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The tendering process to build the £120m upgrade of the A1 between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland starts this week but roadworks are not expected to start until May 2025.

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd announced this significant milestone for the A1 Junctions today. It focuses on Phase 2 of the Road Improvement Scheme with the first stage of procurement starts this week. The cost of the proposed scheme is estimated to be in the range of between £120m and £130m.

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Historic Dan Winter's Cottage, birthplace of the Orange Order, one of the few th...

Minister John O’Dowd has announced a significant milestone for the A1 Junctions Phase 2 Road Improvement Scheme as the first phase of procurement commences this week. The Minister is pictured on site at the A1 with Jonathan Saulters, DfI Transport and Road Asset Management, Director of Major Projects.

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The contractor procurement exercise will then take between 12 - 15 months. Construction is expected to take a further three years to build the scheme.

The Scheme, which aims to provide safety improvements along the A1 dual carriageway between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland, will include four new grade separated ‘flyover’ junctions.

This will close all gaps in the central reservation which will see the construction of a continuous central reserve safety barrier along the whole 25km route.

Minister O’Dowd said: “Major road schemes are an important part of the work that is delivered by my Department as we seek to reduce journey times, increase reliability and improve road safety. I have been clear since taking up office that the delivery of the A1 Junctions Phase 2 project is a priority for me.

“I confirmed earlier this year that the scheme would progress to the final delivery stage as a single package of works with ringfenced funding going forward.

"Preparation for the procurement process has been moving forward at pace and I am pleased to confirm that the first phase commences this week with the advertisement of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. This will lead to the identification of a restricted list of tenderers who will then be asked to price the works.

“This is an important step in the delivery of this scheme which will modernise and improve road safety on a key strategic road carrying 40,000 vehicles per day. Following the completion of all the procurement and statutory processes we hope to be in a position to commence work on the scheme in early 2026.”

The full proposals can be viewed via the following link.

Tender process begins for safety upgrades to dangerous A1 carriageway between Hillsborough and Loughbrickland

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