Opinion

Full motorway needed between Belfast and Dublin

There will be a strong welcome for the safety improvements which are to be introduced on a key part of the A1 dual carriageway between Belfast and Newry, with work starting this Sunday and expected to last for three weeks

A new central reserve barrier is to be installed on the Banbridge bypass at a cost of £200,000, and temporary traffic arrangements, including lane closures and speed restrictions, will be in place until the project is completed.

With around 30,000 motorists using the A1 every day, it is essential that all sections, particularly the crossing points which have been the scene of numerous accidents in the past, are comprehensively upgraded.

However, it should still be the ambition of the authorities to ensure that the motorway already linking Dublin with the border is fully extended to Belfast in the foreseeable future.