Department of Infrastructure 'cannot give a timeframe' for work on the A1 Belfast-to-Dublin road to either begin or end

​The department has faced growing calls to get rid of the many gap junctions on the road, given the danger they pose to motorists.

The road runs roughly from Lisburn to Newry where it joins the Republic’s motorway network and becomes the N1.

Much of the route north of the border is a fast dual-carriageway, but there are countless turnings off it into side-roads and driveways as well as gaps in the central reservation for vehicles to cross.

The removal of these, making the A1 more closely resemble a motorway, has been talked about for years, with previous transport minister Nichola Mallon having okayed it. But it has yet to commence under current minister John O’Dowd.

Asked this week when the department anticipates work beginning – and ending – it said: “The department is not in a position to provide timeframes at this stage.”

It added: “Minister O’Dowd has been clear that he is fully committed to delivering this important road safety project."Too many lives have been cut short or forever changed by serious injury as a result of road traffic collisions on the A1.

"The statutory orders for the scheme were made in summer 2021 and work on the project is continuing through the development of contract documents and business case. In recognition of current and future potential funding challenges, the department is exploring options to deliver the project in smaller phased packages.”