A1 funding: Bereaved mum hopes safety upgrade to road can be done in one go

A CAMPAIGNER whose son lost his life on the A1 dual carriageway has said there is “light at the end of the tunnel” after the Department of Infrastructure said safety upgrades could be broken into “smaller phased packages”.

But Monica Heaney added that the longer the upgrade work took on the Belfast-to-dublin route, the higher the risk of more fatalities.

She was speaking after the Department said it was now considering how to finance planned upgrades, which had been expected to start in January last year.

More than 40 people have lost their lives on the A1 in the last 17 years and in January 2021 a public inquiry recommended that 111 gaps should be closed, with right turns prevented from more than 20 side roads.

Between 2002 and 2019 there were 661 collisions.

Karl Heaney died along the A1 in 2018 when he was hit by a car travelling in the wrong direction near Banbridge — a death which his mother Monica believes would have been prevented if promised changes to the road layout had been implemented.

“There is at least some light at the end of the tunnel, but it would definitely be preferable if the work was to be done in one go to completion,” said Mrs Heaney.

“The longer we have to wait for upgrades, the more risk there will be of further fatalities.

“We did speak with the Infrastructure Minister John O’dowd last week, and while completing the work in stages is one of the options being considered, we still have hope that the funding can be found to complete it as one.

“It will only take longer, and in the end cost more money, if the work is stretched over a longer period.

“The Minister told us there is now a seven-week wait to find out what finance he will have available, and we would urge him and the Department to prioritise this before more lives are lost.”

A DFI spokesperson said: “Minister O’dowd has been clear that he is fully committed to delivering this important road safety project.

“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.”