Ballykelly road works plans spark fresh calls for bypass
The need for a bypass around a Co Derry village plagued by traffic congestion has been raised again after it was confirmed the area will be subject to road works for the best part of a year.
Work on a new "active travel scheme" got underway on Monday in Ballykelly with "temporary traffic management" set to continue for 33 weeks.
The new project comes after roadworks got underway in August just outside the village, meaning Ballykelly will have been hit by lane closures and traffic hold-ups for a total of around nine months - assuming the new active travel scheme finishes on schedule in May.
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The new Active Travel Scheme, announced on Friday, will provide what the Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd described as "an attractive, high quality active travel route" that will be suitable for pedestrians and cyclists, between the villages of Greysteel and Ballykelly.
But the roadworks and the traffic congestion in Ballykelly has prompted fresh calls for a bypass around the village.
The independent MLA Claire Sugden said: "This scheme will link the two towns, enabling cyclists, walkers and other users such as those with prams or who use wheelchairs, to travel safely between them.
“Traffic on this route can be extremely busy as it is the main link between Coleraine, Limavady and Londonderry, so will provide an important element of safety for those using these more active forms of transport."
She continued: “It is the level of this traffic – and the current road infrastructure – that does, however, underline the real and growing need for a bypass for Ballykelly. It often creates huge traffic jams in the town, with the impact of slower commuting times, increased pollution and frustration for locals who want to nip to the shops, do the school run or get to work."
There has been talk of a bypass around Ballykelly for well over a decade.
A preferred route for the proposed new road was identified all the way back in 2010, at an event at the Drummond Hotel in Ballykelly.
The route announced back then would see a roundabout built as the A2 Clooney Road passes through Ballykelly Forest, linking on to a proposed new dual carriageway that would cut through the forest and around Ballykelly village.
The estimated cost of the project, at that time, was between £35million to £40million and it was announced in June that year that work on the new road would begin in 2017/18.
But in August 2023, the Department for Infrastructure confirmed the scheme remains on hold.
Claire Sugden, in a statement on Monday as road works began on the new active travel route, said: "“The need for a bypass around the village has been talked about for nearly 20 years, but this has been consistently paused because of budget constraints.
“Even the preferred route of this bypass was identified more than 10 years ago. That scheme went no further, but the need has since grown for commuters and residents of Ballykelly.
“I have had regular correspondence with various Ministers for Infrastructure over the years, and despite receiving a commitment from them to look again at Ballykelly within the scope of their long-term plans, confidence that we will see imminent movement on this project is lacking."
She added: "This project really matters to people. I hope this bypass will soon be included in future plans for the A2, along with a commitment to seeing it happen in a timely way.”
In April last year, the Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd suggested a bypass around Ballykelly could be included in a new 10-year plan.
Responding to a query from Ms Sugden, the Minister said: "My Department is in the process of developing a new Transport Strategy that will help to shape the vision and strategic priorities for transport through to 2035. Once this is published, it will help to inform the Transport Plan for the Regional Strategic Transport Network, which includes the A2 at Ballykelly."
Announcing the active travel scheme on Friday, Mr O'Dowd said: “This is a significant investment in active travel infrastructure and is part of my ongoing commitment to increasing opportunities for walking, wheeling and cycling. This scheme will provide an attractive, high quality active travel route along our scenic north coast providing benefits for the local communities of Ballykelly and Greysteel and enhancing opportunities for tourism in the area."
He added: “I would like to thank local residents and road users for their patience while this work is carried out and ask that they slow down in the vicinity of the work and abide by the temporary traffic management arrangements which are in place to ensure their own safety and the safety of our workers and contractors.”
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