Plans to dual the 85km route, spanning Aughnacloy to Newbuildings, have attracted over 2,400 objections.
Protesters have argued that the carriageway will cause loss of land and disruption to communities. They say the road, which will only have eight access points and may not carry enough traffic to warrant the £850m outlay.
The Republic of Ireland is contributing £400m to the the A5 and A8 upgrade.
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Meanwhile construction of the A26 between Glarryford and Drones Road has been shelved for at least four years due to lack of funds.
Ballymena councillors were informed via a letter from the Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy's acting Private Secretary that the scheme's delivery will be dependent on the allocation of finances in the next Budget period.
The letter said that "unfortunately, when these competing priorities are taken into consideration, the funding allocated in Budget 2010 will not enable construction of the A26 between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Road to start in the next four year period".
See: A5 Road Scheme Protest Redundant?
(GK/KMcA)
