The BREEAM (formerly CEEQUAL) seal encourages and promotes the achievement of high economic, environmental, and social performance in all forms of civil engineering through the application of the best social, environmental, and sustainable practices. With this recognition, projects that go beyond the minimum legal, environmental, and social requirements to achieve distinctive environmental and social performance in the projects that are executed are rewarded.
This highway, developed by the Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure-Wills Bros JV, has involved the construction of 25.5 km of road between the towns of Dungiven and Drumahoe to the east of Londonderry. It also includes four main links, 17 km of service roads, 20 km of access roads, 9.5 km of pedestrian paths, and 22 structures (6 viaducts, 10 overpasses, 5 underpasses, and 1 wooden footbridge). Improvements that ensure the comfort, viability, and safety of the more than 15,000 users who use the road daily. In addition to a significant time savings, reducing the journey by more than 10 minutes.
Since the beginning of the project, all professionals involved in it have faced the health crisis of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the global shortage of materials, with the impact that these events have caused in construction.
The protection and preservation of the surrounding nature have been a priority in all phases of the project. During the construction, 18 underground passages for animals have been built at various points along the road to ensure the free passage of creatures. More than 750,000 trees have also been planted in the areas surrounding the project.
More than 600 people have collaborated in the success of this project, a diverse and multidisciplinary team, which has opted for collaboration with the local community, giving talks and workshops to raise awareness in schools near the project.