NI Transport Minister, Conor Murphy has announced the preferred route for the proposed A2 Ballykelly Bypass - even though it will be years before work begins.

It will be 2018 before it is built as the project is not planned until the end of the Investment Strategy period and it is not planned to commence the next stage of the assessment procedure until later in this period.

The Minister said: "This project will provide significant benefits in terms of improving safety and journey time reliability on the A2 between Derry and Coleraine, and provide a significant environmental improvement to the village of Ballykelly.

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"The preferred route is 4.2km of dual carriageway that passes Ballykelly to the south of the village. A proposed junction at the Loughermore Road will provide access to and from the dual carriageway," he said.

"This project is part of an overall strategy to improve the Key Transport Corridors across the north."

The announcement is the culmination of a thorough assessment of various route options within the preferred (southern) corridor. Each of the routes were assessed against the Government's five key objectives for transport: Environment, Safety, Economy, Accessibility and Integration.

The Minister added: "This assessment work was brought forward to identify the preferred route and the land requirements for the scheme, following the decision to dispose of lands at Shackleton Barracks by the Ministry of Defence."

(BMcC/GK)