WEST Tyrone MP Pat Doherty has written to the Taoiseach and the British Secretary of State and to Ministerial and Departmental heads of transport in Dublin and in Belfast to seek clarification of the level of upgradeproposed for the A5 road between Derry and Aughnacloy as part of the overall upgrade of the main strategic transport corridor between the North-west and Dublin.
Mr Doherty said, "At the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis , Bertie Ahern said that a financial package agreement with the British government included a major road serving the North West. He continued to state that 'this will remove the single greatest impediment to the future development of the North West and the border counties and 'will help undo the damage of decades of division and underinvestment.'
"I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach is explicitly concurring with Sinn Féin's analysis about the disastrous effects of partition including the decades of under-investment. However, given that the British government's limited contribution to the financial package thus far, and given that Mr Ahern has not specifically spelt out what standard of road upgrade is being proposed for the North West including the A5, I would be concerned that what both administrations are envisaging at the moment would fall far short of what is required."
Mr Doherty continued, "An adapted two-by-one road, or even a purpose built two-by-one road, will leave this region lagging far behind in terms of the transport infrastructure developments that have already taken place or in the pipeline in every other region of Ireland.
"Sinn Féin has spearheaded the campaign for this upgrade to be of motorway standard so as to bring transport infrastructure development in this region into line with that in all other regions of Ireland; so as to create a level playing field in terms of engendering the socio-economic regeneration of the region."
He concluded, "A motorway is what is needed and in the time remaining before the institutions are scheduled to be up and running on May 8, Sinn Féin is seeking clarification from both administrations that this is what is being planned and striving to ensure that the necessary funding for this essential infrastructure development is ring fenced within an improved Peace Dividend.
