Status
|
Construction scheme
(current) |
Contractor
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Sacyr, Wills Bros
and Somague consortium
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Scheme
|
New
high-quality dual-carriageway to replace
the existing single-carriageway A6 from
Dungiven to Drumahoe, including
bypass around the south side of
Dungiven (Phase 1) and then
from Drumahoe to the A2 at Gransha, and
an upgrade of the existing A2
dual-carriageway from Caw to Maydown
(Phase 2).
|
Total
Length
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30.0 km / 18.8
miles
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Dates
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Mar 2005 - Pilot study
to select route from Castledawson to
Derry announced.
Dec 2005 - Funding
announced to build section from Dungiven
to Derry.
Feb 2007 -
Preliminary route corridor selected.
May 2008 - Five route
options published.
6 May 2009 -
Preferred route announced.
14 Dec 2011 - Draft
legal documents published.
Jan 2012 - Public exhibitions.
24 Sep 2012 to 2 Oct
2012 - Public Inquiry held.
ca End Mar 2013 -
Inspector submitted Public Inquiry
report.
24 Feb 2016 -
Departmental Statement published.
21 Feb 2017 -
Construction tender released.
15 Aug 2017 - Vesting
Order "made".
28 Mar 2018 - Contract awarded for
Dungiven to Drumahoe section (phase 1).
(changed from
"after 2015" as of Jan 2011, and
"early 2013" as of Jul 2010).
26 Sep 2018 -
Sod-cutting ceremony
Summer 2022 - Anticipated completion (as
of Jan 2022)
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Cost
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£390-420m (as of Nov
2014) for whole scheme
(of which £220m for
phase 1, Dungiven to Drumahoe) as of Mar
2018
(and £200m for phase 2, Drumahow to
Gransha) as of Oct 2021
(Changed from
£230-255m for phase 1 as of Nov 2014;
£350-390m as of Mar 2011; £320-390m as
of Dec 2009; £320m as of Dec 2008 £300m
as of Jun 2008 and £250 million as of
2005)
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See
Also
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General area map.
Contractor's
web site on scheme
DFI
web site on scheme - very detailed
information and reports.
|
Click here to jump
straight down to updates for this scheme.
This major project
was first announced on 13 December 2005 by the
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain
as part of a larger investment package for the
city of Derry, and work got underway in 2018. It
will see a dual-carriageway bypass of Dungiven
town and dualling of the existing A6 from there
to the A2 on the north-eastern periphery of
Derry city. The road will be build to a high
quality with two lanes each way, no breaks in
the central barrier and fully grade separated
junctions (ie flyovers). Plans announced in 2004
for a single-carriageway bypass of Dungiven at a
cost of £11.1m were subsumed by this much larger
scheme, although the preliminary work done was
still useful. The map below shows the section of
the A6 affected by this upgrade:

Route
The
chosen route closely follows the existing A6,
but generally off to one side apart from an
onlien section around Burntollet. At the Derry
end it heads inland and bypasses Drumahoe well
to the north, terminating on the A2 at Caw. At
the eastern end it bypasses Dungiven to the
south.
Strip Junction Map
This is a strip map of the design that was
published in May 2009, and is still correct as
of the updated design published in February
2016. Note that the design may change between
this map and construction due to the evolution
of the design, and the public inquiry.
|
WEST
Begins on
A2 dual-carriageway, Derry
2+2 lanes
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STRADREAGH
or GRANSHA
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A2 Clooney
Road
(into Derry)
|
|
Local
access
A2
Clooney
Road
(to Limavady)
|
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5.3 km
/ 3.3 miles - 2+2 lanes
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LISMACAROL
ROUNDABOUT
(DRUMAHOE)
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A?
Glenshane
Road
(existing A6)
(into Derry).
|
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Tirbracken
Road
|
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2.8 km / 1.7 miles - 2+2 lanes
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TAMNAHERIN
ROAD
(THE CROSS)
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Local
access
Local
access
|
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Tamnaherin
Road
|
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2.0 km
/ 1.2 miles - 2+2 lanes
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ARDMORE
ROAD
(BURNTOLLET)
Westbound access
only.
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Faughan
River
Ardmore Road
.
|
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Burntollet
Bridge
.
|
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2.5 km / 1.6 miles -
2+2 lanes
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KILLALOO
(GULF ROAD)
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B74 Glenshane
Road
(Claudy west)
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|
Gulf Road |
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2.5 km / 1.5 miles - 2+2 lanes
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BARANAILT ROAD
(CLAUDY)
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B69 Baranailt
Road (into
Claudy)
|
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B69
Baranailt
Road (towards
Limavady)
|
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13.0 km / 8.1 miles - 2+2 lanes
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FEENY
ROAD
(DUNGIVEN WEST)
|
|
|
B74 Feeny
Road (into
Dungiven)
|
|
2.5 km
/ 1.6 miles - 2+2 lanes
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MAGHERABUOY
ROUNDABOUT
(DUNGIVEN EAST)
|
|
|
B?
Glenshane
Road
(existing A6;
into
Dungiven)
Local
access
|
|
EAST
Terminates
as single-carriageway
A6 towards Belfast
1 lane each way
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Updates
15 May 2022: This is a brief update to
note that traffic was switched to the westbound
carriageway of the new A6 from Gulf Road
junction (Killaloo, west of Claudy) to
Tamnaherin Road junction (2 miles from Drumahoe)
yesterday (Saturday). This includes Burntollet
Bridge where traffic is now using the southern
half of the new bridge which was surfaced during
April. The northern half of Burntollet Bridge
has been closed again, presumably until the
dual-carriageway opens fully. This follows a
frustrating few days for motorists due to
temporary traffic signals at Tamnaherin Road
which led to tailbacks up to two miles long at
times. Hopefully those are now over. Major works
are talking place over the next two weeks at
Gulf Road (Killaloo) junction which is getting
tied in to the local road network and the new
junction between 13th May and 27th May. Once
completed, the new overbridge here will be
opened to traffic and the junction fully opened
(though probably with Give Ways at the onslips
until all four lanes of the dual-carriageway
open). On the rest of the scheme, there are
still long stretches that require a central
crash barrier, which is a substantial amount of
work that still needs done before opening in the
summer. And, no, neither the contractor nor DFI
has yet given us any indication of an opening
date! I would not expect a date to be publicised
until the opening is imminent as neither party
has any desire to create a rod for their own
back by naming a date well in advance.
22 Apr 2022: The biggest change to the
scheme over the past month was the opening of
the Dungiven Bypass, albeit with one lane each
way and a speed restriction, on 26 March 2022.
Given that all westbound traffic has to queue to
come off the Bypass at Feeny Road, double back
to Dungiven and then turn left towards Derry,
this has been a rather underwhelming experience
for drivers. However the opening is actually
intended to facilitate the closure of the
current A6 at the eastern end of the town for
final works at Magherabuoy roundabout. The
bypass will close again for a short period in
the early summer to facilitate further tying-in
works but after that will be open permanently.
The stretch of the road from Dungiven all the
way to Feeny is more or less completed, with the
exception of the central crash barrier. This
entire stretch could be opened to traffic at any
time – provided the contractor could find the 26
km of cones that would be needed to reduce it to
one lane in the absence of a crash barrier! Work
on bridge structures is now completed except for
five places (1) Tamnaherin Road bridge which
still needs some work on the verges (2) the
second half of Burntollet bridge which received
its tarmac during April and is now being
finished off (3) Ardmore Road bridge which has
yet to be surfaced and is due to be completed
around June (4) Killaloo Road [Claudy west]
which is expected to open to traffic in June and
(5) an accommodation underpass just west of
Gortilea Road which is to be completed by early
May. All bridges between Gortilea Road and the
terminus of the scheme at Dungiven are now
complete. When will it all open? The contractor
is remaining quiet on this point, but I think
it's likely that Claudy to Dungiven will open
next, with one lane each way, followed by the
final stretch around June or July. All speed and
lane restrictions – which are primarily there to
protect workers – would be needed until
substantial works are completed, again probably
early summer. Before we get into photos (all by
me on this occasion thanks to my first
post-Covid trip to the site!) here are some
links to interesting A6 movies posted by others:
- Aerial movie
of the A6 at Dungiven, taken by Benbradagh
just after opening on 28 March.
- Another aerial
movie of the A6 at Dungiven, also by
Benbradagh, two weeks later on 8 April.
- A drivers-eye
view of a drive along the A6 at
Dungiven, the day after opening, on 27 March.
Taken by Diarmaid Macfheargail
Diarmaid Macfheargail.
- Sub-contractor P.Keenan's footage
of asphalt being laid at Burntollet
Bridge around 6–8 April. Including some lovely
drone footage. Thanks to Paul McCloskey for
the link.
- Worth also checking out Benbradagh's
videos more generally as he has posted
some then-and-now footage of stretches of the
A6.

Pic 1: View taken at Drumahoe on 12 April 2022,
with the new Lismacarol roundabout directly
behind the camera. The road running left-right
in the distance is the former A6 Glenshane Road,
now a local road. In the foreground is a new
link being built to connect Lismacarol Road (to
the left) to the existing Glenshane Road. This
is a similar view before works began. [Wesley
Johnston]

Pic 2: View looking east towards the new
Lismacarol roundabout on 2 April 2022, with the
"temporary" terminus of the A6 on the right. In
theory the A6 will eventually be extended west
over this roundabout on a viaduct to the A2 at
Gransha. However I have doubts about whether
this will happen in the foreseeable future.
[Wesley Johnston]

Pic 3: View north from McKay's accommodation
bridge towards the "temporary" terminus of the
scheme at Lismacarol roundabout on 12 April
2022. In this view the final lane markings have
been added, and the posts for the central crash
barrier have been installed. It looks as if the
westbound carriageway will reduce to one lane
well ahead of the roundabout, leaving a
substantial amount of un-used tarmac here. It
may be painted with chevrons before opening to
reinforce the message that it is not a lane.
[Wesley Johnston]

Pic 4: View west from Gortilea Road overbridge
(just east of Claudy) on 12 April 2022, showing
the road essentially completed save for the
central crash barrier. [Wesley Johnston]

Pic 5: View west along the Dungiven Bypass on 12
April 2022 from Magheramore Road overbridge with
the Owenrigh river bridge just ahead. The road
was open when this was taken, but without a
central crash barrier. Note the very lengthy
barrier in the foreground designed to prevent
vehicles entering the river. The barrier
terminus at the bottom right acts like a kind of
'carriage', which gets pushed along the barrier
in the event of a collision, reducing the
deceleration. [Wesley Johnston]

Pic 6: View east along the Dungiven Bypass from
Magheramore Road bridge on 12 April 2022. Again,
the road is open here. Note the thousands of
saplings on the right. In a few years this
cutting will look very different. [Wesley
Johnston]

Pic 7: View of Magherabuoy Roundabout at
Dungiven on 12 April 2022, with the town behind
and to the right of the camera, the new A6 to
the right distance and the current A6 towards
Glenshane on the top left. The roundabout is now
operating as a true roundabout with traffic
circulating right around it. [Wesley Johnston]
23 Mar 2022: The biggest change on the
scheme in the past month was the opening of the
Lismacarol roundabout in Drumahoe (the scheme's
western terminus) on 4 March, and the diversion
of traffic onto the new A6 from there towards
Dungiven. This means traffic is now using the
new road from Lismacarol roundabout, over
Liberty Glen Bridge and all the way to the end
of the "offline" stretch at Tamnaherin Road. If
you are not in the area, you can "drive" the
route from Drumahoe to Burntollet thanks to this
great dashcam footage shot by Diarmaid
Macfheargail. Currently the road is open with
one lane each way, switching carriageways
periodically as the works require it, and with a
40mph speed limit. FP McCann have written an
interesting blog
piece about the deck pour they did at
Liberty Glen bridge last month, highlighting the
logistical challenges of a pour that has to be
continuous yet needs 104 lorry loads of
concrete! Another big change seems to be coming
at some point this weekend with the rumoured
opening of the Dungiven Bypass (at least for
westbound traffic), presumably with the same
lane and speed restrictions. It's not certain
how much of the new road will open, or whether
eastbound traffic will also use the new road,
but based on the road markings we are seeing the
most likely section is the stretch from the
eastern terminus at Magherabuoy Roundabout as
far as Feeny Road junction where traffic would
then move back onto the existing A6 along Feeny
Road. This may explain the construction of a
mini roundabout on the existing A6 at the Feeny
Road T-junction this week. Then from mid-April
access into Dungiven from Magherabuoy Roundabout
will be closed off, presumably to allow the
completion of the roundabout. From this point,
and for a few weeks, A6 traffic will only be
able to access the town from the western side.
Progress is very advanced along all the scheme,
with the final course of blacktop in place along
the majority of the scheme, and lane markings in
place on long stretches. Much still needs to be
done on the central crash barrier, which is
mostly unbuilt. However, these works could take
place even with live traffic on the road,
provided there were lane and speed restricitons.
The whole road is still due to open sometime
during the spring (so I'm going to say, by the
end of May) with the completion of all works by
the summer. There is also a marvellous
aerial movie of the eastern stretch of the
route from Killunaught Road to Dungiven, by the
prolific Benbradagh. The photos below are, as
usual, arranged from west to east. Thanks again
to everyone who takes pictures and movies and
makes them freely available to the rest of us.

Pic 1: Work underway on the foundations of the
Ervey Road Link at Tamnaherin Road on 22 Mar
2022. The road on the right is Tamnaherin Road,
with the bridge carrying the new A6 in the
distance. The new A6 subsumes the existing road
from here east (to the left here), so the Ervey
Road Link is being built parallel to the new
road to retain local access. [Polyanne]

Pic 2: View looking west across Burntollet
Bridge on 22 Mar 2022. On the left the deck of
the southern half of the new bridge seems to be
complete and a layer of waterproofing is being
added. I would expect to see the road being
constructed over this half of the bridge within
the next few weeks. Up ahead you can see that
all traffic is now using the eastbound
carriageway, though the lane markings pointing
traffic to turn to the left at the switchover
point are still in place which is rather
confusing, especially in the dark. [Arthur Ming]

Pic 3: The DFI Minister Nichola Mallon has been
understandably keen to visit various sites prior
to the (presumed) end of her tenure after the
upcoming election. Here she is seen at
Ballyhanedin Road bridge east of Claudy with
Juan Rodriguez-Altonaga Martinez (Contracts
Manager) and Michael Troughton (Project
Director) representing the Contractor Joint
Venture of Sacyr, Wills Bros Ltd and Somague. 2
Mar 2022. This view shows the road surface
complete, lane markings in place with the
central crash barrier apparently all that is
needed. However this stretch is not yet open to
traffic, with all traffic currently using the
old road, visible on the right. [DFI]

Pic 4: View west from Munreery Road bridge on 20
Mar 2022, showing a stretch which is a little
less advanced with lane markings ending ahead.
Although the central crash barrier has yet to be
built, safety barriers on the left and right are
in place, as are a lot of new trees. [Paul
McCloskey]

Pic 5: View west from Killunaught Road bridge on
20 Mar 2022, with Ovil Hill cutting ahead. At
this location the westbound carriageway has been
completed. It is possible that this part of the
road will be opened to traffic in the next month
or so, with all traffic using one of the two
carriageways. However the contractor has not
said anything about this possibility or the
timing so this is my conjecture. [Paul
McCloskey]

Pic 6: Aerial view of the A6 west of Feeny Road
on 21 Mar 2022 showing what looks like three
brand-new distance signs erected in a field
beside the new road. Presumably they are being
stored here as they are not visible from the
road at this location. The new signage will
finally reveal the B-number that the old
downgraded A6 is going to get! [Benbradagh]

Pic 7: Aerial view of the new Feeny Road
junction on 21 Mar 2022, looking east. Work is
underway here in earnest, possibly in
preparation for the expected opening of the
Dungiven Bypass stretch as far as here this
coming weekend (by 27 March). If traffic ends up
leaving the new road here, some more work would
need done to the sliproads prior to the opening.
[Benbradagh]

Pic 8: The completed River Roe bridge near
Dungiven seen on 21 Mar 2022 with all but the
central barrier in place. Under the bridge you
can see two accommodation laneways under
construction, one on each bank. The bridge also
seems to be sporting some kind of brown fencing
on the south side which looks permanent. It's
not clear to me what this is – perhaps an
acoustic barrier or some kind of wind breaker?
[Benbradagh]

Pic 9: View west along the Dungiven Bypass on 17
Mar 2022 from Priory Lane overbridge, showing
the road completed other than the central crash
barrier. Traffic is likely to be on this road
within the next week. [Paul McCloskey]

Pic 10: Aerial view of the perpetual building
site which is Magherabuoy Roundabout, Dungiven
on 21 Mar 2022, with the new road heading off to
the upper left. A lot of work always seems to be
going on here, but not an awful lot seems to
change from week to week. This suggests that a
lot of relatively small-scale, but
time-consuming works are being required here. In
mid April the access into Dungiven (upper right)
will be temporarily closed to facilitate the
completion of the roundabout. [Benbradagh]
Older updates can be found in the archive.
Background to Scheme
The Regional Strategic Transport Plan,
published in 2004, explained why it was thought
that further dualling of the 40km of the A6
beyond Castledawson could not go ahead before
2015:
B3.3.41 When the funding envisaged by RTS
is extended to 2015, there would be £529.4m
available for Strategic Road Improvements in
the RSTN TP period. However, this is fully
taken up by the high priority SRIs proposed
across the RSTN, including the £171.9m
envisaged for SRI schemes on routes serving
the North-West. Therefore, within the
funding assumptions of this Plan, it would
not be realistic to expect that further
dualling of the A6 could be undertaken
within the Plan period (apart from the
Randalstown to Castledawson section already
proposed). B3.3.42 However, further dualling
of the A6 will be required outside the RSTN
Plan period, in order to develop and upgrade
the link between Northern Ireland’s two
largest cities by 2025. Therefore, during
the Plan period it will be necessary to plan
the route of a dual carriageway between
Castledawson and Derry, by undertaking a
route selection study. This will inform the
decision regarding the acquisition of land
and route protection lines, e.g. for the
Dungiven Bypass.
This lack of funding
was rectified suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly
in December 2005 by the announcement of
sufficient funding for the Dungiven to Derry
section. Prophetically, the RSTN did comment
that "It is... likely that future dualling
in the 2015 to 2025 period will commence at
the Londonderry end of the route." This
is because traffic levels are highest at the
Toome and Derry ends of the A6, and lowest at
the Glenshane Pass and because of the difficult
terrain crossing the Sperrins. Traffic figures
collected in 2004 showed the following daily
traffic at various points on the A6:
- Toome - 21160 vehicles
- Castledawson - 14880 vehicles
- Ranaghan (Glenshane Pass) - 10470 vehicles
- Western edge of Dungiven - 13820 vehicles
- Altnagelvin, Londonderry - 12930 vehicles
- Rossdowney, Londonderry - 26930 vehicles
Thanks to Diarmaid Elder for the traffic
information on this page
|