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Commuters in Belfast had cause for celebration over the weekend after repairs to a collapsed city centre street were completed ahead of expectations.
Rush-hour traffic was disrupted last week after Cromac Street was closed when part of it collapsed into an air pocket disrupt.
Roads Service had to carry out repairs after the tarmac started to sag into the bubble which had been disturbed by work on the Belfast Sewers Project.
Engineers worked around the clock to fill up the cavity and re-surface the road after it was discovered on November 7.
It was initially estimated that the street, a key route for commuters coming in from the south and east parts of Greater Belfast, would not be re-opened until yesterday.
But workers were pleased to be able to allow drivers through on Saturday morning.
Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy said: “I want to take this opportunity to commend Roads Service, NI Water and all other agencies and organisations involved in working towards restoring Cromac Street within the time-frame promised.
“I also want to thank the public and businesses affected by the incident at Cromac Street for their patience and co-operation during the past week.
“Roads Service has kept me up to date on the progress since this happened last Saturday and we are thankful to everyone who adhered to the diversion routes in place and helped to keep the levels of disruption and congestion in the city to a minimum.”
