Joe McVey is the new champion for survivors and victims of Troubles
Garrett Hargan, Belfast Telegraph, August 5th, 2025
FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FM REVEAL APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONER
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister have announced the appointment of Joe McVey as the new Commissioner for Victims and Survivors of the Troubles.
Mr McVey will take up the post on October 6 for a period of four years.
The principal aim of the Commissioner is to safeguard and promote the interests of Troubles' victims and survivors.
The work of the Commission is categorised under three overarching and interlinked areas: addressing the past; effective service provision; and building towards a better and more reconciled future.
First Minister Michelle O'Neill said: “We want to congratulate Joe McVey on his appointment to this crucially important role. Victims and survivors deserve a strong, independent voice to ensure their needs are recognised and prioritised and it is vital that we continue to do all we can to support them.
“We are confident that Joe McVey will be a dedicated champion and powerful advocate for the rights and needs of all those who have suffered.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: “Ensuring that the needs of victims and survivors is at the heart of our trauma-informed, victim-centred service is the key component to this vital work.
“I wish Joe all the best in his new role as Commissioner as he works to ensure that the voices of our victims and survivors are heard loud and clear, and that they have access to the highest-quality mental and physical wellbeing support.”
Long overdue appoitment
Mr McVey is a former chief executive of Brain Injury Matters BIM (NI), a regional disability third-sector organisation supporting those affected by an acquired brain injury.
Prior to this, between 1999 and 2018, he was the founding partner with Blueprint Development Consultancy, working with customers drawn from the public community and voluntary sectors.
He is currently chairman of the volunteering charity VSB Foundation, chairman of the Golden Thread Gallery and a trustee of the Linen Hall Library.
In January 2024, Mr McVey was appointed as a non-executive director of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and has served eight years as a commissioner with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
In 2010, he was awarded an OBE for services to the voluntary sector.
Alliance Party MLA Paula Bradshaw said: “As chair of the Executive Office Committee, I very much look forward to working with Joe McVey as he takes up the role.
“As considerable concerns continue to be raised around the whole legacy process, it is vital that victims and survivors have a voice.
“To that end, this is a long overdue but very welcome appointment.”
East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson added: “There have been considerable challenges in filling public appointment positions since the restoration of the institutions, but I am delighted this one has now been filled. This was an absolute priority for all of us.
“Too many victims have been let down by successive failings at Westminster level and delays at Stormont level.
“It is essential, now more than ever, to ensure that the voice of victims is properly heard.”
Mr McVey's predecessor, Ian Jeffers, left the post in 2023 to become chief executive of peace-building charity Co-operation Ireland.
British army denied any involvement in the Miami Showband massacre
Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, August 5th, 2025
THE British army initially claimed it was not involved in the Miami Showband massacre despite two of the killers being members of the UDR and later claims that Captain Robert Nairac was present.
Details are contained in released military logs that include details of the incident and the intelligence the British army had access to in real time.
Three members of the showband were killed when their minibus was stopped at a bogus UDR checkpoint near Banbridge in Co Down on July 31,1975.
Survivors and friends gathered at the ambush site last week to remember singer Fran O’Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty and trumpeter Brian McCoy.
The three band members were murdered as they travelled home to Dublin after a gig in Banbridge.
The attack was carried out by members the Glenanne Gang, which included RUC, UDR and UVF personnel.
Two loyalists, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, who were members of the UDR, also died when the bomb they were planting on the band’s minibus exploded prematurely.
Two UDR members were convicted for their part in the attack, while former British soldier and suspected state agent Robin ‘The Jackal’ Jackson, has been linked to the incident.
In 2020, the Irish News revealed that previously unseen British army intelligence documents linked undercover soldier Captain Robert Nairac to the showband massacre.
Mr Nairac was abducted and killed by the IRA in 1977 and his body has never been found.
Nairac may have obtained equipment for killers
The redacted intelligence papers, disclosed as part of legal proceedings several years ago, contain suggestions that Mr Nairac obtained equipment and uniforms for the killers.
The file also claims the British soldier was responsible for the planning and execution of the attack.
Miami Showband survivor Des Lee has said he has ‘no doubt’ Mr Nairac was involved in organising the massacre.
While the British army, unionist politicians and loyalists insist Mr Nairac was not present, no explanation has been provided for the intelligence document.
New military logs now published by research charity Paper Trail reveal that the British army initially denied involvement in the Miami massacre.
One entry a short time after the explosion includes the words “Bomb five dead-SFNI”.
It is understood SFNI means ‘Security Forces Not Involved’.
The log later states that “preliminary investigation at the scene reveals that two of the bodies have UVF tattoos”.
The record lists members of the showband and suggests “the other two dead are unknown and maybe members of the group that committed the murders” – a reference to Boyle and Somerville.
“This is supported by the finding of an SMG (Sub-machine gun) and a handgun at the scene,” the log states.
The document goes on to say that “Newry RUC now say it appears that 4 or 5 ‘soldiers’ flagged down the minibus.
“The men killed by the bomb are unrecognisable,” the report adds.
Paper Trail’s Ciarán MacAirt said “British ‘security forces’ were indeed involved” in the massacre.
“The killer gang included members of the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment.
“Two UDR and one former UDR served time for the massacre.
Gang led by UDR member
“The gang was also led by a British state agent who was a member of the UDR when RUC arrested him for a murder in 1973 and employed him as an agent thereafter.
“Robin Jackson would go on to become one of the most prolific sectarian killers for the statelet in its history.”
In a 2015 book, Alistair Kerr claimed Mr Nairac went on leave to Scotland on the same day as the Miami massacre.
A spokesman for the MoD said “we continue to deny any involvement from Captain Nairac in the Miami Showband incident”.
The spokesman added that the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR), which looks for the remains of people killed and secretly buried during the Troubles “has researched Captain Nairac’s background extensively.
The spokesman added the ICLVR “has also stated there was no evidence linking him to the attack”.
Blair removed NIO security minister after she told him he was too soft on Sinn Fein and IRA
Sam McBride, Belfast Telegraph, August 5th, 2025
KENNEDY TOLD PM ANY BILATERAL DEAL WITH REPUBLICANS WOULD JUST BRING 'DISHONOUR' ON UK
Tony Blair removed his NIO security minister just days after she sent a blunt message that he was being too soft on Sinn Féin, declassified files reveal.
Jane Kennedy's highly unusual message to the Prime Minister in 2004 told him what he was doing was “nonsense”, and if he pressed ahead she wouldn't be prepared to defend it.
Blair doesn't appear to have responded to her furious letter in writing — but moved her from her role.
The 'private and strictly confidential' letter is among Downing Street documents opened at the National Archives in Kew.
Sent on March 16, it came amid of Government concern that the DUP wouldn't do a deal with Sinn Féin. If that didn't happen, consideration was being given to Blair doing a deal with republicans, part of which would involve scaling back security measures and increased cross-border police work.
Kennedy told him she “profoundly disagreed” with work under way to produce a paper on north-south cooperation on policing, a paper intended to be handed to Sinn Féin if the IRA performed “acts of completion” which didn't convince the unionist parties, but were accepted by the Government.
She said: “This strategy will simply not work. An attempt to carry through any bilateral agreement with Sinn Féin based upon a failure by PIRA to do sufficient to demonstrate their bona fides to unionists is doomed to failure.
“It would result in a furious reaction from political parties, including at Westminster. The SDLP would be left facing a very dangerous time within nationalist/republican communities. Police and prison officers would be confirmed in their view that we do not understand the challenges they face.”
‘Sinn Fein complicit in IRA activity…, you have a strong hand against Sinn Féin if only you would play it’
She went on: “Sinn Féin are complicit with PIRA activity including abduction, attempted murder, shooting and beating teenagers, targeting of security force personnel, recruiting, training, development of weapons and explosives engineering, procurement of weapons, smuggling of fuel and cigarettes, extortion and more.
“All of this activity is common knowledge and has been confirmed on many occasions by ministers and the Chief Constable… how then can we contemplate offering Sinn Féin further political gains when we have so little to show for the major gestures that we have already offered, such as OTRs ('on the runs') and public inquiries?”
“Tony, you have a strong hand against Sinn Féin if only you would play it. We could halt all work currently being undertaken by the Attorney General on the lists of names produced by PIRA as OTRs… further, you could indicate that we would contemplate strengthening the Terrorism Act 2000 so that organisations that are proscribed but not specified would be included in the Section 108 provisions, thereby allowing the word of a police officer to count in support of charges of membership.
“This would close the loophole that allowed the PIRA unit that abducted [Bobby] Tohill to escape membership charges.”
The letter added: “What I am unable to comprehend is why our officials are being tasked to undertake work for a purpose that gives more ground to Sinn Féin, allows PIRA to escape from their current difficulties and most important of all, brings us into dishonour with the wider community in NI whom we are seeking to serve?
“I will not support the additional burden envisaged in this paper being placed upon the Chief Constable. I cannot envisage circumstances arising that would permit us to deal unilaterally with Sinn Féin without PIRA undertaking genuine 'acts'.
“In the event that the 'acts' were genuine, we would not need such an agreement, as the whole of Ireland, north and south, would rejoice and we could restore devolved government and more. The fact of the paper's existence is now known by [PSNI chief] Hugh Orde, despite my express request to NIO officials that I be given time to read it on my return from Canada, and before its contents were shared with Hugh.
“In light of the terrible burden that we are about to lay upon the police and prison services on the publication of Justice Cory's reports, I am deeply disappointed that this additional worry has been communicated to him.
“The fact is that the police and prison services in NI do not trust us. If we take this nonsense of a bilateral deal with Sinn Féin any further, their mistrust will be justified. It will be more than I am able or willing to defend.”
Despite the unusual and serious nature of the letter from one of his ministers, Blair does not appear to even have responded to it in writing.
Instead, Kennedy received a letter from Blair's chief-of-staff Jonathan Powell, who said that the Prime Minister “strongly agrees” that the continued IRA activity was “totally unacceptable”.
He said he would make that clear to Sinn Féin the following week, stating: “Although it might have been acceptable to tolerate some continued activity during the transitional phase, it is not possible to tolerate it any longer.”
Just 15 days later Kennedy was transferred from the NIO to the Department for Work and Pensions after three years in her role.
Two years later Kennedy would ultimately quit her job as a junior health minister in Whitehall, saying: “I had been asked to do a job and bring political judgment to it.
“When you try to apply that judgment and you are told you shouldn't be expressing your opinions, you realise the Government needs to get somebody else.”
Book event recalls GAA members killed in Troubles
Clodagh Traynor, Irish News, August 5th, 2025
As part of Féile an Phobail yesterday, Peadar Thompson, author of Lost Gaels, took part in a panel discussion on his research, joined by GAA President Jarlath Burns.
The book lists the names of 164 people linked to the association killed during the Troubles.
It tells the stories of 92, based on the memories of their families and friends.
It is the first time this scale of loss within the association has been recorded.
The author said he felt that preserving stories and documenting history was the most important aspect of the project.
“There was a massive gap between our country’s history and the history of our association. My motivation for this project was to fill that gap and setting that historical record,” he said.
“Personally, I have been a lifelong member of the GAA, and I also come from a bereaved family of conflict.
‘Two pillars of my identity’
“I’m named after my uncle Peter who was killed, and this book is a merging of those two pillars of my identity.”
Mr Thompson said that he hopes the book will serve as a historical record for future generations.
“This book is different from other similar works exploring the legacy of conflict in that you’re talking about something that people really wanted to talk about.
“When you are a member of the GAA it takes up so much of your identity, and so families were eager to explore that and talk about the role that the GAA played in their loved ones’ lives.
“When someone dies due to conflict, they become defined by that fact, and their legacy becomes essentially that they are a victim.
“This project aims to reshape that legacy so that each individual included aren’t just remembered for the circumstances of their death, but also their contribution to the GAA.”
Mr Burns highlighted the association’s support for the project.
“Over the period of the conflict, we heard many different words to describe the events that happened to those who lost their lives,” he said.
“But what Lost Gaels has done is breathe life into the lives of people who died.”
Ex-PSNI officer Jon Burrows calls on unionists to show 'same passion' as nationalists
Brett Campbell, Belfast Telegraph, August 5th, 2025
NEW NORTH ANTRIM MLA CALLS FOR MORE DRIVE AND PASSION WITHIN UNIONISM
Former senior PSNI officer Jon Burrows has called on unionists to argue for Northern Ireland's place within the UK with the “same passion” that nationalists display when campaigning for unity.
The former head of the police's discipline branch was speaking after formally signing the roll at Stormont yesterday morning as the new MLA for North Antrim.
“I am proud to be a member of the Ulster Unionist Party, and to be advocating for that party, and also advocating with passion for the benefits of Northern Ireland being part of the United Kingdom,” he said after taking up the seat left vacant by Colin Crawford, who stepped down in July.
Mr Burrows expressed his belief that unionism needs to show more “cohesiveness”.
“What you have is a nationalist and republican movement which is very driven, very organised, about advocating for a united Ireland,” he said.
“I think where unionism can cooperate is actually getting together with the same drive, the same passion, giving the benefits of Northern Ireland being part of the United Kingdom.
“I think that is a vital thing we can do — be on the front foot, be proactive and actually sell our wares as an integral part of the United Kingdom.”
The retired officer, who left the force after 22 years on health grounds in 2021, dismissed speculation about his potential as a future party leader as not serious, as he urged more cooperation between unionist parties, which could take “many forms”.
“Being cooperative doesn't have to be some formal thing — it is just working together, a common interest to get things done, to sell the benefit of the Union. Because there are those within the nationalist and republican tradition who are very good at getting together, organising and, with driving passion, they are selling the case for a united Ireland,” Mr Burrows said.
“I don't think it is a strong case. I think the case is to stay in the United Kingdom, make this place work, and that is what I am determined to do.”
Food bank volunteer
Mr Burrows, who established himself as a high-profile media commentator on criminal justice issues after leaving the PSNI, vowed to continue his history of public service, which has included volunteering at a food bank.
“I have seen the real challenges that people have with the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.
“I want to give something more. And an opportunity has arisen and I want to help the people of North Antrim with the daily difficulties they face — housing, the farming sector needs advocated for, the cost-of-living crisis, there are children who can't get places at school who have special educational needs.
“When I hear these challenges, I want to make a contribution to make NI work.”
Describing it as “an absolute honour” to be selected by the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr Burrows wished his predecessor “all the very best for the future” and promised to serve all constituents “without exception”.
“I have spoken to Colin in recent days, and it is clear to me he has a passion for both public service and for North Antrim.
“North Antrim occupies a special place in my heart; I lived in the constituency for ten years when I was in the PSNI in Londonderry. I will get started immediately on doing this important work.
“Having volunteered in a local food bank in recent years, I am only too aware of the hard realities that many people face and the extent of need in our local communities.”
Mr Burrows assured voters he will be “visible, accessible and responsive” and he expressed excitement about working with the party's four councillors in the area and the local UUP association “who do fantastic and often unheralded work”.
“I also look forward to providing rigorous scrutiny in the Assembly, which is vital to ensuring the highest quality of local government for all the people of NI,” Mr Burrows continued.
“It is an honour to once again serve the people of NI after my career in policing. I believe in NI and its people and I will do whatever I can to make this a better place for everyone.”
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt MLA welcomed Mr Burrows to the role and also paid tribute to Mr Crawford, wishing him “the very best for the future”.
“I see the immediate future for Jon as very exciting, with nearly two years to embed himself into his new role and make the seat his own,” Mr Nesbitt said.
“As a party of law and order, it should be no surprise that we often turn to those who have served their country when vacancies arise in elected politics. I welcome Jon as an ideal candidate. He has a wealth of experience, he is totally committed to this place that we all call home, and he has the energy an MLA needs to deliver for the people he represents.
“As someone who has worked and lived in North Antrim, I am beyond confident Jon will quickly embed himself again in the constituency.”
Meanwhile, Mr Crawford wished his replacement “every success” in the future.
“I would like to warmly congratulate Jon Burrows on being selected as my replacement to represent the people of North Antrim,” he said.
“I wish Jon every success in his new role and offer him my full support and assistance as he takes up this important responsibility.
“Representing North Antrim has been a great honour, and I know Jon will bring his own strengths and commitment to the job.”
Bereaved families told there will be ‘no stone unturned’ as minister confirms A5 appeal
Infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins confirmed on Monday her department would launch an appeal to the High Court decision, and that she was also looking at “other options” as to how the project could proceed
By Conor Coyle, Irish News, August 5th, 2025
Families of more than 50 people killed on the A5 have been given a commitment by the Department for Infrastructure it will leave “no stone unturned” in its plans to upgrade the road.
Minister Liz Kimmins confirmed she would appeal a decision to quash the plans on Monday.
Campaigners from the A5 Enough is Enough group, set up by Tyrone GAA, say they are hopeful a High Court judge’s decision to halt the plans will lead to a “short break” to the much-delayed scheme, which will not run into years.
The High Court ruled in June that the £1.7bn project could not go-ahead as planned because it failed to comply with Stormont’s climate change targets, following an appeal brought by objectors the Alternative A5 Alliance.
It was the latest in a series of setbacks for the road on which more than 50 people have died since 2006 when an upgrade was first approved.
Ms Kimmins confirmed on Monday her department would launch an appeal to the high Court decision, and that she was also looking at “other options” as to how the project could proceed.
Speaking close to a spot on the A5 near Garvaghy which has seen several tragedies over the years, Benny Hurl from the Enough is Enough group said families represented by the group had been assured by Ms Kimmins’ department that it would do whatever it takes to see the A5 built.
“It’s very important on a day like this not to forget the families, the lives that have been lost, the seats at the table that are now vacant,” Mr Hurl said.
“For those people, the living and the dead, we owe it to all those people to ensure the road is built, and this road will be built.
“The families are heavily invested in the whole scheme, and it came as an awful blow to them.
“They are confident that the right people are in charge and they’ve got the commitments from the department and everybody else that no stone will be unturned.
‘Very optimistc’
“We are very optimistic that this will be a very short break which won’t run into years or anything like that.
“We’re very optimistic that the department will, this time around, ensure that every base is covered and that there will be a successful appeal outcome.”
Speaking alongside the campaigners, Ms Kimmins said her department was “working night and day” to submit a “robust” appeal, which would be lodged before the court’s deadline of Friday.
The minister did not outline on what grounds an appeal would be launched, or provide an estimated timeframe for how long the process would take.
She added that her department was working alongside the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to assess how the project could proceed alongside the Climate Change Act which has currently stalled the A5.
“We have an estimated timeframe that we are looking at but that will ultimately be down to the court and what they decide in terms of a hearing, and we will be closely monitoring that,” Ms Kimmins said.
“Until that is formally lodged I think it would be remiss to go into the detail of that. We have been working cross-departmentally as well in relation to that.
“This was the very first test of the Act. Officials in DAERA have been looking at this and how we can rectify that. I think it’s important to say that we are looking at everything here and an appeal is our first step.”
The minister also defended her department’s handling of the dual carriageway project, which is yet to see any tarmac laid almost two decades since first approved.
“There’s people who live along this route who are working on this case, so this is something that means a lot to everyone involved,” she said.
“We are very aware that there have been many setbacks and many delays, but absolutely we are committed to ensuring we get this over the line.
“The ruling probably took a lot of people by surprise, however I’m determined that we can rectify that and we can find a way forward.”
Daniel McCrossan, SDLP MLA for West Tyrone, said there is a sense of “anger and frustration” in the area over continued setbacks to the project and urged the minister to ensure there were no more delays.
Deborah Erskine, DUP MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said the minister needs to make clear how she will address climate change policies supported by her party Sinn Féin in response to the ruling.
“What is unclear from the minister is how the appeal will address Justice McAlinden’s clear reference to climate targets supported by Sinn Fein, the Alliance Party and the SDLP in his ruling,” Ms Erskine said.
“These targets were a key factor in the project being blocked by the court, and unless those parties act to resolve the consequences of their own policies, they risk holding up not just the A5 but a range of vital infrastructure projects across Northern Ireland.”
'All I want is for no other family to get that knock on the door': A5 victim's mother
Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, August 5th, 2025
Since 2006, there have been almost 60 deaths recorded on the A5, with each collision causing heartbreak for the family members and loved ones left behind.
These deaths are all the more tragic because many feel the loss could have been preventable had the route been upgraded as planned 18 years ago.
After earning the reputation as “the most dangerous road in Northern Ireland” on account of its winding bends, side lanes and high traffic volume, calls for action have grown louder with each and every fatality.
Caoimhe O'Brien (23) passed away as a result of a crash in October 2016 on a stretch of road between Londonderry and Strabane.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, her mother Marie welcomed confirmation that the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) will appeal a High Court judgment preventing construction of the new dual-carriageway proceeding in its current form.
But she is cautious in her optimism.
“It's good news. But over the years I've sort of lost faith that the upgrade will go ahead,” Ms O'Brien admitted.
“We've been let down so many times. And every time you hear about another accident on the A5, my heart just breaks. It brings it all back.”
The court judgment ruled that the project could not go ahead because it did not comply with Stormont's climate change targets.
Mr Justice McAlinden acknowledged his decision would bring “significant, fresh anguish to the doors of those who have been injured and maimed and those who have lost loved ones” on the A5.
“It is likely that delays in the progression of this scheme will coincide with the occurrence of further loss of life and serious injury on the existing road,” he added.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins hopes to overturn the decision.
But Ms O'Brien believes precious time is being wasted: “Just this morning there was another bad crash on the A5 and someone was airlifted to hospital. All I want is for no other family to get that knock on the door, to have to go through what we went through.
“It's difficult speaking about Caoimhe at times like these, but I just don't want anyone else having to go through the same tragedy.”
The campaign group Enough Is Enough was set up following the death of talented GAA player John Rafferty, who died in a crash on the A5 in 2022.
Niall McKenna, a member of Killyclogher GAA club which John played for, founded the group, which has been calling for the upgrade to go ahead ever since.
He also welcomed yesterday's announcement as “a relief” to so many grieving families”.
“At our recent meeting, we implored the department to act decisively in pursuing an appeal and we agree with this course of action,” he said.
Chilling judgement
“Justice McAlinden's comments in his judgement are chilling.
“Despite the so-called constraints and minutiae of statutes, legal precedents and case law, we still believe that, fundamentally, the law and the legal system are there to protect and serve the people.
“The ultimate protection and service to the wider public is to save human life. We trust that the appeals court will reassert this sacrosanct right to life and bring back perspective to the matter.
“Enough people have died on the A5. It is high time the courts stopped future lives being lost on this cruel road.”
Another tragic A5 case is that of Kamile Vaicikonyte (17) and her boyfriend, Jamie Moore (19), who lost their lives in an accident on the Doogary Road, near Omagh, on April 30 last year.
Ms Vaicikonyte, who was of Lithuanian descent, and her family moved to Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, when she was two years old.
Less than 48 hours before she died, Ms Vaicikonyte, who was a sixth-year student at St Ciaran's College in Ballygawley, took part in a demonstration at her school, calling for upgrade work on the A5 to begin. It was attended by almost 900 people and involved pupils holding crosses in memory of those killed on the road since 2007.
One pupil born on the day the upgrade was announced 17 years ago used the event to hand a petition, signed by more than 1,000 people, to political representatives.
A day later, Ms Vaicikonyte and her boyfriend's names were added to the list of victims.
Only time will tell if the appeal against the High Court ruling is successful, but one thing not in doubt is that the longer the project doesn't go ahead, the more lives will be lost.
Belfast traffic gridlock that delayed emergency services 'cannot be tolerated', says MLA
Liam Tunney, Belfast Telegraph, August 5th, 2025
MLA MAKES CALL FOR BETTER PLANNING AFTER DISRUPTION
Heavy traffic that delayed emergency services in Belfast over the weekend “simply cannot be tolerated”, an MLA has said.
Major congestion hit the city on Saturday and Sunday, with road closures for maintenance work resulting in long queues at key pinch points.
One online video appeared to show an ambulance with flashing lights stuck behind a queue of traffic on North Queen Street on Sunday.
Some of the closures related to a £400,000 scheme to replace bearings on the busy M3 bridge close to Belfast City Airport.
The bridge's eastbound carriageway was closed from Friday until 6am yesterday, while a further closure of the westbound carriageway — from Bridge End to the M2 foreshore — is scheduled to take place from 9pm on Friday, August 15 until 6am on Monday, August 18.
DUP MLA Phillip Brett has said the chaos that unfolded over the weekend was “completely unacceptable”.
“Gridlock across the city not only brought daily life to a standstill but, most alarmingly, delayed emergency services from reaching those in need. That is a failure which simply cannot be tolerated,” he said.
“I have contacted the Infrastructure Minister directly to make clear that this situation cannot be repeated.
“With further road closures on the Lagan Bridge planned for the next number of weekends, it is essential that lessons are learned and proper planning, communication, and mitigation measures are put in place immediately.
Planned chaos
“Belfast cannot grind to a halt every time essential maintenance is carried out. This wasn't an unforeseen incident, it was a planned operation. When a closure of this scale is scheduled, proper planning isn't optional, it's essential.
“The Nelson Street off-slip is already under pressure during peak hours, yet no visible adjustments were made to traffic signals or flow management to ease the impact of four lanes being funnelled into two and directed down this one exit. The result was entirely predictable, yet entirely avoidable.”
Mr Brett also said the traffic highlighted a “long-term” failure to progress the York Street Interchange project.
Around £24m has already been spent on the scheme, which was first commissioned in 2007 to address a bottleneck between the Westlink, M2 and M3.
However, work has been delayed by a number of issues, including a successful legal challenge to the tendering process. Last year, then-Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd said work on the scheme was “not progressing at present”, adding it could take another decade before any progress was made.
“The York Street Interchange is a vital project that would remove the worst of these bottlenecks,” said Mr Brett.
“Sinn Fein and the SDLP have stalled that scheme for years, and we are now seeing the very real consequences of their inaction. People in Belfast deserve better. Emergency services must be able to reach those in distress, businesses must be able to trade, and ordinary people must be able to move around their city without being trapped in endless gridlock.”
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said it had alerted the public in advance of the closure through physical signage on the bridge, a press release, social media and the Trafficwatch website.
“This is specialist work and for safety reasons a full closure of the bridge is required to replace the bearings and allow the concrete plinths to strengthen before traffic can be allowed to travel over it again,” said a spokesperson.
“The specialist team did work day and night over the weekend to complete the work in the quickest time possible, however there was some time off site while the concrete strengthened before the next stage of the work could commence.
“The work was planned over the summer period when traffic is generally lighter. This was essential maintenance and failure to do the work now could result in further damage and longer closures at a later date.”
