Armstrong: Full story on Enniskillen Bypass delay still untold

Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Diana Armstrong has called on the Infrastructure Minister to set out a clear timeline for the A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass, after it emerged that the scheme’s procurement is the subject of a High Court challenge.

Diana Armstrong MLA said:

“People in Enniskillen have waited almost twenty years for this bypass. Since becoming an MLA, I have pushed at every opportunity for the delivery of this much needed project, because I know the difference it will make to the town and to everyone who travels through it.

“Throughout the A5 appeal, the people of Fermanagh were left with the clear impression that the bypass was ready to go: the tender all but complete, the funding secured, and the diggers waiting only on the court’s decision. Construction was meant to start in 2025, and with the A5 appeal now decided, people rightly expected work to begin.

“That was not the full story. The Minister has now told me the tender process has been under legal challenge since January. In answers to my questions throughout this year, she pointed only to the A5 and at no point mentioned the writ. I asked when work would begin. Her latest answer arrived two weeks late and gave no date.

“People deserve the full picture. The Minister must set out plainly where this challenge stands and what it means for the timetable, and ensure the full budget, including the £6.6 million handed back earlier this year, is available the moment the contract can be awarded. I will keep pressing until work starts.”