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By Violet Brown
THE long-running debate over a bridge across Strangford Lough has been reopened by a senior local politician as part of a possible solution to spiralling traffic problems in Newtownards.
Strangford MLA Michelle McIlveen has suggested a bridge from Portaferry to Strangford could be part of a ‘focused, coherent plan’ which she believes is needed to tackle growing traffic problems in the greater Ards area.
The DUP politician and former Stormont Minister, is calling on the Infrastructure Minister to explore the economic feasibility of a bridge as a long-term strategic solution that would reduce unnecessary traffic through Newtownards and transform connectivity for the Ards
peninsula.
The notion of a bridge over the Narrows between the two villages was first floated in the late 1950s and has been considered and rejected on a number of occasions in the decades since.
However, Miss McIlveen believes radical action is needed to address the huge amount of traffic travelling from the Ards peninsula to Newtownards which she believes has created a ‘pinch point’ at the Portaferry Road roundabout with knock-on effects felt throughout that end of the town.
Miss McIlveen has urged Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to take decisive action to address what she described as the ‘rapidly worsening situation’ in Newtownards and
surrounding areas.
Highlighting severe congestion on the Comber Road and Messines Road, Miss McIlveen said
queues regularly stretched far along both routes.
“Local residents, particularly those in the West Winds estate, Cambourne Road and Lansdowne Road are finding it increasingly difficult to enter or leave their developments,” Miss McIlveen said.
“Parents taking children to West Winds Primary School face daily gridlock.”
She also cautioned that increased traffic was already forcing drivers onto unsuitable rural roads such as Killynether Road and Scrabo Road.
Miss McIlveen highlighted several other areas in need of urgent attention such as Zion Place and Frances Street, where evening traffic regularly comes to a standstill and asked the department to reconsider widening Frances Street to install a bus lane.
She also expressed concern regarding the impact of the eastern distributor road which will divert traffic onto an already congested Bangor Road and North Road.
“With around 1,200 new homes planned as part of that development I would call for an assessment of the likely impact.” Miss McIlveen urged.
She added that the Portaferry Road roundabout and adjoining junctions were a pinch-point
which required a full traffic-flow assessment to identify solutions.
“Funding is needed for the long-awaited scheme at Movilla Road, where dangerous parking
around Abbey Primary School is putting children at risk,” Miss McIlveen added.
“The proposed works, including realignment, parking bays and resurfacing, are ready to proceed.”
She welcomed progress on the Newtownards Park and Ride and pressed for renewed
momentum on the long-delayed Comber Park and Ride scheme.
Newtownards and Comber, she warned, were expanding at a pace which demanded a
coordinated response.
“We are already seeing serious problems on the Comber Road, Frances Street, North Road,
Portaferry Road and Zion Place which will only worsen with further development,” she said.
“What we need is not piecemeal fixes but a focused, coherent plan to address both current
pressures and what is coming down the line.”
