21/11/2005

Westlink 'communications' initiative launched

An integrated communications initiative to inform the haulage industry of the £75 million scheme to upgrade the M1/Westlink has been launched.

Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor, Wallace Brown and Joe Drew, Roads Service's Eastern Divisional Manager, launched an information leaflet highlighting the work that will commence in the New Year and also outlined how an automatic email alert service to help keep road users informed of the progress of the scheme.

Mr Drew explained: "In preparation for the commencement of the M1/Westlink Project Roads Service has prepared an information leaflet for and in conjunction with the freight transport industry.

"The leaflet explains the road works planned for the M1 motorway and Westlink and gives industry the opportunity to register with Roads Service for regular automatic updates, direct by e-mail, on road closures and the temporary traffic arrangements during construction.

Also present at the launch was Commercial Director for the Port of Belfast, Joe O'Neill, who said: "Although this scheme will cause Port users and customers a certain amount of pain during the construction period I believe that the works on this key strategic route will deliver significant benefits for the Port of Belfast and the Northern Ireland economy."

The M1/Westlink Project is planned to start in January 2006, following the busy Christmas retail period, and is expected to take approximately three years to complete. The road improvement scheme will involve widening the M1 motorway and Westlink and the removal the two existing sources of the bottleneck on Westlink by constructing an underpass at Broadway and a partial underpass at Grosvenor Road junction.

The scheme will tie into the recently widened section of the M1 (Black's Road to Stockman's Lane) which was opened in August 2004 and create three continuous lanes as far as Divis Street junction.

(MB/SP)

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