VIDEO: Move to close potentially-deadly gap junctions on Northern Ireland's A1 hailed - though group 'wishes it could happen sooner'
A road safety campaigner has praised a new move to shut down the A1’s potentially-lethal gap junctions.
However Davy Jackson of Road Safe NI also said he wished it could come sooner than the anticipated start date of 2026.
Mr Jackson said that the A1 has seen 40 fatalities in a 17-year period, and “most of them are at these junctions”.
It was announced on Tuesday by the transport minister John O’Dowd that a preliminary phase of tendering for the project has begun.
It will cover the stretch between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland.
The plan is to completely fill in the central reservation along the whole route, replacing gap junctions with sliproads and flyovers.
Departmental documents indicate that there are some 88 gaps in the central reservation on that route (though that includes a number of small gaps that aren’t full gap junctions for cars).
Plans to do so have been taking shape since at least 2019.
In its press release today, the Department for Infrastructure said a “significant milestone” had been reached in its quest for the closing up of all gaps in the central reservation and the construction of a continuous central reserve safety barrier along the whole 25km [16 mile] route”.
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.
“I 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.
"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.”
Mr Jackson said: “Any improvement is welcomed. Of course we need to thank a campaign going a number of years now to get these improvements, led by one of our own volunteers – Monica Heaney who lost her son [Karl, aged 27].
“She’s been instrumental in pushing this. Certainly those right turns, closing them down will help, and those flyover junctions will certainly help.
"The opportunity is there for people to take risks, so if that’s taken away it’s certainly something we’d welcome.”
He added: “Certainly we’d like to see it sooner, but we are where we are with this.”