M3 motorway (Northern Ireland)

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the road in Northern Ireland. For other uses, see M3 (disambiguation).

M3 shield
M3
Route information
Length0.8 mi (1,300 m)
Existed1995–present
HistoryConstructed 1995–1998
Major junctions
West end M2
Major intersectionsCity centre
East end A2 Sydenham Bypass
Location
Country
Bangor, Belfast
Road network
← M2→ A2

The M3 is an

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).

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

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.

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
Docks
(S) 		1a Start of motorway
Lagan Bridge
Start of motorway 1 End of motorway
A2 dual carriageway continues
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.

External links

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/M3 motorway (Northern Ireland)
KML is from Wikidata
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