The A29 is a strategic north-south route connecting Coleraine to Armagh via Cookstown and Dungannon. While sections of this route are very good, including a section of dual-carriageway near Moneymore, the section through the village of Carland and particularly over the bridge has a very poor alignment. Traffic crossing the Torrent River bridge must negotiate a right-angle bend which can only be achieved by lorries by using the full width of the road to make the turn. This leads to traffic congestion as lorries queue to take turns crossing the bridge and also leads to accidents.

This scheme will see 1.3km of the road realigned to bypass the troublespot to the east using a new bridge over the River Torrent situated 140 metres north-east of the existing bridge. The bridge will be 12 metres in span while the new road will be constructed 7.3m wide with 1m hard strips and 2.5m grass verges. All six junctions on the route will have right-turn pockets.

Map

The map below (based on Roads Service plans) shows the upgrade. As well as the new bridge, the road also follows an improved alignment through a kilometre of land south of the settlement.

History of Scheme

According to this Roads Service document, the scheme was first proposed in the 1970s, with land for the scheme acquired by compulsory purchase in 1987. However despite being brought to tender, funding was unavailable to progress the scheme and it remained on the programme of works within Roads Service throughout the 1990s and 2000s. When the 1987 plans were revisited in 2006 the route required only small modifications at the southern end to meet modern design specifications in terms of forward visibility. This meant extending the new road by 300 metres southwards.

Progress

12 Dec 2010: The scheme was officially opened on 1st December, although it has been completed and in use for almost three months. It was opened by the Minister for Regional Development along with the First and Deputy First Ministers. It gives the final cost of the scheme at £4.7 million.

11 Sep 2010: The new road is now fully open - and therefore completed from the motorist's point of view. The photo below is the view south from the very north end of the scheme, with the new Torrent River bridge visible in the distance. The route of the old road is on the right, now covered with soil. This is identical to the view shown in the update for 18 Nov 2009 below. Many thanks to John Troy for practically all the photos of this scheme over the past year.

View south from the very north end of the scheme on 9 Sep 2010. [John Troy]

27 Aug 2010: According to the Tyrone Courier the northern third of the road, the only bit not yet opened, was opened to traffic on 19th August albeit with some cones and temporary traffic lights. This bit includes the new bridge over the river Torrent. The project was not due to be completed until November so, even assuming that there is still lots of tidying up work to be done, it looks as if the project was completed ahead of schedule. For the first time traffic can now get through Carland without having to either slow to 5mph to go over the right-angle bridge or wait in a queue to take turns going round the bend.

11 Jul 2010: In the seven months since the previous update excellent progress has been made. About two-thirds of the new road (at the south end) was opened to traffic on 7th June, according to the Tyrone Courier. The remaining third, at the north end, includes the new bridge. This new bridge over the River Torrent is complete, although not yet open to traffic. Work is currently underway to complete the northern third of the route and tie it in to the existing A29 north of Carland. The official completion date is November 2010, but it seems possible that work will be completed before then. The pictures below were all taken today, with grateful thanks to John Troy for taking time out from his journey to take these shots.

View north along the realigned section of A29 that opened a month ago. This is the south end of the upgrade. Compare this to the picture below taken in November. 11 July 2010. [John Troy]

View south from mid way along the opened section of new road. 11 July 2010. [John Troy]

View north at the same location as above on 11 July 2010. This shows an example of the right-turn pockets that have been provided all along this stretch. [John Troy]

View north along the as-yet incomplete northern section of new road, with the new bridge in the distance, as seen on 11 July 2010. [John Troy]

The complete, but unopened, new bridge over the River Torrent on 11 July 2010. [John Troy]

14 Dec 2009: According to this press release from a week ago, work is "progressing well". The scheme is now 30% done, and is apparently on schedule for completion "before December 2010".

18 Nov 2009: Work is proceeding very well on the scheme. Work is apparent along the whole length of the realigned road, with the formation itself plainly visible. At the site of the new Torrent River bridge itself the two bridge piers are taking shape on either side of the river. The pictures below were taken about ten days ago, with thanks to site visitor John Troy. The sign at the site (see picture 4 below) suggests completion in "November 2010", not December as stated by the DRD two months ago. The sign also exhibits total confusion as to how much the scheme is costing, but seems to suggest a figure between £3m and £4m!

Pic 1. The north end of the scheme, here looking south. The existing A29 is on the right, with the new road taking shape straight ahead. Taken ca. 8 Nov 2009. [John Troy]

Pic 2. One of the abutments for the new Torrent River bridge, here
seen looking east over the river. Taken ca. 8 Nov 2009. [John Troy]

Pic 3. The south end of the scheme, where the new road (left) rejoins the
existing A29 (right). Here looking north. Taken ca. 8 Nov 2009. [John Troy]

Pic 4: Roads Service signage at the site, displaying typically useless cost information,
and suggesting an opening in November 2010. Taken ca. 8 Nov 2009. [John Troy]

23 Sep 2009: According to a press release by the Minister for Regional Development last week, work began on 3 August, not 10th as reported by Dungannon Life. The press release also gives the cost as £2.6m, substantially less than the £5m quoted in March, so the £2.6m figure may be simply the construction cost excluding land aquisition and legal costs. The release also says that the scheme is "expected to be completed within 16 months, by December 2010".

29 Aug 2009: Work finally began on this project on 10 August, with a duration of "16 months", as reported by Dungannon Life. This means completion is due during December 2010. Roads Service explained back in June what caused the project to be delayed last year. They said "An advanced contract on site clearance was completed early 2008. Award of the main contract was subsequently delayed however when a legal challenge was mounted by a contractor excluded from the restricted list of tenderers. As a result, Roads Service decided to terminate the process and re-run the competition."

29 July 2009: About a month ago, the Regional Development minister said that this scheme "is expected to commence ... during August 2009". This is very welcome news. If the duration of the project is still the 16 months stated last Autumn, this would mean completion could be expected around Christmas 2010.

23 May 2009: Although, as of last November, this scheme was due to get underway in "April or May", there has been absolutely no sign of anything getting underway. Announcing the plans for the coming year in the Assembly, the Minister of Regional Development said only that the scheme would commence during the 2009/10 financial year, which we assume means the period April 2009 to April 2010. It is unclear why work has still not begun.

9 March 2009: The cost of this scheme, which is due to get underway within the next 3 months, has risen again, this time to £5m (from £4m) according to the DRD Minister.

10 Nov 2008: The commencement date has been put back further, this time to "April or May 2009" according to one of these written answers.

14 Sep 2008: For an unknown reason, Roads Service put this project back out to tender for a second time in August. The tender opportunity will close in late September, and has the same basic content and £4m value as the original tender. The document states that the work will now commence on site in March 2009, and last 16 months, giving a completion date in July 2010.

18 May 2008: According to a site visitor, there are reports that some kind of dispute has held the scheme up, perhaps by up to a year. If anyone can confirm this, please get in in touch!

7 Mar 2008: Roads Service issued their intention to proceed with this scheme in February 2008. This basically means that they have assessed the scheme, listened to all objections and made the decision to proceed towards construction.

17 Nov 2007: The contract for the scheme has appeared on the Roads Service web site. The contract gives the start date as April 2008. It also gives the scheme length as 1.85km, which is substationally longer than the 1.3km figure that has been used up until now. The 1.3km may simply refer to the length of entirely new-build road.

24 Jun 2007: According to this DRD press release, work is progressing on the legal and design processes and work is expected to begin on the ground in early 2008.

Photos

The 90° bend seen from Carland Bridge heading northbound in Spring 2008. [Aeneas Bonner]

In the opposite direction, the 5mph speed limit highlights the

unsatisfactory nature of this part of the A29. [Aeneas Bonner]