Traffic caused by £3.2m roadworks a 'big loss' for businesses

There has been an overspend of £600,000 in controversial roadworks between Ballykelly and Greysteel, County Londonderry, since work began.

The A2 Clooney Road project has been hit by lengthy tailbacks that can see drivers spending 45 minutes at a standstill.

Rosemary Wright, who owns Ashburn Image in Eglinton, said the delays constitute a "big loss" to her salon and is costing her customers.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said the original estimate for the works was £2.6m, but that had now risen to £3.2m and work should be "substantially complete" by the end of February.

The additional work includes street lighting ducting, drainage improvements at Carnamuff Road and additional works around Faughanvale Bridge.

A spokesperson for DfI said it was "more efficient" to deliver all of the works together "rather than through separate contracts at a later date".

The department was unable to provide an exact date for the works ending.

Road users have described the delays as "horrendous".

"My clients coming from Limavady and Coleraine are all late for their appointments," said Wright.

"My therapists and myself are left standing doing nothing which is a big loss to the business.

"Staff trying to get to and from work has been an absolute nightmare. All this for a path that many feel will never be used.

"We are losing clients due to 45 minute delays. It's not on."

Kevin Price, from Limavady, works as a driver for a local charity.

"I collect elderly people from the Greysteel Community Association and take them to Ballykelly or Limavady.

"The delays have been hell. I left Limavady at 3.30pm and didn't get to Greysteel to 4.30pm.

"The staff have to stay behind. It's not right on any of them," Price added.

"Surely there's a better system? This has been going on for far too long now."

DfI previously said lane closures are in place from 09:30 GMT to 16:30 Monday to Friday.

DUP MP for East Londonderry Gregory Campbell told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today the entire project had been an "unmitigated disaster".

"Works that are supposed to reduce emissions and get people out of cars and onto bicycles are actually causing an increase in emissions, because I know people are driving additional miles to avoid this fiasco between Greysteel and Ballykelly," he said.

"This has been going on for more than two years.

"They [the department] are not even giving a definitive date in February, even though this was initially meant to be finished last autumn.

He said he had written to the minister to ask if it was going to be finished in autumn and was told it would be finished in January.

"Then, earlier this month, the minister popped up and said it would not be finished until February, and now they are saying they hope it will be 'substantially finished' - that means it is not going to be finished."

The SDLP assembly member Cara Hunter said she knows of some people missing cancer appointments because of the roadworks.

"I am specifically concerned about the North West Cancer Centre," she said.

"People who are attending serious mental health support meetings are also missing appointments because of this traffic.

She said the tailbacks were so significant that even simple things like dropping children off at school had become a "logistical nightmare".

"Ballykelly residents feel like they are locked in their homes because the main road is perpetually bumper-to-bumper."

Hunter said she would raise these issues with Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins this week.

Sinn Féin councillor Dermot Nicholl said the work had caused disruption and inconvenience but, given the scale of the project, that had to be expected.

"This is not just a cycle path," Nicholl said. "We have to understand that this is so much more than that.

He described the project as "a major investment in the area" that will be used by the whole community once completed.

DfI previously said the roadworks, originally described as a 33-week scheme, were to begin in 2024 but were "deferred until early 2025".

"Resurfacing works commenced on 19 January 2026 and are expected to take approximately two weeks, subject to weather conditions," a spokesperson said.

The department said part of the cost increase could be attributed to "additional traffic management measures put in place during the construction phase".

The department previously said the project was aimed at improving access for pedestrians and cyclists by installing cycle lanes and greenway paths, and is part of its Active Travel Scheme.