Catherine Doyle
BBC News NI

While we wait on the judge's decision today, it's worth saying that preparation work has already started on the A5 project despite its uncertain future.

In March this year, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins visited a location where some advance works were under way.

At the time, the Sinn Féin minister said she was "keen to see progress".

"There have been too many road tragedies in this area causing widespread heartbreak," Kimmins added.

"We owe it to all those people who sadly and tragically lost their lives on the A5 to see this scheme progress."

Image source, PA Media

A plan for a new A5 dual carriageway was first proposed nearly 20 years ago but it has been at the centre of a raging debate ever since.

Opinions have been divided between campaigners, who say a new, safer road is needed after a high number of fatal crashes along the route, and others who worry about the impact on farmland and the environment.

Safety campaigners say 57 lives have been lost on the A5 since the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to proceed with a plan to build a new carriageway in 2007.

About 1,200 hectares of land, impacting more than 300 working farms, would be required for the construction of the full A5 carriageway.

Groups like the Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A) have repeatedly raised concerns about losing land that has been in their families for generations.

While acknowledging the heartbreak connected to loss of life on the road, the group believes the existing A5 can be improved.

They have also highlighted unresolved environmental issues including building the new road near potential flood plains.

The A5 is a vital artery of the Northern Ireland road network, linking Londonderry with Aughnacloy in County Tyrone.

More than 58 miles (94km) long, it has more than 200 side roads connecting to it.

It is also the main north-south route in the west of Northern Ireland, providing a link between County Donegal and Dublin, via the N2 in County Monaghan.

The road is single carriageway for most of its length, with overtaking lanes in some sections. and it passes through towns like Sion Mills, Omagh and Strabane.

The A5 has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, with the exception of some town bypasses, but there has been a huge rise in the number of vehicles using it since it was first built, leading to campaigners to call for its urgent upgrade.

A proposed upgrade to the A5 was first announced by the Northern Ireland Executive way back in 2007, but it has been a hit by a constant series of delays over the years.

The scheme has faced opposition since the beginning, with farmers, landowners and environmentalists raising concerns about the plan.

In 2009, the Alternative A5 Alliance (AA5A) campaign group was set up to oppose the compulsory purchase of land to construct the road.

The group argued that safety improvements should be made to the current road, such as widening sections to allow for safer overtaking.

In the intervening years, AA5A has raised a number of planning objections and legal challenges to the road scheme.

In 2018, the AA5A challenged Department for Infrastructure after civil servants took a decision to proceed with the project even though devolution was suspended at the time and there was no minister in post.

The department fought the case at first, but in November that year it asked the judge to quash its decision to proceed with the road, saying it was no longer in the public interest to defend the AA5A challenge.

A public inquiry into the environmental impact of the proposed route was held between February 2000 and June 2023.

Last year, Stormont announced the project would be going ahead - setting the stage for a fresh legal challenge and today's court judgement.

Niall McCracken
BBC News NI Mid Ulster reporter

Between campaign groups, legal teams, government ministers, civil servants and journalists there is standing room only in the small judicial review court room that is awaiting the decision on the future of the A5.

The hearing was due to get underway at 10:00 but for now it has been put back to 10:30.

Eimear Flanagan
BBC News NI

Hello and welcome to BBC News NI's live coverage of the A5 court judgement.

A decision is due imminently on the future of one of Northern Ireland's biggest infrastructure projects - a new dual carriageway linking Londonderry with Aughnacloy in County Tyrone.

The current A5 is considered one of the most dangerous roads in Northern Ireland - over the past decade it had the most deaths per kilometre compared to any other local route.

The new carriageway was first announced 18 years ago but since then it has been beset with delays, protests, legal challenges and was the subject of a public inquiry.

Our team will bring you the very latest from the court as the ruling is delivered.