An All-Ireland winning footballer who lost his brother and sister in separate accidents on the same road has welcomed a court ruling which will allow the upgrade of the A5 in Northern Ireland to proceed.
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in Belfast quashed a previous ruling that blocked the long-stalled £1.7 billion (€2 billion) project to rebuild one of the most dangerous roads in Ireland.
Former Tyrone player Kevin Hughes, who backed a high-profile campaign to upgrade the A5 between Derry and Aughnacloy in Co Tyrone, said the verdict will bring “large relief” to bereaved families.
“It really is great to hear and not before time,” he said.
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His brother, Paul (22), was killed in a crash on the adjoining A4 in 1997.
Four years later, his sister Helen (24) died close to the same spot near Ballygawley, Co Tyrone.
“For it to happen a second time on the same stretch of road possibly only half a mile apart, and a mile for our own house, was just devastating.
“Both were taken down in the prime of their lives.
“I’m the youngest and Paul was a huge figure for me to look up to in football. He always wanted to give back.
“When Helen passed away, I was 21. Me and her were probably the closest. She was a fantastic girl.”
There have been more than 50 fatalities on the A5 since 2006, with 10 dying in one year alone.
It is part of the main route between Dublin and the northwest.
Construction work on the new road should begin as soon as possible, Stormont Infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins told reporters outside court on Tuesday.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the €600 million investment from the Shared Island initiative pledged two years ago towards the project “remains in place”.
“Road safety is a key concern, and too many lives have been lost in tragic circumstances along the A5 over the years,” he said
“An upgraded road to the northwest will not only improve road safety but also bring economic and social benefits to people living along its route in Tyrone and Derry and in connecting counties such as Monaghan, and Donegal in particular.”
Approved by the Stormont Executive almost 20 years ago, the scheme has been mired in legal challenges and delays.
Campaign group Enough is Enough was set up in Co Tyrone three years to lobby Stormont to deliver on it.
Hughes became a prominent voice in the group, comparing the dramatic drop in fatalities on the A4 following its upgrade with the number of deaths on the A5.
People were “almost living in fear of going to your local school, going to your local shop, going to work” due to the treacherous stretch of road, he said.
“The facts speak for themselves. Since the new A4 bypass was completed, there’s only been two deaths in nearly 20 years,” he added.
“You compare that with the A5 over that same period. Even in the last week, there were three accidents three days in a row.
“From my own point of view, today’s ruling will bring large relief for families, and more so for families who don’t know what could have been around the corner.
“There were six of us in our family. As bad as it is for siblings, I can’t imagine what was like for my parents. I’m a father of four and the thought of losing two of them is unbearable.”
Campaigners were in court on Tuesday when a panel of Appeal Court judges, led by the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ) Siobhan Keegan, quashed a previous ruling.
The 58-mile (94 kms) proposal will be the North’s largest ever road project.
Last year, the High Court found the Department for Infrastructure’s plans did not comply with climate change targets, following a legal challenge from a group including residents, farmers and landowners.
The department then appealed against that ruling.
Describing the legal history of the project as “long and torturous”, Keegan ruled on four main grounds including human rights and climate change.
The judge who delivered the High Court ruling was “wrong in his approach and the outcomes he reached in relation to the issues”, she said.
Speaking outside court, Niall McKenna from Enough is Enough said it was “not a time for celebration”.
“Our campaign was all about saving lives. It was not to win court cases,” he said.
“My most pride is for the people who stand behind me, the families of victims of the A5, almost 60 in the 20 years since this road was supposed to have been delivered.
“It is too late for those people. Their loved ones are already gone.
“They have campaigned tirelessly to make sure that no other families have to suffer the pain that they have went through.”
A solicitor for the Alternative A5 Alliance – an umbrella body of landowners, farmers and supporters opposed to the road – said his clients will “carefully consider today’s judgment”. – Additional reporting by PA
