asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have to improve traffic flow through Dungiven in County Londonderry. [HL1227]

The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the noble Lord in response to this question.

Letter from Dr Malcolm McKibbin to Lord Laird dated January 2007.

You recently asked Her Majesty's Government a Parliamentary Question regarding what plans they have to improve traffic flow through Dungiven in County Londonderry. As this issue falls within my responsibility as chief executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.

As you may be aware, on 13 December 2005, the Secretary of State announced that a £250 million scheme to dual the A6 between Londonderry and Dungiven was being added to the major roadworks forward planning schedule. This 30 kilometre dualling scheme, which will include a bypass of Dungiven, will be the biggest single road scheme ever built in Northern Ireland.

Roads Service had already commissioned consultants to identify a corridor for the future dualling of the A6 between Castledawson and Londonderry and it is envisaged that this study, which will be completed shortly, will inform the development of the A6 Londonderry to Dungiven section.

The bypass of Dungiven will greatly improve journey times on this route and will undoubtedly improve traffic flow through the town. While it will be several years before all the statutory procedures are completed, it is hoped that construction of the scheme will commence in the latter half of the regional strategic transport network transport plan 2015 period, ie between 2010 and 2015.

In the mean time, Roads Service will enforce parking restrictions in Dungiven to improve traffic flow and will continue to consider other methods of safely improving traffic flow.