Cookstown's core is traversed by the A29, which is regarded as one of the longest main streets in Northern Ireland.

Numerous companies support a bypass, and some local officials have said that traffic has a "chokehold" on the County Tyrone town at peak hours.

However, some locals whose houses will be affected and farmers that would lose acres of land continue to voice their worries.

There are still concerns about where the £70 million required to finance the plan would come from. Coleraine is connected to Cookstown, Dungannon, and Armagh City via the A29 highway.

Up to 16,000 cars can pass by it every day. Supporters and opponents of the proposed plan have the chance to present their opinions during this week's public inquiry at the Glenavon Hotel.

A bypass, according to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), would lower the chance of collisions, enhance the town's air quality, and draw more tourists and shoppers.

According to the plans, the highway would stretch from the A29 Dungannon Road roundabout south of Cookstown for approximately 2.5 miles (4 km).