Debate contribution: Roads: Mid Ulster
Debate contribution by Ms Emma Sheerin on .
- MLA
- Ms Emma Sheerin
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 8 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Roads: Mid Ulster
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5674683
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
I thank my constituency colleague Keith for bringing the topic to the House for debate. The state of our roads and the problems that our constituents face as a result of defects is, I am sure, an issue that affects all MLAs and something on which we spend a lot of our time working. I commend the Minister for the work that she has done thus far on the matter. The previous contributor referred to pothole maintenance and how potholes are being filled, and I am sure that he will reflect on the fact that Minister Kimmins has produced a new strategy to change the way in which pothole repairs are done. The old system was a frustrating one, in that one pothole was repaired, while a couple of minor potholes around it were left. There will now be a complete resurfacing of the area that is rough, and that is to be welcomed. I also commend the work of the section engineers. Perhaps unlike Keith, I am focused on one part of the constituency, which is the south Derry part, so I am lucky to be in the Mid-Ulster (North) section. I do not have enough good to say about Conall McKee and his predecessor Neil Bratton. They are accessible, respond to me and are always doing their best with a limited resource, like Johnny Graham and Mark in the other section office. The two offices work really well hand in hand to make sure that our roads are as safe as they can be. We know that the state of our roads is not a new problem. It has been an issue for some time, and, west of the Bann, the quality of our roads has always been inferior. I often say to constituents that, realistically at this stage, we are driving cars that were made for an autobahn on roads that were made for horses and carts. Part of the problem is that a lot of our roads, particularly our B-class and C-class roads, do not have bases, so we are fighting a losing battle. As we go into wintertime and harsher weather conditions, we see that more and more. I thank the section engineers for the work that has been done recently at our end. We had been lobbying for a number of resurfacing schemes for some time, and we have seen them successfully delivered. Our constituents appreciate that. I know that the Minister is working to improve things in a difficult context with a limited budget and competing priorities. There is an onus on all of us to work together to ensure that the best infrastructure is available to all of our constituents.
455 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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