Planning for a new Toome dualling scheme in Antrim should be complete next year, the Northern Ireland Roads Minister has said.

Providing an update on a £4.2m investment in the region, Conor Murphy said public information days explaining the proposed road works will be held within the next month.

A public inquiry was held into the proposed scheme in November 2007.

The project would link Randalstown to Toome and Toome to Castledawson.

Public exhibitions to explain the revised junction proposals associated with the A6 Randalstown to Castledawson dual carriageway are to be held in the next few weeks in both Castledawson and Toome.

-- Advertisement --

Roads Service said it expects the planning of the revised junction improvements to be completed in late 2010.

"Availability of finance at that time will determine when the scheme will be built," said Minister Murphy.

Meanwhile, a programme of 11.7km of carriageway resurfacing is nearing completion in the Antrim area at a cost of £1.1m.

This has included 2.3km of resurfacing on the C28 Ballyrobin Road, 2.2km on the C44 Crosskeenan Lane and 1.0km on the C44 Ballynoe Road.

Mr Murphy said Stage 1 (approximately 475m) of a £260,000 footway scheme in Randalstown on the Barnish Road, from Whelans Park, out to the playing fields on Barnish Road was also completed this year.

"Stage 2 (approximately 560m) to continue this footway and connect to the playing fields is included in the draft 2010/2011 works programme," he said.

Roads Service Principal Engineer, Jim Campbell said other works planned this financial year include a junction visibility improvement at the junction of A6 Castle Road with the U54 Milltown Road, and a footway extension on the Moneynick Road in Toome.

(PR/KMcA)