Traffic chaos as £3.4m roadworks collide with school return

CONCERNS over months of gridlock in one of Omagh's main arterial routes was raised at a meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council last night (Tuesday).

It comes as the impact of the traffic congestion caused by the ongoing £3.4 million road improvement scheme in the town is now beginning to be felt with the onset of the new school term.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI), working on behalf of the Department of Education, has begun major works on Mountjoy Road, Gortin Road and Old Mountfield Road.

The scheme, which started on July 28 and will run until summer 2026, includes widening the carriageway to two lanes in both directions, creating shared footways and cycleways, upgrading the Old Mountfield Road junction, and installing a new signalised crossing at the Strathroy Road junction.

When complete, the works are designed to prepare Omagh for the opening of the Strule Shared Education Campus, which is expected to generate daily movements of more than 4,000 school children and staff.

Officials insist the improvements will ease congestion in the long run and complement the Strathroy Link Road completed in 2019.

But in the meantime, Omagh faces months of disruption.

Lane closures and temporary road closures will affect Old Mountfield Road, Mountjoy Road, Lisnelly Avenue, Strathroy Road and Gortin Road throughout the duration of the project.

Utility diversions, drainage installation and full road reconstruction mean there is no quick fix for traffic misery.

With schools reopening this week, the impact is already being felt.

Parents, pupils, and commuters are being warned to brace for long delays at peak times.

The department has urged schools to inform staff and families that additional travel time will be needed and that school buses may also run late due to heavy congestion.

Despite assurances that traffic management systems are in place to “minimise inconvenience,” many fear the town will be choked with traffic for months to come, with everyday journeys to work, school, and shops turned into a frustrating ordeal.

Expressing his concerns, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council chairperson, councillor Barry McElduff said he intended to raise the matter at last night's council meeting.

"I would implore DFI Roads to do everything in their power to minimise the disruption caused in the weeks and months ahead. A proper traffic management approach to enable traffic flow at peak times is crucial. With the resumption of the new school year, people are worried and concerned," he said.