Key points
- The A5 Western Transport Corridor is a 94 km (58-mile) upgrade from Derry/Londonderry to the border near Aughnacloy, linking to Dublin via the N2.
- The project had been halted after a judge ruled it conflicted with Northern Ireland’s climate change law. The appeal court has overturned that decision.
- The Irish government has pledged €600 million because the road also serves Donegal.
- No new start date has been set, and around £192.5 million has already been spent without any new road being built.
The A5 is the main road link between the north-west of the island of Ireland and Dublin. It runs through Strabane, Omagh and Ballygawley to the border near Aughnacloy, where it joins the N2 in the Republic.
For freight, it connects Derry and Donegal to Dublin Port and to the motorway network around the Irish capital. Today, most of it is single carriageway, with frequent junctions, farm traffic and few safe places to overtake.
A dangerous road for drivers
Safety is the main argument for the project. More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006, and politicians across parties described the ruling as a step towards saving lives.
For HGV drivers, the current road means long stretches stuck behind slower vehicles and constant pressure from cars trying to overtake. A dual carriageway would separate traffic and cut the risk of head-on collisions.
Twenty years of delays
The upgrade has been held up for nearly two decades. Courts have halted it several times over environmental and procedural challenges. Most recently, a judge ruled that the scheme contradicted the net-zero commitments in Stormont’s climate change legislation.
The Court of Appeal has now overturned that ruling. The scheme is estimated to cost £1.7 billion (around €2 billion), and about £192.5 million has already been spent on preparation, land and legal work.
What it means for hauliers
Logistics UK chief executive Ben Fletcher called the A5 one of Northern Ireland’s biggest road schemes and exactly the type of infrastructure that helps businesses strengthen supply chains. He stressed that Northern Ireland is considerably more dependent on road freight than other parts of the UK. Its logistics sector employs around 65,000 people across more than 6,000 businesses, according to Logistics UK.
For operators, a modern dual carriageway would bring:
- shorter and more predictable journey times between the north-west and Dublin,
- fewer delays behind slow traffic, which helps drivers stay within their hours,
- lower accident risk, and with it lower insurance and downtime costs over time.
Every minute saved matters for an industry under pressure. With UK diesel above £2 a litre, hauliers are paying far more to keep trucks moving than at the start of the year.
When will work start?
That is still unclear. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins called the project her top priority and said work should begin as soon as possible. The DUP has asked for clarity on realistic timelines, funding and compensation for landowners whose land is affected.
The upgrade is planned in phases, so construction is likely to start on one section at a time rather than along the whole route.
Until then, hauliers will keep using the existing road. Once work begins, they should expect traffic management, lower speed limits and possible detours, so operators with regular runs on the corridor should build extra time into schedules and watch for roadworks notices.
