Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney has welcomed a revamped Road Maintenance Strategy unveiled by party colleague and Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, saying it will transform how roads are maintained and improve journeys for motorists across the north.

The South Antrim MLA said: "The new Road Maintenance Strategy recently announced by my Party colleague and Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins marks a real change in the Department’s approach to maintaining the road network, delivering better roads through higher-quality, targeted and sustainable maintenance.

"The current approach of filling in one pothole that meets the 'limited service' threshold and leaving others that do not, no longer applies. The approach now will be to resurface the whole patch which has potholes. This 'patch resurfacing' will mean that repairs will last longer and the result will be a much smoother road surface for drivers.

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"In addition, a digital survey has been collected of all the roads in the north; this AI tool can tell when a road will deteriorate before it shows any physical defects. This means the Department can respond proactively rather than reactively. The data gathered will identify priority defects and allow for funding and resources to be more effectively targeted, particularly for rural roads.

"Minister Kimmins is also planning to allocate more funding to roads this year, and has progressed recruitment drives which will boost the workforce. This will ensure more capacity, less reliance on contractors; more roads repaired and more resilience in times of storms and bad weather.

"This new strategy is a game changer for motorists throughout the north. Maintenance interventions will be more timely, longer lasting, and delivered to higher standards. It will also improve safety for drivers and a higher quality roads network."