Caw/ Clooney junction has one of highest collision rates in NI

SDLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has renewed calls for urgent improvement works at the Caw Roundabout following a serious collision involving a bus and a lorry this week.

He intends to raise concerns directly with the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Infrastructure, Julie Harrison at a meeting later this week.

The Caw/ Clooney junction has one of the highest collision rates in Northern Ireland.

The SDLP has received confirmation from then Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd that steps were being taken by the department to progress necessary upgrades including the signalisation of the Caw Roundabout to manage traffic flow. 

The Foyle MLA said: “This is an issue both myself and SDLP Waterside Cllr Martin Reilly has been working on for many years. Despite prior reassurances from the department and some signs of progress, it has unfortunately been a case of two steps forward, three steps back.

“The Caw Roundabout has the highest incident rate of collisions across the North. That has been the case for almost eight consecutive years. We’re talking serious collisions causing significant damage and injury given the speed at which traffic travels along this route. 

"The approval of 200 social housing units and an additional planning application for a further 600 homes, at the nearby Ballyoan development further underscores the urgent need for upgrade works of the road network.

“In the most recent response I received from the Permanent Secretary outlines that improvements won’t be made until contributions are agreed by the developers overseeing the site at Ballyoan. 

“I appreciate there needs to be a cocktail of funding to progress these upgrades. Obviously there are huge budget pressures on public services at the moment and DfI are no exception. The consequences of those pressures are clear given the current state of our roads. However, the department has missed opportunities in this area in terms of road safety. 

“There has been a recalcitrance and somewhat lethargy from DfI to address these concerns. We must remember that phase 2 of the A6,via Maydown extends from Drumahoe to the Caw Roundabout has still not been completed. Given that this project will end at Caw it proves the need for the department to frontload works along this route.

“I will be raising this with the Permanent Secretary and will ask them to establish whether there is a separate funding stream i.e. allocations from the now shelved A2 Buncrana works, where funding could be extracted from to progress improvements at Caw which is paramount for safety in the area.”