Green light given for safety improvements at Derriaghy accident blackspot

For many years politicians, including the late Margaret Tolerton, and representatives from Oakwood Integrated Primary School have been calling for safety improvements at the junction of McKinstry Road and The Cutts at Derriaghy, which has been the site of numerous serious accidents.

Now the Department for Infrastructure has launched a procurement competition for a road safety improvement scheme at McKinstry Road / Derriaghy Road / The Cutts, Derriaghy.

A detailed design of the scheme has now been completed which will introduce fully controlled right turn movements within the signal phasing.

Extensive road widening will be required on the Derriaghy Road side of McKinstry Road to provide the additional splitter islands required to facilitate the new layout.

The improvement scheme will also include widened shared use footways as well as staggered and wider pedestrian crossings, enhancing links to the Glider route and local school.

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: “Road safety is a top priority for the Department and we are aware of public concern following a number of collisions at this busy junction.

"We are committed to reduce and remove, where possible, those risks through engineering measures that fall within the remit of the Department and have made the decision to move this scheme forward as soon as possible.

"An environmental assessment has been carried out which has identified the requirement to remove a number of trees to facilitate widening of the carriageway.

"Any trees removed will be replaced by extensive replanting with a native species on regraded slopes and adjacent areas where possible.”

Lisburn Councillor Jonathan Craig has welcomed the progress that has been made.

"After almost ten years of fighting for improvements at the junction at McKinstry Road/The Cutts it was fantastic to learn that major improvements are to be carried out from February 2024 going on for eight months,” he said.

"This is long overdue at a junction which has seen numerous major accidents, and I must pay tribute to my former colleague and former Mayor Councillor Margaret Tolerton who unfortunately did not live to see this.

"Margaret along with Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP and Oakwood Integrated Primary School, raised the need for this junction to be improved almost ten years ago and fought vigorously to see it implemented.”

The announcement was also welcomed by Councillor Pat Catney, who added: “Following a number of accidents in this area I began pushing the department to install traffic lights and other safety measures at this junction during my time in the Assembly.

“I know how strongly the local community feels about having these safety measures put in place, given the number of incidents we have seen and will seek to keep them updated until this work is carried out.

“We must do everything we can to improve road safety in accident blackspots, one person injured is too many and I’m glad that the department has recognised this and are carrying out the work necessary to get these improvements delivered."