Road upgrade 'to cut travel time'

Work on the Westlink took three years

Improvements to the M1/Westlink in Belfast will ensure shorter and more reliable journey times, according to the roads minister.

Conor Murphy was speaking at the opening of a £104m upgrade, which has taken three years to complete.

It included the building of two new underpasses and widening the M1 between Stockman's Lane and Divis Street.

A sponsored run along the road this Sunday will mark the opening and also raise money for charity.

Mr Murphy said the improvements to the key route into the city would bring huge economic benefits.

"The construction of two new underpasses at Broadway and Grosvenor Road junctions will ensure shorter and more reliable journey times, which will benefit all road users, including public transport, the haulage industry, as well as private car users," he said.

FROM EVENING EXTRA

"Given the complexity of this project and the difficulties that the construction team faced I welcome the early completion of this project some five months ahead of programme. "

Mr Murphy said although road users had experienced some delays during construction the widely predicted traffic congestion had never materialised.

During flooding last summer, the underpass at Broadway was under 20 feet of water. The incident made headlines around the world.

An independent team of experts was commissioned to investigate why the multi-million pound structure became submerged.

They then warned it could happen again if changes were not made to the flood defence system.

Given the complexity of this project and the difficulties that the construction team faced I welcome the early completion of this project Conor Murphy Roads Minister In pictures: Westlink upgrade

At the height of construction more than 450 people were employed on the M1/Westlink and M2 improvement schemes and to date, more than two million man hours have been worked on the schemes.

Amey Consulting said although the level of rainfall which fell on Belfast had not been experienced since 1914, the underpass should have coped.

The Westlink will be closed on Sunday. However, this time it is to facilitate a sponsored run along the road which will raise money for local charities.