A5 upgrade will significantly improve efficiency and will transform connectivity and competitiveness, says Logistics UK

Wednesday 02 October 2024

Responding to the announcement from the Northern Ireland Executive that it has approved the A5 road upgrade scheme, Nichola Mallon, Head of Trade and Devolved Policy at business group Logistics UK, says:

“This is a positive announcement and one which will delight our members as Logistics UK has been campaigning for the A5 upgrade over many years.   

“The A5 is one of Northern Ireland’s key transport corridors and a route heavily used by HGVs, yet it is currently the most dangerous road on the island of Ireland. Not only will the road upgrade improve road safety dramatically, it will significantly improve efficiency when it comes to logistics and will transform connectivity and competitiveness in the West.

“The first phase of the A5 upgrade represents a significant investment by the Executive, and one that cannot be downplayed considering the constrained fiscal situation at present, but it is imperative that the Executive commits to upgrading the whole of the A5. At the moment there are no dates for when the sections linking Derry to Strabane and Ballygawley to Aughnacloy will be upgraded and it is essential that these stretches of road are upgraded as well, to improve road safety further and drive growth by smoothing the transportation of goods that we rely on every day.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please get in touch - here.