Over the past two decades, more than 50 people have died as a result of crashes on the A5 - a road where planned redevelopments have been beset by funding and legal issues.

Now a judge's ruling that blocked upgrade work to the road has been overturned by the Court of Appeal.

It paves the way for the building of a A5 new dual carriageway through counties Londonderry and Tyrone - something that the families of those who died on the road have said should have happened years ago.

They have welcomed the appeal court judgment and want the work to begin as soon as possible, although others have concerns that they could lose their homes to make way for the new road.

The mother of one young woman killed on the A5 said the upgrade would help to save lives - but it was "bittersweet" knowing it was too late for her family.

Caoimhe O'Brien was killed in a crash on the road between Londonderry and Strabane, County Tyrone in October 2016.

Her mother Marie is now a road safety campaigner and visits schools to teach young people about the importance of road safety.

"Caoimhe could've talked to anyone, just a really big personality, and she keeps pushing me on to do this because I would be very shy, sit in the corner, but I keep going for her," said Marie.

"Making the road safer is the way forward.

"Caoimhe is not a statistic - I don't want her to be remembered as a statistic on the A5. I want to remember her as a loving daughter."

Stephen Kelly's father Terence Kelly died in a crash on the road in August 1995.

"I make every effort I can to avoid having to drive on that road to this day," Kelly told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

He said every time a person exits from a side road onto the A5 they are "taking their lives in their hands".

"This is something that impacts everybody in the west and hopefully today finally means the end of the beginning because we've been waiting for this road to be begun since 2007."

Geraldine O'Neill, whose brother Shane was killed on the A5 in 2008, said it was a "big day - great for Tyrone".

"We were hopeful, but we've been hopeful before and we've had our hopes dashed, so it's just fantastic day," she said.

Angela O'Neill's mother Kathleen McGarvey was hit by a car on the A5 in January 2018 and died from her injuries two weeks later.

O'Neill said "the tears came very quickly" when the appeal court ruling emerged.

"I looked around and could see how much it meant to all the families impacted by this road," she said.

"This road was meant to have been built 20 years ago and I think there could have been a lot of lives saved so I'm thinking of those people today."

Colette McKane was among seven people on the way home from a funeral in England when their minibus collided with a lorry. on the A5 in 2023.

Three people lost their lives in the crash.

She welcomed the ruling and said: "Hopefully no other family will have to go through what we have gone through."

Patsy McSorley's wife Julia died in the crash.

"It's the right decision at the end of the day," he said. "It should have been done long ago but that's the way it goes."

Their daughter Julie McGeehan called for no more delays or appeals: "No more of this having to drag up the past. Just get it started, just get it done."

David Connolly's home sits on the A5 on the outskirts of the village of Ballymagorry

"It is a shocking road, way too dangerous and too many lives have been lost on it," he said.

"Now I hope this judgment sees work get going on the upgrade as soon as possible."

Pat McCrea, from Strabane, County Tyrone, regularly drives along the A5 and had stopped for lunch in Sion Mills on Tuesday.

"The traffic coming through this village is horrendous so hopefully [the road upgrade] can go some way towards alleviating that, as well as in places like Newtownstewart and Victoria Bridge," he said.

But there are those who have concerns about changes to the road, such as Dympna Kerr and Michelle Graham.

They both live in a part of Strabane that may be affected by the development of the road.

Kerr said she was happy that the A5 upgrade appeared to be moving forward but was concerned about what that would mean for her home.

"I do wish they would clarify what route they are going to take because we are all in limbo living on this road and in this entire area as to what's going to happen in the future," she said.

Kerr said she was worried the road will end up going through or around her house.

"From a more community point of view, it's going to split two communities," she added, saying it would affect farmers and access to schools.

Graham was worried about what the any redevelopment of the road would mean for her home.

"We will lose half our neighbours, our friends, how we would get about our daily work.

"But that is small and insignificant if you've lost somebody on the road.

"At the end of the day, there's 57 empty chairs which shouldn't have been.

"This should have been wrapped up, this should have been done and we need to be driving the A5 now."