construction of a continuous central reserve safety barrier along the whole 25km route between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland.
The minister today announced that a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire has been advertised as part of preparation for the procurement stage. The questionnaire will lead to the identification of a restricted list of tenderers who will then be asked to price the works. The cost of the Proposed Scheme is estimated to be in the range of £120 - £130 million.
Minister O’Dowd said: “Major road schemes are an important part of the work that is delivered by my Department as we seek to reduce journey times, increase reliability and improve road safety. I have been clear since taking up office that the delivery of the A1 Junctions Phase 2 project is a priority for me."
Minister O'Dowd confirmed earlier this year that the scheme would progress to the final delivery stage as a single package of works with ringfenced funding going forward.
The Minister added "Preparation for the procurement process has been moving forward at pace and I am pleased to confirm that the first phase commences this week with the advertisement of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. This will lead to the identification of a restricted list of tenderers who will then be asked to price the works.
“This is an important step in the delivery of this scheme which will modernise and improve road safety on a key strategic road carrying 40,000 vehicles per day. Following the completion of all the procurement and statutory processes we hope to be in a position to commence work on the scheme in early 2026.”
The full proposals can be viewed via the following link: www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
