Progress on investments totalling £1.3million in the Carrickfergus Borough Council area this year has been welcomed.

Transport Minister Conor Murphy who was on hand for a meeting between Roads Service and Carrickfergus Borough Council said: "Roads Service is committed to ensuring that it can make best use of our resources and continue to deliver quality public services."

The Minister also noted that strategic road improvement works are planned at the A2 Shore Road, Greenisland.

He said: "This involves the widening of the existing two lane carriageway to provide a dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction between Jordanstown and Seapark.

"These works will integrate with the existing road network to provide a continuous four lane road between Carrickfergus and the M5 at Whiteabbey. Following publication of the Draft Statutory Orders in 2007, the Department held a Public Inquiry.

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"Following consideration of the Inspectors report a Departmental Statement was prepared.

"These documents were then made available to accompany publication of the Statutory Notices, the Notice to Proceed and Direction Order in October 2008. Following completion of a Geotechnical Investigation in 2009 and an Archaeological Investigation this year the Department hopes to take the scheme forward.

"This will involve publication of the Final Statutory notice, the Vesting Order. This, together with scheme procurement will be subject to budgetary provision in future years."

Divisional Roads Manager, Ken Hutton said: "A wide range of local schemes have been successfully planned and delivered in the Carrickfergus Borough area in the past 12 months. These include the provision of dropped kerbs and tactiles at Bridewell Drive, Sunnylands Avenue, Sandes Court and Hawthorne Avenue; channelisation and traffic island provision at Oakfield Drive and carriageway resurfacing at Taylors Avenue, Carrickfergus plus Station Road and Upper Road, Greenisland.

"The ever tightening public expenditure environment in this current year is however challenging. Despite this, I remain committed to developing a programme of high priority road improvement and maintenance schemes for the Borough; so that these can be delivered as resources permit," he concluded.

(GK/BMcC)