Elliott: Road Network in the West must receive Adequate Funding
Fermanagh & South Tyrone Ulster Unionist Assembly Member, Tom Elliott MLA has gave a cautious welcome to the announcement by Regional Development Minister, David Cairns on Monday 31 July 2006 of a new package of £400 million for major road upgrades.
This is an issue that the Ulster Unionist MLA has campaigned for many years. It is crucial during this consultation period that the Department recognise the need to improve our roads in the West of the Province and allocate the necessary funds to bring our road infrastructure into the 21 century.
Tom said: “This package is long overdue and will be on top of the programme which will see the completion of the A4 from Dungannon to Ballygawley over the next four years but there are many other routes that need to be upgraded.
“It was disappointing that the original allocation of funding had just 0.2% of spend going to Fermanagh, with this being for the Cherrymount Link scheme, which is still not in a position that is close to commencement. At least this announcement has identified 6.75% for the County and a number of other schemes from which many of Fermanagh’s motorists will benefit, such as the Fivemiletown bypass.
“At long last following decades of lobbing by representatives from Fermanagh we now see a Southern bypass for Enniskillen being mentioned on a forward planning scheme. However I would urge caution as this is only at consultation stage and I would suggest that the finance that has been identified for it will be required to adjusted up before the project is completed.
“I am also pleased of the recognition of another vital route, the A32 between Enniskillen and Omagh, which is crucial with the new hospital being built in Enniskillen.
“Many of our minor roads are in urgent need of repair and the short term measures of patching at the moment are false economies and will lead to higher reinstatements costs in the future, as well as reducing road casualties.
“It is vital that during the consultation period that Fermanagh & South Tyrone get the maximum funds available to compensate for the years of neglect and cope with the ever increasing traffic volumes that we have experiences over many years.”