Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard has been slammed by the Alliance Party over his decision to put a £165 million road project in Belfast on hold.

The York Street Interchange was designed to ease congestion around the meeting point of M1, M2 and M3, close to the Westlink. Work was due to begin next year, however the Department for Infrastructure confirmed the scheme was "on hold" due to financial worries following the Brexit vote.

Alliance Infrastructure spokesperson Ms Armstrong said the Minister is putting things on hold without allowing either the Committee to scrutinise his actions or the wider public to have a say.

She said: "Coming as it does at the intersection of three motorways, York Street has more people a day stuck in traffic jams there than Dungiven sees. Yet the Minister was able to recently announce a major upgrade project there but today we have had confirmation the York Street scheme is officially on hold.

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"While it is important to invest west of the Bann, it is clear in this instance the Minister has prioritised his and his party's infrastructure objectives instead of what is best for Northern Ireland, while attempting to avoid any scrutiny of his actions."

UUP Infrastructure spokesperson, Jenny Palmer MLA, said the project is "vital" to the economic wellbeing of Northern Ireland.

She said: "The York Street Interchange is the single biggest blockage in Northern Ireland's transport system. It is used by 100,000 vehicles every single day and is the source of major congestion. It is too important to Northern Ireland plc and our local economy to be put 'on hold'.

"The Fresh Start Agreement provided for up to an additional £350m borrowing for infrastructure projects with a profile over four years with £100m in 2015-16, £100m in 2016-17, £100m in 2017-18 and £50m in 2018-19. It is simply incredible that the York Street Interchange is not the top priority for infrastructure spend, given the number of vehicles that use it every day, its importance to the haulage industry and the congestion that would be alleviated."

(CD/LM)