Stewart
welcomes commitment to resurface New Line
John
Stewart, Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim has welcomed news that the B58 New
Line from the Upper Road to the junction with Watchill Road is to be resurfaced
from Tuesday 20th March.
John
Stewart MLA said:
“I am
pleased to say that following much lobbying and many complaints to
DFI Roads Service about potholes and surface damage on the New Line, they
have now announced that they will be carrying out resurfacing works starting
next week.
“Work
start next Tuesday 20th and aims to be completed by 30th March. The road will
be closed for through traffic from 07.00 to 20.00 on weekdays.
“Roads
across East Antrim and Northern Ireland in general are in an extremely bad
state of repair. This is due both to long term under investment and also the
impact of recent cold weather. My office has reported scores of potholes
brought to our attention, but even when they are eventually patched, it is only
a temporary fix. Long term, it is more cost effective to invest in proper
resurfacing schemes- like the one about to start on the New Line.
"However,
it must be said that the DFI budget for 2018/19, which has just been announced,
has been reduced in real terms when inflation is taken into
consideration. As it stands it will be senior civil servants within the
Department for Infrastructure who will decide how much resource is devoted to
the road maintenance budget. I am in no doubt that it should be an
absolute priority for the Department. Put simply, the roads need
fixed.”
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