Long awaited upgrade plans for a notorious Derry roundabout have been given the green light with a deadline set for the work to be completed.
The Caw roundabout in the Waterside connects four busy main roads, including the Madam's Bank Road to the Foyle Bridge, and has been described as one of Northern Ireland's "most dangerous" junctions.
The developer of a substantial new housing development nearby had submitted proposals to upgrade the roundabout - a condition of planning approval for the housing development.
Read more: Northern Ireland rates bills to be issued this week - everything you need to know
Read more: Child Benefit payment increase details announced by HMRC
Those proposals have now been given the go-ahead by the Sinn Fein Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, and a deadline of November 2026 set for the work to be completed.
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan had campaigned for some time for the upgrade to be completed.
His party colleague, Waterside councillor Martin Reilly, said in October that Caw Roundabout is "one of the most, if not the most dangerous junctions in the North".
That appears to be borne out through PSNI statistics published in 2022 - prior to the ongoing housing development at nearby Rosses Gate - that showed it has the highest incident rate of collisions in Northern Ireland.
The Caw Roundabout links four busy main roads on the edge of the city.
It is the junction between four key routes: Madam's Bank road leading to the Foyle Bridge; the Limavady Road which connects to the former Ebrington military base, the Peace Bridge and is a key route to the double-decker Craigavon Bridge; the A2 dual carriageway leading to City of Derry Airport; and the dual carriageway leading to the Crescent Link retail park, a fire station, police station, and Altnagelvin Hospital.
While several new homes have already been built and occupied at Rosses Gate, hundreds more are still in the works.
In a letter to Mark H Durkan, Minister Kimmins said the roundabout upgrade will be in place "prior to occupation of more than 262 dwellings".
Responding to a written query from Mr Durkan, the Minister said: "I can advise that, following detailed consideration, my officials have given approval for the alternative mitigation strategy put forward by the developer South Bank Square. The alternative proposals will see the Caw Roundabout upgrade brought forward, with the works to be in place prior to occupation of more than 262 dwellings. In addition, the upgrade is time-bound and must be completed prior to the end of November 2026."
She continued: "This should provide a significant improvement in both road safety and traffic progression and has been balanced against a reduced proposal at Gransha Roundabout.
"As with all major road schemes, there will be a lead time associated with delivery of the highway improvements. The timing is dependent on the progression of a range of issues by the developer, including completion of the detailed design and construction on site."
Ms Kimmins added: "My officials continue to work with the developer to progress the detailed design of the upgrade to Caw Roundabout."
In a statement on social media, Mr Durkan welcomed the news.
"At last," the Foyle MLA said. "Approval has been given for the upgrade at Caw Roundabout which I hope will improve safety for all road users going forward. Massive thanks to the developer who has agreed to fund these works."
He added: "My next focus will be on ensuring safety measures are secured for Rosses Gate/ Gransha Roundabout."
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
