£220m stretch of new A6 Derry to Belfast road to open within days

The Department for Infrastructure has confirmed that the the Road Safety Audit process has been completed and the contractor will begin removing cones and temporary traffic management arrangements early on Thursday to allow for the full opening on Thursday afternoon.

Delivered by the Department for Infrastructure, the dualling scheme has involved the construction of 25.5 kilometres of high standard dual carriageway between Drumahoe and Dungiven, including a bypass of Dungiven, with roundabouts connecting the scheme to the existing road network at either end.

The existing road carries around 15,000 vehicles per day, and the Department said this scheme will greatly improve road safety and journey times by reducing congestion.

The project commenced in September 2018 took and over four years to complete. It includes numerous major new infrastructural projects, the new park and ride at Drumahoe which became operational back in 2021 and the new park and ride at Claudy. Former Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon back in 2021 also hailed the new Park and Ride facility at Dungiven. That scheme provides around 150 spaces adjacent to the junction of the new dual carriageway with the Feeny Road, with greenway infrastructure projects introduced for pedestrians and cyclists along the route over the past few years.

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: “This is great news for the 15,000 vehicles using the route each day and will bring long term benefits for road users and the local community in providing shorter, safer and more reliable journey times.

“This scheme along with the Randalstown to Castledawson scheme completed in 2021 represents an investment of around £440 million by the Department to upgrade the roads infrastructure between Derry and Belfast with approximately three quarters of the route now dual carriageway standard or better.

“The Department thanks contractors Sacyr, Wills Bros and Somague who worked together in a Joint Venture to deliver this significant project.”

The scheme to upgrade 14.7 kilometres of the same A6 route between Randalstown and Castledawson was completed in May 2021.

It was delivered by a Joint Venture of Farrans Construction and GRAHAM Construction.