New £50m road approved

The go-ahead was given today for the building of a new dual carriageway from Derry to the City of Derry Airport, at a cost of nearly £50m (€63.4m).

Work on the 6.6 kilometres of carriageway from the Maydown roundabout to the airport is expected to start early next year.

The road is the route of the main Belfast to Derry via Coleraine route and will form part of the upgrade of the road.

Announcing his decision to go ahead with the £46m (€58.3m) scheme, Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy said he was taking into account recommendations from a public inquiry.

He said: “I welcome the benefits to road users with the provision of a new all purpose dual carriageway. This will help to accommodate increasing traffic flows, resulting in reduced journey times and making the road a safer and more attractive route for east/west traffic on the A2.”

He added: “This improvement will in turn contribute towards the continued economic development of the north and efforts to improve road safety.”

Vesting orders for land needed will be made later in the year.