Archeological dig under way ahead of A2 road upgrade

A LOCAL area rich in archaeological history is to be 'handled sensitively' in advance of a major road scheme.

By The Newsroom

Published 27th Apr 2010, 12:52 BST

Updated 27th Apr 2010, 14:13 BST

One of Europe's largest commercial archaeology companies, Headland Archaeology Ltd, has been awarded a 250,000 tender to provide archaeological investigations ahead of road improvements along the A2 Shore Road.

The widening of the 2.5km stretch from two lanes to four lanes, forms part of an overall 55m project to develop the link between Belfast and Carrickfergus.

Colm Moloney, Managing Director, Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd. said: "We are very much looking forward to building upon our growing reputation in Northern Ireland. Advance investigations are now underway at the A2 site.

"We will be excavating sensitively as this is an environmentally important area, and we have commissioned ecologists to make sure we do not cause any harm, for example by disturbing badgers."