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Stormont spends £400,000 on 'road to nowhere'

&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">The A29 at its junction with the Desertcreat Road before in 2012 (left) and after in 2015 (right)</span>
 The A29 at its junction with the Desertcreat Road before in 2012 (left) and after in 2015 (right)  The A29 at its junction with the Desertcreat Road before in 2012 (left) and after in 2015 (right)

STORMONT has been accused of spending £400,000 on a "road to nowhere" by upgrading a route to a police training college that may never be built.

The work is to improve the A29 between Dungannon and Cookstown in Co Tyrone at its junction with the Desertcreat Road.

The narrow country road was supposed to be the gateway to a world-leading college for training police, fire and prison services.

But the project, announced back in 2004, appears to be dead in the water after being dogged for years by problems and delays.

And now questions have been asked over why hundreds of thousands of pounds appear to have been spent improving access to a minor roadway leading to the site.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) has insisted the upgrade is "primarily a safety scheme" and has nothing to do with the college plans.

But politicians said the road improvements would never have happened if Desertcreat College had not been in the pipeline.

Jim Allister, TUV leader and assembly member for North Antrim, criticised the road scheme at a time when governments are "seeking to make efficiency savings".

"The Road Service doesn't have money to trim the verges but there is finance to squander on what is quite literally a road to nowhere," he said.

"However, it would be a mistake to blame this on the DRD minister alone. The Desertcreat fiasco is one for which the executive can claim collective credit, incorporating as it did the departments of health and justice."

The £400,000 upgrade at the Desertcreat Road junction and Annagh Road junction opposite began in January and was due to be completed next month.

It has widened the A29 carriageway and created a central right-turn lane for the junctions.

The £130m Desertcreat facility was originally due to be finished in 2008, with more than £12m already spent on design fees and buying the site.

In March the Stormont departments of justice and health accepted a recommendation that plans for the college should go back to the drawing board.

The final nail in the coffin came last month when it emerged the Treasury had withdrawn £53m earmarked for the joint training college.

Patsy McGlone has been involved in talks about the proposed college for more than 15 years, first as a Cookstown councillor and in his current role as a member of Stormont's justice committee.

The SDLP Mid Ulster MLA said he was involved in trying to improve the road and welcomed the upgrade, but said it was probably planned "to be part of overall works to do with Desertcreat".

"It made sense to develop and enhance that part of the road with Desertcreat going ahead," he said.

"While that road enhancement work was important, it wouldn't have been necessary in the absence of the Desertcreat project.

"If there had never been mention of Desertcreat I have no doubt that the enhancement works would not have been a priority."

However, the DRD insisted the road upgrade scheme was assessed and prioritised independently of the Desertcreat plans.

A spokeswoman said: "This scheme is primarily a safety scheme aimed at reducing vehicle conflict and aid traffic progression along the A29. The scheme has been assessed and prioritised independently of the Desertcreat plans.

"Work began in January 2015 and will finish in August 2015 at a cost of around £400,000. This safety scheme will bring the Annagh Road and Desertcreat Road junctions up to current standards by providing double right turning lanes and widening the carriageway to 9.3m.

"The scheme is one of a number of measures along this route which will target collisions associated with turning movements at junctions. The scheme in conjunction with other works along the route will provide a consistency environment for road users."