| A26 Ballee Road East to M2 link, Ballymena | ||||||||||||||
This most interesting scheme is required because of changing road building policy, and is difficult to understand without looking at the general area map linked to above. When the M2 motorway was being built in the 1960s and early 1970s the sections bypassing Antrim (j5-7) and the section bypassing Ballymena (j10-12) were built early on. The plan was then to fill in the gap with the remaining section of motorway. In the mean time, the Ballee Road East was built to temporarily connect the current A26 to the M2 at junction 10. Junction 10 was constructed as a roundabout with two overbridges ready to take the completed M2. However, the motorway plan was axed in 1975, meaning that the route under the bridges have never been used, and the Ballee Road East the main road for the past 30 years. It is currently a dual-carriageway which was built in 1969 at the same time as the Ballymena Bypass. Now that the M2 plans have been shelved once and for all, Roads Service has decided to re-route the Ballee Road East down under these redundant bridges so that it flows directly onto the M2. This change will substantially reduce congestion and is so obvious that it is amazing that it wasn't done long before now! The M2 at Ballymena today carried 25,500 vehicles per day in 2005, and the Ballee Road East 22,500. 15,000 of these vehicles would pass straight through if the underpass was built, substantially easing flow at the junction. According to Roads Service, the scheme will involve the construction of just under a mile of dual-carriageway and the provision of two 300 metre sliproads. The existing Ballee Road East will be cut in two, with the eastern portion still joining the roundabout at junction 10 and serving the industrial estate. The Liminary Road will be diverted to join the new roundabout on the eastern side. At least two properties will require demolition. On the new section of dual-carriageway there will be one central-reservation crossing to allow vehicles to do a U-turn to access the existing properties at the south western edge of the road. This can be seen on the map linked above. Note from the computer generated images below that the new road appears to have a "wide central median", something previously only seen in the Irish Republic and which makes future upgrades much easier. The cost of £6.1m publicised in 2005 had risen to £7m by the time this public consultation was released in July 2006, and had risen again to £12m by March 2009. Progress 25 July 2010: Work has now advanced to the point where laying the final road surface, signage and lining is the main outstanding job. Work to tie the existing Ballee Road East to the new dual-carriageway is well advanced, as is work to tie the other end into the M2 Ballymena Bypass. Work in the middle section beneath the bridge is the most advanced. It's starting to look unlikely that it will be completed by the end of July as hoped, but certainly work is neverless near completion. Roads Service have put several new images on their web site.
View north from under the Larne Road roundabout on 10 July 2010. [Noel O'Rawe]
View south from the roundabout, along the future southbound onslip on 10 July 2010. [Noel O'Rawe]
Work underway to tie the existing Ballee Road East (in distance, where cars are) to the new road (foreground) well advanced on 17 July 2010. [Roads Service]
One of the attenuation ponds, which will collect water from the drains in the road during heavy rain to prevent it overwhelming local streams and let contaminants settle out. [Roads Service] 11 Jul 2010: The project is progressing very well, with work to tie in the new road to the existing Ballee Road East well underway. The scheme is still scheduled to open at the end of July, but the exact date is not yet known. The images below were taken about a month ago, but show how far advanced work was even then.
The view south from the north bridge on 13 Jun 2010 [Noel O'Rawe].
Looking north towards the junction from near Liminary Road on 13 Jun 2010. [Noel O'Rawe] 21 Jun 2010: As the scheme nears completion (due within 6 weeks by current estimates) the kerbing and sub-surface is being installed on the new dual-carriageway beneath the Larne Road Roundabout. The superelevation (the angle of the road surface) of the new road as it turns sharply west is now very obvious - this is necessary to safely permit traffic to travel at high speed on the finished road. On the Ballee Road East the existing dual-carriageway is being realigned onto its new route under the bridges. Roads Service have put up some new pictures on their site, two of which I include below.
Ballee Road East undergoing realignment on 5 Jun 2010. [Roads Service]
The sub-surface of the new road in place on 12 Jun 2010. [Roads Service] 6 May 2010: Work has progressed very well in the past month. The earthworks for the new road, including beneath the bridges, are now complete, with drainage channels in place and the line of the central reservation visible (pics 1-3). Work has now begun on the eastbound A26 Ballee Road East which is now being realigned towards its future route beneath the bridges (pic 4). Work on updating the bridges themselves is almost done (pic 5). Completion is currently estimated as "Summer 2010". Roads Service have also put up some good photos from April on their web site.
Pic 1: View north towards the M2 from the north bridge on 25 Apr 2010
Pic 2: View south from the same bridge, showing work progressing on 25 Apr 2010. [Noel O'Rawe]
Pic 3: The view south from the south bridge on 25 Apr 2010.
Pic 4: View east along the eastbound carriageway of the A26 Ballee Road East. The kerbs show that the road is being realigned to the right to go across the field ahead. 25 Apr 2010. [Noel O'Rawe]
Pic 5: Work progressing on the parapet of the north bridge. [Roads Service image] 27 Mar 2010: As stated in the previous update, there have been delays to the project (pic 1). Roads Service say "Excavation and resolution of the rare Neolithic ring fort meant that excavation of the cutting and construction of embankments started later than anticipated. About 80% of the cutting was excavated before the weather deteriorated. Improving early spring 2010 weather has allowed excavation of the cutting and embankment construction to restart." Work has now begun on the future dual-carriageway (pics 2+3), with excavation resumed. There are now lane closures on the A26 Ballee Road East to allow it to be realigned onto its new route (pics 4+5). Pictures 1 and 2 are ©Roads Service and are taken from a much larger set which are available on their web site.
Pic 3: The foundation of the new dual-carriageway looking
Pic 4: Ballee Road East now reduced to one lane wach way while the
Pic 5: View east from Ballee Road East (left) with the future route 1 Mar 2010: In one of these Assembly Written Answers, the Minister has confirmed that a combination of archaeological discoveries and a particularly bad winter has set back the scheme by around two months. It is now due to open "in June 2010". The Minister said "Roads Service expects that once the weather improves, the contractor will be able to complete the earthworks and construction will continue", implying that some work had to actually stop. 16 Feb 2010: Roads Service have put up some pictures taken in January on the photogallery of their web site. I reproduce two below. The first shows the view along the parapet of the south bridge, which is now completed. Similar works are underway, but at a less advanced stage, at the north bridge. The second shot shows that work is now underway north of the roundabout to clear the land that will allow the M2 Ballymena Bypass to flow directly underneath the two bridges. This area of road was actually built and surfaced in 1969 when the Bypass was built, but will have to be largely reconstructed due to the lack of any maintenance in the intervening four decades, and the large amount of debris that has been dumped there over the years. Visit the Roads Service web site for several more photos taken during January.
Photo 1: Completed parapet of the south bridge. [Roads Service]
Photo 2: Clearing the land between the bridges and the M2. [Roads Service] For updates before February 2010 please see the archive. Photos
Computer generated impression of the approach to the new junction seen from the south. [Roads Service]
Computer generated impression of driving east on the new link road. [Roads Service]
Looking north towards the M2 from the north of the two junction 10 bridges. The link road will go under the camera to directly join the M2 ahead. [Photo by Wesley Johnston]
Looking north towards the M2 from the south of the two junction 10 bridges. The bridge ahead carries the other side of the roundabout. The new link road will run straight through here. [Photo by Wesley Johnston]
Travelling along the Ballee Road Link away from the M2. This road will ultimately flow directly onto the M2 rather than the roundabout. [Photo by Wesley Johnston] |
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