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 bridges have been disused 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, the Roads Service has decided to re-route the Ballee Road East down under these disused 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 (2005) carries 25,500 vehicles per day 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 the 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 required 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.

Progress

4 May 2008: The DRD published its "intention to proceed" in March 2008. This basically means that the scheme has successfully passed the public inquiry stage and that the department will now carry out vesting of the necessary land and seek to begin work. The estimated date of commencement is still quite vague, but with completion due in "2009/2010" commencement must lie sometime between mid 2008 and mid 2009.

4 May 2007: According to this page, due to the number of objections received during the consultation, a public inquiry was convened on 23 March 2007. This will result in an inspectors report which will be submitted "later this year [2007]". Roads Service say that once they receive this they will announce the way ahead for the scheme. However, this process appears to have resulted in a delay of a year so the project is now expected to commence late in 2008, rather than late 2007 as previously stated.

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]