SPRING 2004 ISSUE No 3

www.roadsni.gov.uk The Official Newspaper of Roads Service Toome Bypass Opens INSIDE

Best Foot Forward page 2

Park it Properly page 2

Collision Remedial Scheme page 2

Journey times between Belfast and bowstring arch bridge over the Lower and to integrate the bypass into the flat A1 Improvements Londonderry have been cut by up to River Bann which will undoubtedly landscape. These include the use of become a landmark structure. This type low noise road surfacing, a sustainable 15 minutes following the opening of page 3 of bridge allows the approach drainage system and the creation of the long awaited Toome Bypass. embankments to be kept low to avoid grassland areas with wild flowers. The 3.5 km dual carriageway scheme visual intrusion in the floodplain Conservation Volunteers NI and the landscape. It also ensures that the Ulster Wildlife Trust collected seeds has removed approximately 22,000 M1/Westlink bridge deck is sufficiently high for from within a 30-mile radius of the site vehicles per day from the streets of recreational use of the river and to allow and propagated some 120,000 woody Improvements Toome, creating a safer and more free passage for anglers and ramblers plants which have been used in the soft pleasant environment for those who along the riverbanks. landscaping of the bypass. Ecoseeds page 3 collected grass seed and seeds from live and work in the village. The bypass was procured using an other locally occurring plants and have innovative Target Cost Ð Design and supplied enough material to grass some At the opening ceremony, Minister of Build model where any 15,000 sq metres of the bypass. State, John Spellar MP said "The savings/overspend on the agreed target Toome Bypass is, by far, the most cost are shared between Roads Roads Service is now developing a significant improvement to the road Service and the contractor in a pre- scheme to dual the A6 between Fortwilliam Pillars infrastructure in Northern Ireland since arranged manner. This form of contract Castledawson Roundabout and the the completion of the Belfast Cross encourages value engineering and M22 motorway and other carriageway page 4 Harbour Bridge in 1995. Today’s allows the contractor to bring his widening schemes which will provide opening of this major project, costing considerable expertise to the project to more overtaking lanes on the A6. £18 million, is a further demonstration of help solve the many engineering Adding these schemes to the recently my Department’s continuing challenges associated with the scheme. announced £29 million scheme to Hungarian Visit commitment to both the Regional The EU Programme for Peace and widen the M2 motorway between Transportation Strategy and the North Reconciliation contributed 75% of the Sandyknowes and Greencastle, this page 4 West of the province." total cost of the project. represents a planned investment of some £66 million on roads on this key A striking feature of the new bypass is Roads Service has taken other transport corridor. ‘The Toome Bridge’, a 99 metre span measures to limit environmental impact

1 Schools Urged to Park It Properly! ‘Put Best Foot Forward’

1,400 pupils from 30 schools across promotes sustainable modes of Northern Ireland are participating transport such as walking, cycling and in Roads Service’s new ‘Best greater use of public transport to Foot Forward For Schools’ pilot employers, commuters and schools and programme, aimed at educating encourages alternatives to the use of children on the benefits of the private car, particularly for shorter sustainable transport. journeys.

Speaking at the launch of the scheme, ‘Best Foot Forward For Schools’ has at Brownlee Primary School in Lisburn, been developed in keeping with the Brian Moreland of Roads Service said: school curriculum and teachers are "The Best Foot Forward For Schools provided with an Information and pilot will introduce children, their Activity Pack that includes an parents and teachers to easily interactive CD-ROM for computer- accessible travel alternatives and based activities. Road Safety is central inform them on the health, social and to the pilot and the programme includes environmental benefits of using a school visit by a Road Safety sustainable transport on an occasional Education Officer. or regular basis." Further information on the programme The programme is part of the and interactive games can be found on Travelwise NI initiative, launched by the Travelwise NI Website at Roads Service in October 2003, which www.travelwiseni.com.

Most motorists recognise the need for parking and waiting controls to allow traffic to move freely and park safely. However, there are those who ignore these restrictions, parking on yellow lines and in disabled bays, blocking entrances and obstructing footways, forcing people to step onto the carriageway. This is a particular problem for older people, those with disabilities and those with young children.

Enforcement of parking restrictions is currently carried out by PSNI. However, in 2001, PSNI stated that parking enforcement was not a core policing function and that it intended to withdraw from this activity at the earliest possible opportunity.

Public consultation has shown that there is widespread support for effective enforcement of parking constraints and the Department for Regional Development is now preparing legislation to enable it to assume responsibility for parking enforcement. The public’s views will be sought on the draft legislation later this year and the scheme will be fully operational by mid-2006.

In developing its operational procedures, the Department will carefully consider issues such as the appropriate level of penalty for contravening vehicles, arrangements for paying charges, and the provision of an independent appeals process.

The primary objective for the new arrangements is to reduce traffic congestion and to improve highway and pedestrian safety by reducing the number of illegally parked vehicles.

Collision Remedial Scheme What Do You Think? On the move is published to provide road Underway at Derryhale users with information on the services provided by Roads Service. If you have Roads Service has begun work on a Existing hard shoulders on both sides of the £225,000 scheme aimed at improving road road will be removed to prevent sight lines any views on the newspaper, or if there safety on the A3 between Portadown and being obstructed by parked vehicles. A central are any areas of Roads Service work that Armagh at Derryhale. lane will be provided to facilitate right turning you would like to see featured in future movements, and several traffic islands will be This busy route carries around 16,000 vehicles installed to assist pedestrians in crossing the issues, please contact the editor at: per day and several businesses at Derryhale road. Provision will also be made for two bus attract a significant number of customers, lay-bys and associated footpath links. In Room 225, Clarence Court, resulting in extensive turning movements, and addition, it is planned to reduce existing traffic parking which obstructs sight lines. lane widths and implement a 50mph speed 10-18 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GB limit on this stretch of the road. Phone: 028 9054 0473 An analysis of the collision history at this location showed that there have been a Work began on-site in January and the scheme Textphone: 028 9054 0022 number of serious collisions involving should be completed by the end of May this Fax: 028 9054 0024 pedestrians in recent years. Following year. consultation with local traders and PSNI, a e-mail: [email protected] scheme was designed that will both enhance website: www.roadsni.gov.uk road safety and accommodate local business needs.

2 Improvements Continue on A1

The latest stage in a major programme to dual carriageway standard and to of improvements to the A1, which links improve safety particularly at the major Belfast to the border at Newry, has been junctions. The dualling will be completed with the official opening of completed in three stages, with work the new £4.9 million flyover at already underway on the 9.5 km stage 1 Rathfriland Road, Banbridge. from Loughbrickland to Beech Hill which will cost around £21 million. Stage 2, The main aim of this scheme, which has from Cloghogue to the border is been completed on budget and several currently being progressed through the months ahead of schedule, is to statutory procedures with work due to improve road safety by removing the start on the ground in January 2005. difficulties associated with right turning Design work is continuing on the final movements on to, and across, the A1 stage from Beech Hill to Cloghogue. dual carriageway. All the former central reserve crossing points within the In an effort to further improve road junction have been closed, with access safety on this route, another flyover to the carriageway now by ‘left in/left out’ junction will be constructed at manoeuvres facilitated by the new Hillsborough Road, Dromore. Work on bridge and associated link roads. this scheme, costing £4.6 million, is The scheme has involved the planned to begin in July. construction of two substantial structures, a two span bridge crossing Consultants have also been the A1 and a single span bridge over the commissioned to investigate the Bannview Road. feasibility and develop preliminary proposals for providing further flyovers The new flyover forms just part of the at other selected junctions on the A1 strategy to upgrade the entire A1 route between Lisburn and Loughbrickland.

£100 Million Roads Project Launched

Northern Ireland’s first privately The Westlink will also be partially financed roads project has been depressed to pass under a new bridge launched by Minister of State, John that will be constructed to carry the Spellar MP. The £100 million Grosvenor Road. A dedicated busway package will include the widening will be built parallel to the Westlink from of the M1 between Stockmans Lane Broadway to connect to the existing and Divis Street, grade separated busway which runs from Roden Street junctions at Broadway and to the Europa Bus Centre. Grosvenor Road, and the widening of the M2 from Sandyknowes to The works at Broadway are particularly Greencastle. complex and will involve alterations to many existing services, as well as to the Using a ‘Public Private Partnership’ Clowney and Blackstaff Rivers which approach, the road improvements will meet under the middle of the be designed, constructed and roundabout. Current plans are to financed by a private sector construct an aqueduct to carry the consortium, which will then operate rivers over the road and to incorporate and maintain the roads, under the this into the structure that will carry the direction of Roads Service, for up to roundabout. 30 years for an agreed series of payments from Government. Although This scheme will connect to the this concept is new to Northern separate £5.7 million scheme to widen Ireland, it has been successfully used the M1 between Blacks Road and in GB, Ireland and many other Stockmans Lane which is due for countries. completion this summer. The M1/Westlink will then have 3 continuous The M1/Westlink scheme includes an lanes in each direction between Blacks underpass that will carry the main Road and Divis Street. road under the Broadway roundabout.

Need information on current traffic conditions? Log on to the Roads Service Trafficwatch website at: www.trafficwatchni.com

3 Contactdesk Office Address Phone

Roads Service Headquarters Clarence Court 9054 0540 Pillars of Community 10-18 Adelaide Street Belfast Text Phone BT2 8GB 9054 0022 Northern Division Get Facelift! Divisional Headquarters County Hall 7034 1300 Castlerock Road Coleraine The Fortwilliam Park Pillars, one of Belfast’s Valentine also commissioned the Antrim Road BT51 3HS most ornamental links with the past, have been entrance, with pillars of a French gothic design. A Londonderry 1 Crescent Road 7132 1600 given a much needed facelift, by Roads Service. central cast iron pillar along with the gates no longer Londonderry BT47 2NQ exist, having been removed for use during the Second World War. Limavady 86 Main Street 7776 2198 Having provided gateways to Fortwilliam Park Limavady BT49 0ET since 1864, the B1 listed pillars and archways at The refurbishment works consisted of a combination both the Antrim Road and Shore Road entrances of using replacement stone, indenting of original Coleraine County Hall 7034 1210 Castlerock Road had suffered from the ravages of time and were in stone that was partly damaged, and general Coleraine need of extensive refurbishment. cleaning. Whilst most of the replacement stone was BT51 3HS machine cut, the detailed work on the cornice and Ballymoney and Moyle 8 High Street 2766 2252 finials of the Antrim Road pillars was hand-cut by Ballymoney The Shore Road entrance, commissioned by BT53 6AG specialist stone masons. James W. Valentine, is made of sandstone. Each Ballymena and Larne Ballykeel Depot 2566 2951 semicircular triumphal arch is below a projected The refurbishment work, which was substantially 190 Larne Road Link Ballymena cornice crowned with a sculpted group of maiden, completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule, has been BT42 3HA cupid and urn. A matching pillar was moved from welcomed and applauded by both local residents and Antrim Crown Buildings 9442 6508 the centre of the carriageway to Musgrave Park. politicians. 20 Castle Street Antrim BT41 4JE

Southern Division

Divisional Headquarters Marlborough House 3834 1144 Central Way Craigavon BT64 1AD

Ards 2 Jubilee Road 9181 9328 Newtownards BT23 4YH

Down 129 Newcastle Road 4481 2612 Seaforde BT30 8PR

Banbridge 45 Newry Street 4066 2466 Banbridge BT32 3EA

Newry 1 Cecil Street 3025 3335 Newry BT35 6AU

Armagh 17 Ballynahonemore Road 3752 9504 Armagh BT60 1JD

Carn Carn Industrial Estate 3833 8521 Portadown BT63 5RH

Eastern Division

Divisional Headquarters Hydebank 9025 3000 4 Hospital Road Belfast BT8 8JL

Lisburn 40a Benson Street 9262 6677 Lisburn BT28 2BG

North Down 72 Balloo Road 9127 9800 Bangor BT19 7PG

Belfast North 148-158 Corporation Street 9025 4044 Foreign Officials Belfast BT1 3DH

Belfast South 1a Airport Road 9025 4609 Belfast ‘Hungary’ for Ideas! BT3 9DY

Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus 148-158 Corporation Street 9025 4046 Roads Service recently welcomed two Project from presentations on the Regional Strategic Transport Belfast BT1 3DH Managers from the Hungarian Government as part Network Transport Plan to the different sources of EU of a fact-finding mission to learn how Roads funding that have been utilised by Roads Service over Castlereagh Hydebank 9025 3212 4 Hospital Road Service delivers its main functions, and to the past 10 years. Belfast observe Best Practice within the Agency. BT8 8JL Western Division As Hungary is scheduled to assume full membership The visitors were extremely impressed by the systems of work in place for the management and Divisional Headquarters County Hall 8225 4111 of the European Union in May 2004, the theme for the Drumragh Avenue visit, arranged as part of a Twinning Project co- development of the road network in Northern Omagh Ireland, and were also grateful for the hospitality BT79 7AF ordinated by the Department of Trade and Industry in London, was centred on the application of EU of Roads Service staff during their stay in Belfast. Cookstown 33 Molesworth Street 8676 2980 Cookstown Structural Funds. BT80 8NX Having previously accommodated a high-level Dungannon Main Street 8775 1251 A packed itinerary ensured that much relevant ground delegation from Bulgaria, word of our hospitality and Moygashel goodwill in Northern Ireland has obviously spread! Dungannon was covered during the 2-day visit. Topics ranged BT71 7QR

Fermanagh Castle Barracks 6634 3705 Enniskillen BT74 7HN Where to Meet Us Omagh 32 Deverney Road 8225 4600 Arvalee If you have enjoyed reading this newspaper and would like to find out more about our work, then why not Omagh visit the Roads Service stand at one of the following local shows: BT79 0JJ

Magherafelt 30 Station Road 7963 2308 Ballymena 28-29 May Magherafelt BT45 5DN Lurgan 4-5 June Clogher 28 July Strabane 20 Derry Road 7138 2982 Strabane BT82 8DX Our staff will be only too pleased to meet you and answer any queries that you may have.

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