Debate contribution: A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass
Debate contribution by Miss Jemma Dolan on .
- MLA
- Miss Jemma Dolan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 20 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4381298
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Go raibh maith agat
to my constituency colleague Deborah Erskine for requesting the Adjournment debate and to you, Minister, for facilitating it. This is a topic that my constituents and I feel very strongly about. The Enniskillen bypass is an extremely important project. I am like a child at Christmas at the news that the Executive have agreed to provide £16·2 million of capital funding across 2024-25 and 2025-26 to see it delivered. Since I first ran to become an MLA in 2017, this has been one of my priorities. Although the project long predates that, I am proud to say that, any time that Sinn Féin had the chance, we invested in progressing the issue. I therefore thank the Finance Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, for making this next step possible. It highlights Sinn Féin's commitment to its priority of tackling regional inequalities and driving balanced and sustainable growth across the island. My constituency is one of the areas most deprived of modern, decent roads. To help drive regional balance, we need to invest in the right infrastructure. Enniskillen town centre can act as a bottleneck, where local traffic mixes with passing and strategically important traffic, resulting in delays for both. The bypass will be a huge economic driver for Enniskillen and crucial to helping unlock the area's full potential. The proposed Enniskillen bypass would provide a new transport link to the southern side of the town, improving the connection between the A4 Dublin Road and the A4 Sligo Road and offering the following benefits: reduced traffic congestion in Enniskillen; provision of a transport link across the A4 from the Dublin Road to the Sligo Road; facilitation of more efficient movement of traffic in and around Enniskillen; and reduction in noise and air pollution in the town itself. That is to name but a few of the benefits.
Transport cannot resolve all of Fermanagh's economic difficulties. The Enniskillen bypass is not a magic bullet that will cure all the ills currently affecting the constituency, but it will be a massive help and a significant boost to the area, particularly in light of the recent shock announcement from BT that 300 people with responsibilities and aspirations may lose their jobs. Fermanagh has been neglected for too long, so this is hugely positive news. I look forward to continuing to work with the Executive and the Infrastructure Minister to see the timely completion of this vital scheme.
405 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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