THE Department for Regional Development's (DRD) Roads Service claims it is on schedule to make an announcement in spring 2009 that a preferred route has been selected for the dualling of the A6 from Dungiven to Derry.
This is despite Roads Minister Conor Murphy saying the announcement would take place by the summer of 2009, during an address to Derry City Council and Derry Chamber of Commerce in early June.
Now Roads Service has reiterated its commitment to makin
g a spring announcement in response to a report in the Sentinel, which suggested the preferred road may not be named until the summer.
A statement from the Department reads: "On 18th June 2008 the Roe Valley Sentinel published an article claiming that there was 'further slippage on the A6 dualling scheme announcement from Spring 2009 to the following summer.'
"This is incorrect. The Department for Regional Development's Roads Service remain on schedule to make an announcement in Spring 2009 that a preferred route has been selected for the scheme.
"Further information about the scheme can be viewed at www.roadsni.gov.uk/derry-dungiven."
On June 18 the Sentinel reported that the "expected announcement of the route has now slipped back from Spring 2009 to the following summer."
The report was in accordance with a statement from DRD, dated June 11, in which Roads Minister Conor Murphy outlined plans for the massive £300million A6 Derry to Dungiven dual carriageway.
In that statement the Minister confirmed "over 100 people are currently developing route options for this 30 kilometre scheme and after further consultation the announcement of the preferred route is expected by summer of next year."
A spokesman for the Dungiven By-pass Committee said that, following the release of the results of a survey into pollution in Dungiven Main Street which shows that the levels of nitrogen dioxide rose between 2006 and 2007, the residents were very concerned over any delay in the building of the Dungiven by-pass as it is the only way in which this growing health hazard can be effectively tackled.
A delegation from the Dungiven By-pass Committee travelled to Stormont today, Wednesday July 2, to present their concerns over the problems of pollution in the town to the Northern Ireland Assembly 's DRD Committee.
The full article contains 383 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
