£1,240m for A5 and A6 roads

LONDONDERRY'S eye-catching A5 and A6 road schemes may generate a total bill of £1,240million the roads minister has confirmed.

The multi-million pound A5 Western Transport Corridor planned between Londonderry and Aughnacloy may cost as much as 850million to complete.

The A6 Londonderry to Dungiven dual carriageway may cost as much as 390million. More conservative estimates suggest the roads will cost 650million and 320million respectively.

DUP MLA Gregory Campbell asked the Roads Minister Conor Murphy to outline the estimated cost of the two major road schemes being considered here.

The Minister replied: "The A5 Western Transport Corridor project, which comprises 86 km of dual carriageway from Derry to Aughnacloy, is the largest single road scheme ever undertaken across the island of Ireland. The current estimate for this scheme is in the range 650-850 million.

"The A6 Londonderry to Dungiven project, comprises 30 km of dual carriageway from Caw Roundabout in Derry to the southeast of Dungiven, and includes a bypass of Dungiven. The current estimate for this scheme is in the range 320-390 million."