A5 road costs hit almost £200m without work starting yet

Almost £200m has now been spent on the A5 road building project despite work having yet to start on the road, it has emerged.

The 58-mile (85km) dual carriageway between Londonderry and the border at Aughnacloy was first announced in 2007, but has been beset by funding and legal issues.

Politicians on Stormont's infrastructure committee have been told it has already cost £192.5m even though construction work yet to begin. Two years ago the figure stood at just over £100m.

The department's top civil servant said it was not a "disproportionate" use of public money given the ongoing legal case and planning to date, but DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley described the figure as "staggering".

Buckley, who chairs Stormont's infrastructure committee was among the MLAs who questioned the department's permanent secretary Emer Morelli on Wednesday.

Last year, a court ruled the Department for Infrastructure's (DfI) plans for the road did not comply with climate change targets.

Appeal hearings have taken place but a decision on whether to uphold or quash the High Court judgement has yet to be announced.

Morelli told the committee she could not prejudge the outcome of the appeal but said she anticipated a decision some time this month.

Buckley put it to her that as she is the DfI's accounting officer, did she regard the spend so far as "responsible stewardship of public money".

The civil servant responded that she was "content" that the value-for-money aspect of the scheme was supported by various business cases, but she accepted that delays due to court proceedings were perhaps "not the most value-for-money way forward".

"But that's the democratic process. In my view the costs incurred to date are not considered disproportionate when you look at the length of the scheme and the work that has been done to date," she added.

Buckley said failures to begin work on the road were tantamount to a "dog's dinner" and that there was a great deal of public concern regarding uncertainty about the scheme.

"All major works incur significant costs before works commence," said Ms Morelli, who added that accountability and due process had been followed at all times by the department.

Morelli insisted that her officials had a "well-founded track record" of delivering major roads projects and that they remain committed to delivering the executive's commitment to the A5.

"I do appreciate £200m spent to date will be subject to further scrutiny, and it should be, but as we stand here today I as accounting officer am content with the spend we have incurred to date," she added.

The A5 is the Northern Ireland part of the major arterial route that connects the north-west of the island - Donegal and Londonderry - to Dublin, via towns including Strabane, Omagh and Aughnacloy.

The dual carriageway scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been hit by a number of delays.

More than 50 people have died on the road since 2006 and there has been a long campaign to upgrade it.

The ruling in June which blocked the upgrade came after the project was challenged by a group of residents, landowners and farmers.

The umbrella group, known as the Alternative A5 Alliance, contended it would breach legislative targets to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth also intervened in the appeal, arguing the DfI's application of the Climate Change Act is inconsistent with rational climate change decision making.

Families who have lost loved ones on the road including campaign group Enough is Enough have repeatedly said the upgrade must be prioritised to prevent further deaths.