York Street/West Link Redesign Looms

There's a far-reaching roads scheme being proposed for the northern access routes to Belfast city centre.

It is understood four options are on the table, with a decision expected after the summer in 2012 to undertake the project that could then take up to eight years to complete.

It would cost up to £100million to get rid of the traffic bottleneck at the junction of the Westlink and the M2 and M3 motorways in Belfast.

A consultation for the new road interchange at York Street in Belfast has now been launched and is seeking comments from the public and key stakeholders NI Transport.

Stormont Minister Danny Kennedy said: "This is an important milestone in the project and I am keen to hear as many views as possible on the proposals which would provide direct links between the Westlink and M2 and Westlink and M3 motorways.

"It is important that everyone affected by the proposals has input to the process."

The proposed improvements will replace the existing traffic signal controlled junction with new flyovers and/or underpasses.

Overall, four options are under consideration at this stage and they can be viewed at an exhibition in the Ramada Encore Hotel, from 1 to 2 June.

The Minister said: "This is another step in the process of developing a major road improvement scheme. The proposed improvements to this key junction will provide continuous links between three of the busiest roads in Northern Ireland. This is a high priority within the Roads Service programme," he said.

"York Street interchange is one of the main gateways to Belfast with over 100,000 vehicles passing through it on a daily basis. It also provides access to the Port of Belfast as well as serving strategic traffic movements around Belfast."

The results of the public consultation will be included in the process for selection of the preferred option.

This process assesses the options against the Government's five criteria which include safety, economics, environmental impact, accessibility and integration with other Government Policies.

The final selection of the preferred option will still take some time and is unlikely to be completed before summer 2012. Depending on the option chosen the scheme will cost between £72million and £100million.

The Minister said: "Whilst construction of all schemes is subject to the availability of finances, it is essential to progress this scheme to prepare for implementation. The normal time frame for progressing a scheme of this scale from inception through the statutory procedures is six to eight years."

(GK/BMcC)