IN Brief:
- The Department for Infrastructure will resurface approximately 4.35km of the A4 Annaghilla Road between Feddan Road and Annaloughan Road.
- A staged traffic-management programme begins on 17 October, including a full closure on 24–26 October and a separate HGV diversion.
- Substantial completion is targeted for 16 November 2026, subject to favourable weather and any revised traffic notices.
Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure has announced a £1.4 million resurfacing programme on the A4 Annaghilla Road near Augher, covering approximately 4.35km of carriageway between the C0650 Feddan Road junction and the western junction with U0419 Annaloughan Road. Work is scheduled to begin at 5am on Saturday 17 October, with substantial completion targeted for 16 November, subject to favourable weather. The scheme will require several different restrictions along the trunk route between Ballygawley and Augher.
The first phase combines a westbound lane closure with a separate full closure on a shorter section of the road. Between 5am on 17 October and 5am on 24 October, the westbound lane will close between Feddan Road and the eastern junction with C0651 Annaghilla Road. Westbound traffic will be diverted by the A5 Tullyvar Road, B128 Favour Royal Road and Main Street in Augher. Over the same period, the A4 section between the eastern and western C0651 Annaghilla Road junctions will close to through traffic, with eastbound traffic diverted along the C0651 itself.
A full weekend closure will then cover the main 4.35km resurfacing section from 5am on Saturday 24 October to 6am on Monday 26 October. The department’s signed diversion for general traffic uses the A5 and B128 in both directions. Heavy goods vehicles will follow a longer route via the A5 from Ballygawley towards Omagh and the A32 through Dromore and Irvinestown towards Enniskillen, with the arrangement reversed for the opposite direction. That distinction reflects the suitability of the alternative road network for larger vehicles rather than a change to the permanent A4 route.
Speed restrictions will remain in force beyond the main weekend closure. A temporary 40mph limit is planned along the affected A4 section and the full length of C0651 Annaghilla Road from 17 October until 16 November. A separate 50mph limit will cover the approach to Ballygawley Roundabout on the A4 dual carriageway, beginning approximately one mile east of the roundabout. Additional overnight or weekend closures may be introduced from the week commencing 26 October, with their details to appear on TrafficWatchNI as the programme develops.
These consecutive traffic arrangements enable resurfacing crews to work within controlled carriageway zones while maintaining an identified route for through movements. Existing surfacing must be prepared, asphalt laid and compacted, and the completed surface made safe before unrestricted traffic is readmitted. Continuous supply from asphalt production and haulage vehicles can be important to the paving sequence, especially where material temperature and compaction conditions affect the finished pavement. The department has not published the pavement layer thicknesses, material mix, removal depths or construction contractor, so no particular engineering specification can yet be attributed to the scheme.
Autumn delivery also introduces weather-related constraints. Surface moisture, rainfall and ambient conditions can affect the ability to prepare the pavement, place material and achieve the compaction required by the approved specification. The department has expressly made its target completion conditional on favourable weather and says changes to the programme will be communicated. The listed closures are therefore the current construction plan, rather than evidence that each individual stage has already been completed.
Local access will be managed alongside movements on the wider diversion network. During the first week, a road user approaching the corridor from Annaghilla Road may encounter a different restriction from a driver travelling west along the A4. The combination of a full closure, a one-direction lane closure and temporary speed limits makes signage and advance notification particularly important. Traffic signs will mark the restrictions, and the department says it has planned arrangements to accommodate local access where possible, while warning motorists to allow more time for their journeys.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins described the resurfacing as investment in the A4 trunk route and acknowledged the temporary disruption to residents, businesses and commuters. The confirmed programme length of approximately 4.35km and the £1.4 million budget establish the size of the announced works, but do not identify a cost per lane kilometre because carriageway width, treatment depth and the detailed scope have not been disclosed. Neither have measurable post-construction performance targets been published.
The next stated milestone is the first closure at 5am on 17 October, followed by the full resurfacing closure of 24–26 October. Further traffic measures will be announced for later stages, while the department’s current programme aims to substantially complete the work by Monday 16 November. Any changes to the schedule or diversion arrangements should be checked against subsequent official traffic notices.
