Member's statement: A5 Upgrade: Court of Appeal decision

Member's statement by Miss Nicola Brogan on 12 October 2026.

MLA: Miss Nicola Brogan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 12 October 2026
Type: Member's statement
Business: Members' Statements
Heading: A5 Upgrade: Court of Appeal decision
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5785807

Text

I am pleased to welcome the Court of Appeal's ruling last Tuesday to allow the A5 road upgrade to progress. It was a hugely significant day for the people of West Tyrone, who have waited far too long for that road to be upgraded and made safe. In the Chamber, I have said time and time again that the most important reason for upgrading the road is that doing so will save lives. More than 50 people have been killed on the A5 in the past 20 years, and countless families and communities have been left devastated by those losses and severe injuries caused by accidents on that road. On Tuesday, it was very emotional at the courts when the news filtered through that the A5 upgrade had been given the green light. There were families there who had lost sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles. There were people there who had lost school friends. Although there was obvious joy that the road upgrade had been given the green light, there was also a sense of sadness at the fact that people had to suffer the worst losses in order for us to get to this point. I take the opportunity to thank and pay tribute to those families for the incredible dignity, strength and patience that they displayed during what was a long process. It is a testament to their sense of community and humanity that, having endured the most tragic losses, they dedicated themselves to ensuring that nobody else has to. I also thank the Minister for Infrastructure, Liz Kimmins, the previous Minister for Infrastructure, John O'Dowd, and officials in the Department for Infrastructure for all their hard work and determination to progress the A5 project. Despite the many obstacles put in their path, they remained steadfast in their commitment to delivering the A5. John and Liz understood the suffering that families had experienced and felt a responsibility to do all that they could to deliver the project. The A5 upgrade also offers West Tyrone and the wider north-west of Ireland an enormous economic boost. The construction of the road will bring significant investment to the area by creating many jobs and much work for people locally. It will also provide a boost for local businesses and the local economy. Additionally, by reducing travel time to and from Dublin, the A5 will open up the north-west to more investment, increased trade, faster commuting, more tourism, the promotion of job creation and regional balance. It represents a £1·6 billion investment in a part of the country that has suffered from historical underinvestment and a lack of critical infrastructure. It is important that we come together now to deliver the A5 at pace.

456 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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