Northern Ireland Roads Minister Conor Murphy has announced the preferred route for the proposed £52 million dualling of the A26 Frosses Road between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Road junction.

The preferred route is an on-line improvement of the existing single carriageway road to dual carriageway, previously named the 'Blue Route' (Option 3) at a public consultation event held in June 2007.

The Minister said: "I am pleased to confirm the preferred route for this strategically important road scheme. The A26 Frosses Road dualling between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Road junction will improve road safety and reduce journey times, benefiting both the travelling public and the business community.

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"The improvement will also enhance tourist links for this area."

This preferred route announcement is the culmination of a thorough assessment of five potential corridor options for the route.

The corridors were assessed against the Government’s five key objectives for transport: Environment, Safety, Economy, Accessibility and Integration. Roads Service also undertook consultation exhibitions for the corridors in June 2007.

This was followed by individual, one-to-one consultations with all potentially affected landowners. Consultation feedback formed an important part of the assessment process and helped inform the scheme assessment process.

Roads Service has said it will continue to develop the design for this important road scheme in preparation for progressing the project through the necessary environmental, planning and land acquisition statutory procedures.

Affected land owners and other interested parties will continue to be individually consulted as part of the process.

(PR/JM)