Call for Moneymore to be included in Cookstown bypass plans

Mid Ulster PSNI flagged the problem up in this Facebook post at the weekend: “Traffic through Moneymore is very slow at present, no particular reason, the route is clear of collisions or breakdowns. Delays due to sheer volume of vehicles.”

The post produced a flood of responses from the travelling public who shared their concerns about the ongoing problem which dates back to the completion of the Magherafelt bypass some six years ago.

With a greater volume of vehicles arriving quickly at Moneymore lengthy tailbacks often stretch back some distance on the Magherafelt Road.

Mid Ulster Ulster Unionist Party Councillor Robert Colvin said a bypass needs to be constructed at the village along with the Cookstown bypass.

He claimed if this does not happen “everything will grind to a halt in Moneymore”.

“Moneymore Heritage Trust Ltd, of which I am Company Secretary, has been lobbying for a by-pass for several years,” said Councillor Colvin.

“We did two traffic surveys and complied statistics and produced a report that has been presented. It is planned to do so again.”

Meetings have been held with the Department of Infrastructure regarding the congestion in the past but former Sinn Féin Roads Minister Chris Hazzard insisted that a bypass at Moneymore was “not a priority”.

Former Mid Ulster councillor George Shiels who took part in the meetings in 2018 involving local people and government representatives.

Speaking after one of those meetings, Mr Shiels stressed the government representatives were in no doubt of the problems faced daily by Moneymore residents and commuters, especially since the provision of the Magherafelt by-pass which had led to an increased volume of traffic at key times in Moneymore.

Preliminary work is continuing on the £45-£55m Cookstown bypass scheduled to begin 2023-36. There is currently no money allocated for the construction.