Briefing on Dualling A6 and funding for the A5WTC

Mr Speaker, if I may deliver this briefing to the Assembly:

It was on 13th December 2005 that the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Peter Hain, announced a £250 million project that would include a Dual - Carriageway bypass at Dungiven, and dual the A6 up to Londonderry/Derry. This was to be a project that spanned just over 30km, and as of a later estimation, would cost £400 million as of 2014. This served as a separate project to 2003’s dualling from Randalstown to Castledawson, 14.7km of road that is previously estimated at £185 million.

This Executive pledges to continue this work, and expand the dualling to the entirety of the A6. At this moment of time, the only part of the A6 road that this has been achieved is the Toome bypass, 3.5km of dual carriageway that was seen as a bottleneck for the A6, and opened in 2004, costing £20.4 million. It is regrettable that the Dualling has not yet been achieved, the project being in limbo for the best part of the last 15 years. That is why we are committed to ensuring that work commences during this term. Work for the previous routes would have begun circa 2016, with that in mind, this briefing will lay down plans for the project, taking note that the work on the Derry/Londonderry - Dungiven and Randalstown - Castledawson route have, administratively been laid out previously.

Alongside this includes upgrade and repair to the A5, which will occur over the next decade. It is important to lay out a plan for our road infrastructure and the A5 requires an upgrade, as announced back in 2007. In the past 4 years, nearly 20 people have lost their lives on the route, and an assortment of other accidents means the A5 Western Transport Corridor will continue. It is a failure of us as an establishment that 12 years on from its announcement, no work has begun, and the fact that at most recent estimates, the entire route may cost up to £1049 million. Granted, as part of the St Andrews Agreement, the Irish Government agreed to part fund the scheme and the A8 upgrade between Newtownabbey and Larne, initially pledging £400 million before deciding to provide smaller instalments in 2011. At that point it was expected that the project would have cost £844 million, where in 2007 both the A5 and A8 schemes were costed at £660 million. Now that the A8 upgrade was constructed and opened in December 2015, the A5 scheme has remained in limbo since. Whilst we respect the fact that committing a lump sum is infeasible for future budgeting reasons, we also recognise the reasons why the Irish government offered to fund the project - as a key cross- border business route. It serves as an extension to the Irish N2 road, which directly connects Dublin to Derry/Londonderry. Nevertheless, the 94km road is still a long term project.

This briefing will provide estimates and yearly funding recommendations for the project, with the funding to be confirmed by the next Northern Ireland Budget.

(M: any contractors specified here are the irl ones, to avoid diverging too much)

Proposals:

Phase 1: Randlestown to Toome

Route length 7.3km

Construction period: 27 months 3 months extension

• Project begins February 2020

• Due to complete by May 2022

• Allow for delays up to 3 months

Project Completion at latest September 2022

Full cost: £100 million

• £38 million allocated for February 2020

• £39 million allocated for February 2021

• Final £13 million allocated from February 2022

£10 million reserved as contingency and for delays up to September 1st 2022

The Randlestown to Castledawson route should start off as the main priority, given that it was the first route to be planned alongside the Toome bypass. This would link directly to the Toome bypass, and whilst prior Executives had planned for construction to commence in May 2017, this has not occurred since Stormont reconvened back in 2016, after all previous executives decided to postpone the project to 2015. It is therefore important to get the ball rolling on the sections planned already by previous executives. Since the groundwork has been laid out, once the funds are allocated come the next budget, construction should be able to begin.

Phase 2A- Toome to Castledawson

Route length: 7.4km

Construction period: 27 months 3 months extension

• Project begins February 2021

• Due to complete by May 2023

• Allow for delays up to 3 months

Project Completion at latest September 2023

Full cost: £103 million

• £39 million allocated for February 2021

• £40 million allocated for February 2022

• Final £13 million allocated from February 2023

£11 million reserved as contingency and for delays up to September 2023

The other half of the Randlestown to Castledawson route, staggered to begin a year later than its first half. This will mean this entire route may take up to 42 months to complete. The contract for this, and for Phase 1 is to a joint venture from Graham Construction and Farren Construction.

Phase 2B - Dungiven to Drunahoe

Route length: 25.5km

Construction period: 50 months, with possible extension to 56 months

• Project begins October 2021

• Due to complete by December 31st 2026

• Allow for delays up to 6 months

Project Completion at latest June 2027

Full cost: £290 million

• £48 million allocated for October 2021

• £50 million allocated for October 2022

• £51 million allocated for October 2023

• £52 million allocated for October 2024

• £53 million allocated for October 2025

• Final £9 million allocated from October 2026

£27 million reserved as contingency and for delays up to April 2027

The much larger project of the two previously scheduled. This was initially expected to take 4 years when first conceived, but in the interests of costs, and ensuring that these projects begin rolling, 5 years is what will be projected, with money reserved as contingency should there be any delays or changes of plan. This first part of the route was the route where planning had taken place and a public inquiry was held in September 2012 regarding the project. This part of the project includes a bypass at Dungiven. The contract is thus awarded to the Sacyr Consortium , led by Sacyr taking 60% of the task, with 40% handled by Wills Bros. Note that some of the costs calculated are due to the cost of land acquisition.

Phase 3A - South of Omagh to Ballygawley

Route length: 21.3km

Construction period: months, with possible extension to months

• Project begins April 2023

• Due to complete by October 2026

• Allow for delays up to 6 months

Project Completion at latest March 1st 2027

Full cost: £ 279 million - £159 million paid by Northern Ireland

-£47 million allocated for April 2023

-£48 million allocated for April 2024

-£49 million allocated for April 2025

£16 million allocated for contingency and delays up to September 2026

First part of the A5WTC, this is being done first to ensure Omagh is linked by expressway to Belfast, ignoring the two islands near Ballygally. Contract awarded to Graham, Farrens, Scott Wilson and Halcrow.

Phase 3B - Drumahoe to Derry/Londonderry

Route length: 4.5km

Construction period: 48 months, with possible extension to 54 months

• Project begins October 2023

• Due to complete by October 2027

• Allow for delays up to 6 months

Project Completion at latest March 1st 2028

Full cost: £164 million

-£37 million allocated for October 2023

-£38 million allocated for October 2024

-£39 million allocated for October 2025

-£40 million allocated for October 2026

£10 million reserved for contingency and delays up to February 2028

The shorter part of the Derry/Londonderry to Dungiven route, without much to say given it is a relatively short route and can be constructed so that both parts of the route are finished by 2028.

Phase 4: Newbuildings to North of Stabane

Route length: 14.3km

Construction period: 36 months, with possible extension to 40 months

• Project begins April 2025

• Due to complete by April 2028

• Allow for delays up to 6 months

Project Completion at latest September 1st 2028

Full cost: £204 million - £116 million paid by Northern Ireland

-£36 million allocated for April 2025

-£36 million allocated for April 2026

-£37 million allocated for April 2027

£12 million allocated for contingency and delays up to September 2028

First part of the A5WTC originally , and will start at Newbuildings, a town just south of Derry/Londonderry. The northernmost part of the route will be to single carriageway standard, delayed to prioritise the South Omagh to Ballygawley Section. Contracts for this stage are awarded to Balfour Beatty, BAM Beatty, FP McCann, ARUP and Atkins.

Phase 5A - North of Strabane to South of Omagh

Route length: 40.0km

Construction period: 108 months, with possible extension to 120 months

• Project begins April 2022

• Due to complete by April 2031

• Allow for delays up to 12 months

Project Completion at latest April 1st 2032

Full cost: £563 million - £323 million paid by Northern Ireland

-£32 million allocated for April 2022

-£33 million allocated for April 2023

-£34 million allocated for April 2024

-£34 million allocated for April 2025

-£35 million allocated for April 2026

-£36 million allocated for April 2027

-£37 million allocated for April 2028

-£38 million allocated for April 2029

-£38 million allocated for April 2030

£36 million allocated for contingency and delays up to April 2032

The most ambitious section of road for the A5WTC, connecting Strabane to Omagh. Also the most costly given its length, hence the work for it occurring over 10 years. Contracts to be awarded to Sisk, Roadbridge, PT McWilliams and Fehily Timoney Gifford.

Phase 5B - Ballygawley to Auchnocloy

Route length: 9.9km

Construction period: 36 months, with possible extension to 39 months

• Project begins April 2027

• Due to complete by April 2030

• Allow for delays up to 3 months

Project Completion at latest August 1st 2030

Full cost: £148 million - £78 million paid by Northern Ireland

-£24 million allocated for April 2027

-£24 million allocated for April 2028

-£25 million allocated for April 2029

£6 million allocated for contingency and delays up to April 2030

The final part of the A5 stretch and the part that leads directly to the N2 to Dublin. Contractors will be decided at a later stage.

Transport budget dedicated for A5WTC and A6 scheme:

2020/21 - £45 million

2021/22 - £103 million

2022/23 - £137 million

2023/24 - £164 million

2024/25 - £171 million

2025/26 - £200 million

2026/27 - £189 million

2027/28 - £127 million

2028/29 - £73 million

2029/30 - £63 million

2030/31 - £44 million

2031/32 - £36 million

This is a plan for the Northern Irish Executive to invest £1.35 billion into improving our roads connecting cities and routes within the island of Ireland. £676 million will go towards the upgrades for the A5, out of a total £1207 million - where the remaining £530 million would be funded by the Irish government over a period of 10 years.

As released in press, in my capacity as First Minister, I have agreed the funding for the A5 alongside my fellow Deputy First Ministers with the Taoiseach on Friday 27th September at the North/South Ministerial Council. To reiterate here, the trade off here for Irish government cooperation is that they will provide £50 million less than what I first approached them with, so that the Irish government may fully realise the motorway or dualling schemes for the M2 in the Republic of Ireland, costing the Irish Government €700 million.

I will later table a bill on behalf of the Executive to put these frames into place and a motion to approve the cooperation efforts for the A5 endorsed between the Northern Irish Executive and the Irish government.

Thank you Mr Speaker!

This statement was delivered by The Rt. Hon The Lord of Sutton Four Oaks CBE PC MLA, First Minister of Northern Ireland and Minister for Infrastructure, Communities and Local Government, on behalf of the Executive.