Support for A5 road upgrade 'across the board' says DUP MLA after bereaved father says 'enough is enough'

Tom Buchanan, who represents the West Tyrone area, said the "sheer number of people who have lost their lives" to collisions on the existing road "really does speak volumes" about the need for an upgrade to move ahead urgently.

He was speaking to the News Letter after the father of a man who lost his life in a collision on the road just over a year ago said "enough is enough" when it comes to delays in carrying out the works.

Plans to upgrade the road were announced in 2007 and backed by the devolved government at Stormont, but lengthy legal battles have held back progress.

Nathan Corrigan was one of three men who died following a crash in December 2021 and his father, Damian, has joined a campaign group demanding the work goes ahead as soon as possible.

Speaking to the BBC, the bereaved father said: "The numbers for that stretch of road, it's not just in recent years, the history on that road is horrific.

"We have to stop at that junction where he was taken from us, so it's horrific."

Mr Buchanan, meanwhile, said: "There are a lot of fmailies throughout Tyrone and beyond who are grieving as a result of a tragic collision on the A5. The sheer number of people who have lost their lives really does speak volumes - the A5 is a dangerous road that really needs to be given urgent attention. A few people are continually contesting this through the courts, and that's where the difficulty lies."

He continued: "There is near unanimous support for this upgrade, right across the board, because people in West Tyrone realise that we do need a proper road network. The one caveat I would put to that is that farmers who are losing ground must be treated with respect as far as compensation for the loss of land. But the majority of people in Tyrone agree that there needs to be a new road brought in through because the current A5 as we know it is not fit for purpose."

He added: "The A5 is a project that has been ongoing for a long time, 15 or 16 years in the making.

“When it was in the Executive it was always a priority but it has always been held back by court cases, delaying it and delaying it. That delay has ultimately cost lives, and it has increased the cost of doing the A5 upgrade.

“There's no doubt about it, we need a new road network down into West Tyrone. There's no getting away from that. When we look at employment in West Tyrone a large part of it is taken up with small engineering works and we need a good road to get that material in, and to get those products out again. The road network isn't there.”

The DUP MLA added: “The A5, as it currently stands, is not fit for purpose for the volume of traffic that's on it.

“Time and time again we hear about accidents on it, the road being closed, and sadly about lives being lost.”