M3 motorway (Northern Ireland)

The M3 is an urban motorway 0.8 miles (1.3 km) in length owned by Siac Construction and Cintra, S.A. that connects the M2 in north Belfast, Northern Ireland to the A2 Sydenham Bypass in east Belfast. It is the shortest motorway in Northern Ireland, and one of the busiest, carrying 60,000 vehicles per day as of 2005.[1] It has a permanent speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h).

This article is about the road in Northern Ireland. For other uses, see M3 (disambiguation).

M3
Route information
Length0.8 mi (1.3 km)
Existed1995–present
HistoryConstructed 1995–1998
Major junctions
West end M2
 City centre
East end A2 Sydenham Bypass
Location
Primary
destinations		Bangor, Belfast
Road network
← M2→ A2

History

The M3 was originally planned in 1956 as the Eastern Approach, named the M3 the following year, which would run from east Belfast to Bangor. The plan was extended to include an orbital Belfast Urban Motorway, close to the city centre, in 1964.[2] Due to a combination of financial cutbacks and public opposition construction of the M3 never took place and the Belfast Urban Motorway was downgraded to the A12 Westlink dual-carriageway and only partially completed.[3] Traffic had to make do with crossing the River Lagan on the Queen's Bridge and using the A2 to Bangor.

In 1987 the government announced a plan to build a new bridge across the Lagan connecting the M2 directly to the A2.[4] It was built in two stages: the Lagan Bridge section connecting to the M2 opened on 22 January 1995 while the link to the A2 opened three years later in May 1998.[5] The route was designated as the M3, although it is not the same scheme as the one originally expected to be the M3.[6] Construction of this road was unusual as government policy was against the construction of new urban motorways.

Junctions
The M3 from the Sydenham Bypass, 2007
M3 motorway
Eastbound exits Junction Westbound exits
End of motorway
M2 motorway continues
M2 The NORTH, Docks (N), International Airport
A12 The WEST, The SOUTH, Docks (S)		 1a Start of motorway
Lagan Bridge
Start of motorway 1 End of motorway
A2 dual carriageway continues
City Airport Bangor, Newtownards A2
Titanic Quarter, Belfast (E), Newcastle

M3 Lagan Bridge

The M3 crosses the River Lagan on a 160m-long, 37m-wide arched concrete bridge. This bridge is actually two separate, parallel spans, made of pre-cast segments.[7]

Next crossing upstream River Lagan Next crossing downstream
Dargan Bridge M3 Lagan Bridge None

See also

References
  1. Northern Ireland Roads Site – M3
  2. Northern Ireland Roads Site – Belfast Urban Motorway
  3. Northern Ireland Roads Site – Westlink
  4. The Motorway Archive – M3 (Northern Ireland) Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "The Motorway Archive – M3 (Northern Ireland) Dates Page". Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2006.
  6. Northern Ireland Roads Site – History of Motorway Plans
  7. "M3 Motorway - Northern Ireland". www.wesleyjohnston.com. Retrieved 16 February 2018.

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