Campaigners for a major road scheme linking Donegal to Monaghan through Northern Ireland say they have had a constructive meeting with the Stormont minister overseeing the project.
The A5 Enough is Enough group met Sinn Féin infrastructure minister John O'Dowd in Belfast.
The group is advocating a swift upgrade of 93 kilometres of the A5, which runs through counties Tyrone and Derry.
It is one of the most dangerous roads in Ireland, with dozens of families having lost loved ones along its route since the improvement scheme was first proposed 17 years ago.
It has been mired in planning wrangles and has seen costs rocket since.
The Irish Government recently pledged €600m, which is just under a third of the €1.9bn projected cost.
Kate Corrigan, whose 20-year-old son Nathan died alongside two friends in a crash on the A5 at Christmas 2021, was among the delegation today.
She said the memory of her son motivated her to keep campaigning.
She lives close to the scene of her son's accident and has to pass through the junction half a dozen times a day.
"You really have to do a lot of breath work and a lot of self talk to get yourself in and out of the junction," she said.
"It gets very challenging but we've no alternative given where we live."
Mr O'Dowd said he had listened carefully to the personal stories of trauma of those he met today.
He said he now had to consider the report of a public inquiry before issuing a decision on whether to proceed with the scheme.
He said he remained convinced that as the project was a flagship one for the Stormont executive, the cash for the road would be found.
"I'm dealing with a very complex and detailed report from the inquiry. I want to be sure that I have answered all the questions in the report to my satisfaction," he said.
"And that when I do make the announcement that it is legally robust and that we can move forward and deliver the executive's commitment to the A5 project.
Mr O'Dowd said he could not put a timeframe on when that decision might issue.
