A5: Decision expected on future of road upgrade

2007: A5 upgrade is officially proposed – it would bring the mostly single-carriage major route, linking the island’s north west to Dublin, up to a dual carriageway.

2011: A first public inquiry is held into the project, after 2,000 objections are lodged.

2012: Then Stormont Roads Minister Danny Kennedy gives the go-ahead for the scheme. The Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A) group lodges a legal challenge.

2013: A High Court judge quashes Stormont’s decision to proceed with the road, upholding an argument by AA5A lawyers that the planned new route breached habitat directives

2017: A second public inquiry into the road finds that it should proceed in the wider public interest. The Department of Infrastructure announces work will begin on the Newbuildings to Strabane section the next year

2018: A judge quashes the department’s decision once again after a second legal challenge. On this occasion, the Department of Infrastructure withdraws its defence. AA5A lawyers argued the decision was unlawful as it was not taken by a Stormont minister but a department permanent secretary as Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government had collapsed

2020: A third public inquiry begins

2024: Stormont ministers give a third green light to the road scheme. Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd says work would begin in early 2025 and be completed on a phased basis. The AA5A group launches a third legal challenge in response.

2025: A judge rules against the long-delayed A5 road project going ahead in its current form, upholding a legal challenge taken by a group of landowners