£130m York Street, Belfast, traffic scheme out to tender

The £130m York Street Interchange scheme would create an underpass and a new bridge, to ease congestion where the Westlink, M2 and M3 meet

A construction contract for a scheme to improve the traffic flow in Belfast has been put out to tender.

The £130m York Street Interchange scheme would create an underpass and a new bridge, to ease congestion where the Westlink, M2 and M3 meet.

Work is due to begin late next year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Transport Minister Michelle McIlveen said the scheme would cut travel times and improve road safety.

"There is no doubt that a scheme of this scale would represent a significant investment in the local economy," she said.

Transport Minister Michelle McIlveen said the scheme would cut congestion and improve road safety

"By removing the traffic bottleneck, the new interchange will improve journey time reliability and road safety for motorists, including freight transport, and support the competitiveness of the Port of Belfast with improved links to the strategic road network.

"While the budget statement of December 2015 did not include the York Street Interchange scheme in the list of flagship projects, my department remains fully committed to this high profile major road improvement scheme."