NI Transport Minister Conor Murphy has welcomed the successful completion of Roads Service's 2009/2010 programme of works and the planned £3.6million for structural road maintenance in the Ballymena area this year.

"A range of local schemes have been delivered successfully by Roads Service in the past year," he said.

"While the tightening public expenditure environment in the year ahead will be challenging, Roads Service remains committed to ensure it can make best use of our resources and continue to deliver quality public services."

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The Minister noted the ongoing work to improve the Northern Transport Corridor by the proposal to connect the M2 with the A26 at Ballymena. He said: "The connection of the M2 Ballymena bypass underneath the Larne Road roundabout to the A26 Ballee Road East dual carriageway is now progressing well after a particularly inclement winter delayed earthworks.

"My Department expects the scheme open to traffic this summer."

Improvement schemes completed in the Ballymena area in 2009/10 include sight splay improvements at the junction of the A36 Moorfields Road and the C42 Speerstown Road and the provision of footways on the Woodside Road between the Omco Industrial Estate and the playing fields and on the Cullybackey Road between Inishowen Drive and the Old Cullybackey Road.

In total, 18.4 kilometres of carriageway were resurfaced in the Ballymena area at a total cost of £1.85million, the most significant being 1.5km of the A26 Crankill Road, 1.6km of the A42 Carnlough Road and 1.9km of the A43 Cushendall Road.

(NS/BMcC)