Roads Chief hails ‘best ever’output of roads resurfacing

Members of Ballymena Borough Council have been updated on the progress of Roads Service investment in the borough.
Ballymena Sign.Ballymena Sign.
Ballymena Sign.

Over the period in 2013 and 2014 DRD invested over £10.82million in the Ballymena area delivering a comprehensive range of road schemes and maintenance work.

The main parts of the investment are the completion of a number of significant lengths of carriageway resurfacing at a total cost of £3.59million, including the M2 Ballymena Bypass, A26 Crankill Road at Teeshan, A43 Glenravel Road and B96 Dreen Road, Cullybackey.

Speaking at Thursday night’s meeting, Divisional Roads Manager Deirdre Mackle said: “That’s a phenomenal amount of resurfacing, it’s fair to say that it’s our best ever output in Ballymena.”

Members heard that the scheme to address the number of traffic collisions at the junction of Bridge Street and Waveney Road has been completed at a cost of £115,000 and included revised pedestrian crossing arrangements. She said: “New style PUFFIN crossings introduced at North Road and Linenhall Street are synchronised with the signal controller at the junction with Bridge Street to reduce the likelihood of traffic having to stop twice at these adjacent locations.”

“A pedestrian refuge island installed on Antrim Road near to the petrol filling station along with improvements to the footways provides increased sightlines for vehicles exiting the filling station. Work has also been completed on improving the footway link from Kells towards the Primary School along Station Road.”

Work is scheduled to commence this financial year on the construction of a new roundabout at the junction of Ballee Road West with Cromkill Road at a cost of £250,000. A further stage of the Ballymena to Cullybackey footway scheme will also be completed this year and will extend the provision a further 150 metres to link up to the level crossing and then on to connect to the existing footway at Maine Grove in Cullybackey. Translink plan to relocate the Automatic Half Barrier, to provide an improved crossing facility for pedestrians. There are also plans to improve sightlines on the western side of Rathkeel Road at the Lisnamurrican Road crossroads and to the right emerging from Whitesides Road onto Slaght Road.

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