QPANI welcomes green light for A5 schemes

Northern Ireland’s construction material suppliers welcome go-ahead for investment corridor improvements

THE Quarry Products Association of Northern Ireland (QPANI) has welcomed the announcement by Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy that two stretches of A5 transport corridor improvement works will now go ahead.

‘The final go-ahead for two lengths of dual carriageway on the A5 investment corridor is not only good news for the 800 jobs that will be sustained during the construction phase, but will undoubtedly create significantly more jobs in the years ahead as the benefits of this massive investment are realized and felt right across the whole of Northern Ireland, but particularly in the West,’ said QPANI regional director Gordon Best.

As well as improving safety for those using the A5, the road improvements will allow companies in the manufacturing and engineering heartlands of Mid Ulster, West Tyrone, Derry and Donegal to expedite the movement of their products and services to Dublin and Belfast.

‘The improvement in road infrastructure will bring more inward investment that will require more construction materials and, therefore, secure hundreds of jobs in the companies that our Association represents,’ added Mr Best.

Following hard on the heels of news of a significant investment of around £27 million in the maintenance of the province’s existing roads network, which was announced in June, QPANI says this latest announcement shows that both the Minister and the Executive are committed to building new and maintaining existing roads infrastructure in Northern Ireland.