Committee welcomes start of York Street Interchange Scheme

The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Infrastructure has welcomed the start of legislation that will enable preparations for the York Street Interchange Scheme to begin.

Chairperson of the Committee, William Humphrey MLA said: "My Committee is very pleased to see that the Minister is now proceeding with legislation that will pave the way for the important York Street Interchange.

"This scheme, which will replace the existing system, will significantly improve Northern Ireland's most important and congested roads—the Westlink, M2 and M3.

"By changing the way the Westlink links with the M2 and M3, there will be significant benefits to both commercial and other users and will remove the bottleneck on a road that has strategic importance for all of Northern Ireland.

"The three strands of this improvement scheme will improve journey times, journey reliability and improve access to Belfast Harbour and the City Airport. Just as important, a faster, more reliable road system will improve the links for the North West and the ports of Belfast, Dublin and Cork.

"We can only hope that the funding necessary for this important and strategic scheme will be made available quickly so that construction can begin and the economic benefits can be provided for all users.

"Our Committee will be continuing to watch the progress of this scheme as it takes shape."

ENDS.