THE announcement of a delay to the A5 project was met with shock and anger during a reconvened meeting of the local Council’s Regeneration and Community Committee.
“It’s a shocking indictment of decades of ineptitude in Stormont.”
Highlighting risks, SDLP Councillor Mary Garrity, pictured below right, said, “Unfortunately, lives have been lost, and many of them.
This project was agreed in 2007, then 10 years later, the Executive collapsed. It’s a failure of Stormont.
“There are agendas in play to delay this, and we all know what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s unacceptable. One life lost can never replaced.
“We’ve had too many fatalities on that road. That’s what is put at risk while agendas go on behind [this delay].”
Sinn Fein’s Councillor Sheamus Greene, questioned the “scheme alternatives”, and if this meant the project was being entirely re-done.
He said, “This is really worrying. The North West is in dire straits; 15 years later, this is where we are at.”
Referencing consultancy fees of around £51 million, he said: “It’s absolutely shocking.
“Hopefully we’ll get some answers, because this does not need to be let lie.”
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