M3 motorway (Northern Ireland)

UK motorway routebox
motorway= M3
length-mi= 0.8
length-km= 1.3
direction= East - West
start= M2
destinations= Bangor
end= A2 Sydenham Bypass
opening-date= 1995
completion-date=1998
junctions= :"This page refers to the M3 in Northern Ireland. For other uses see M3"The M3 is an urban motorway 0.8 miles (1.3 km) in length 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 [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/m3.html Northern Ireland Roads Site - M3] ] . Whilst classed as a motorway it has a permanent speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h).

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. [ [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/belfasturbanmotorway.html Northern Ireland Roads Site - Belfast Urban Motorway] ] However 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. [ [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/westlink.html Northern Ireland Roads Site - Westlink] ] Traffic had to make do with crossing the River Lagan on the Queen's Bridge and using the A2 to Bangor.

However in 1987 the government announced a plan to build a new bridge across the Lagan connecting the M2 directly to the A2. [ [http://www.iht.org/motorway/m3ni.htm The Motorway Archive - M3 (Northern Ireland)] ] 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. [ [http://www.iht.org/motorway/m3nistat.htm The Motorway Archive - M3 (Northern Ireland) Dates Page] ] The route was designated as the M3, although it is not the same scheme as the one originally expected to be the M3. [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/historymotorwayplans.html Northern Ireland Roads Site - History of Motorway Plans] ] Construction of this road was unusual as government policy was against the construction of new urban motorways.

Junctions

ee also

*Roads in Ireland
*List of motorways in the United Kingdom

References

External links

* [http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m3-ni/ CBRD Motorway Database - M3 (Northern Ireland)]
*Northern Ireland Roads Site
** [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/m3.html M3]
** [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads/belfasturbanmotorway.html Belfast Urban Motorway]
* [http://www.iht.org/motorway/m3ni.htm The Motorway Archive - M3 (Northern Ireland)]