Roads Minister Danny Kennedy has cut the first sod of the £100 million A8 Belfast to Larne Dual Carriageway scheme.

The Minister said: "These works, which will take 34 months to complete, are of significant importance to the economic development of Northern Ireland.

"Upgrading the A8 to dual carriageway will help grow the local economy and contribute to the wider economic development in Northern Ireland, both in the short term and in the long term. It will also help with the development of the Port of Larne, which is the second largest Port in Northern Ireland.

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"As part of the Trans European Network, the A8 is a strategically significant European route, which provides an important East-West link, between Northern Ireland and Scotland, via the Port of Larne."

The scheme involves upgrading 14.4km of the existing A8, between Coleman’s Corner Roundabout and Ballyrickard Road, to dual carriageway standard, and incorporates a new roundabout at Shane's Hill Road, as well as a number of grade-separated junctions, bridges and left-in left-out junctions along the scheme, which will provide access to the new road and local access.

The scheme seeks to improve journey times for this stretch of the A8 and will help remove the issues associated with platooning of traffic, thus reducing driver frustration and improving the safety performance of the route for all road users.

Construction of the scheme by the Joint Venture of Lagan, Ferrovial, Costain, started in August this year with the works expected to be completed in spring 2015.

(CD/GK)