New or Future Road Schemes

To help you find schemes in your area a indicates Greater Belfast and Lisburn, a for counties Armagh & Down, a for counties Tyrone & Fermanagh and a for counties Londonderry & Antrim. If you know of work taking place on local road schemes, please let me know.
This icon indicates pages which have a strip map illustrating the junctions on the new road.

Completed Schemes are listed here.


Currently Under Construction

A1 dualling - Beech Hill to Cloghogue (the Newry Bypass) Updated 22 Feb
A4 dualling - Dungannon to Ballygawley
A2 dualling Maydown to City of Derry airport Updated 2 Mar
A26 Ballee Road East to M2 direct link, Ballymena Updated 1 Mar
A29 realignment, Carland, near Dungannon

Schemes due to start within the next 12 months or so
Ballyclare Western Relief Road (due Apr 2010)
A32 Omagh - Enniskillen various upgrades (ongoing; next set Aug 2010)
A32 Cherrymount Link, Enniskillen (due 2011)
A2 Shore Road at Greenisland - widening (due 2011)


Schemes in Planning

Schemes listed here are being actively planned, and will proceed as soon as funding is available.

M2/M3 to A12 Westlink flyover link, York Street, Belfast (due after 2014) Updated 12 Mar
A2 Sydenham Bypass - widening (due after 2014)
A2 Sydenham Bypass - new grade-separated junction at Belfast Harbour Estate Updated 1 Mar
A2 widening Londonderry - Buncrana Road from Pennyburn to border (due after 2013)
A2 Ballykelly Bypass (due towards 2018)
A3 Armagh north and west link (due by 2013)
A5 dualling Londonderry to Irish border at Aughnacloy (due 2012)
A6 dualling - Dungiven to Londonderry (due by 2013)
A6 dualling - M22 to Castledawson (due 2011/12)
A8 dualling - Coleman's Corner to Larne (due 2013)
A24 Ballynahinch Bypass (due after 2014)  Updated 6 Mar
A26 dualling - Glarryford to A44 junction (due by 2018)
A29 Cookstown Bypass (due 2012)
A31 Magherafelt Bypass (due after 2013)
A55 Outer Ring at Knock - widening (due after 2013) Updated 1 Mar
Belfast: Queen's Quay road upgrade (unknown timescale)
Belfast Rapid Transit System (due 2011)


Schemes to Proceed within 10 Years

Schemes listed here are definite plans by Roads Service, but have not as yet proceeded into the formal legal, design or land acquisition phases. They are planned for implementation "within the next ten years or so".

M1 west-facing sliproads at Black's Road (junction 3)
M1 to A1 link, Sprucefield + grade separation of Hillsborough roundabout
M2 Sandyknowes (junction 4) to A8(M) direct link Updated 6 Mar
A1 grade separation - final 4 junctions to turn A1 into an "expressway"
A3 dualling - Portadown to Richill
A4 Fivemiletown Bypass
A4 Enniskillen Southern Bypass
A5 Strabane to N14/N15 Lifford link road
A26 dualling - Ballymoney to Coleraine
A26 "2+1" upgrades Nutt's Corner to M1 junction 9 (Moira)
A28 Armagh east link
A57 M2 to Belfast International Airport Link Road
Belfast Inner Ring Road
    Bankmore Link, Belfast (part of Inner Ring Road)
Connsbank Link and Holywood Arches Bypass, Belfast
Newtownabbey: Mayfield Link (Mallusk to Upper Hightown Road)

Warrenpoint: Narrow Water Bridge - county Down to county Louth


Schemes Planned by Government in the Long Term

Schemes listed here are in the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan 2015, or referred to in other official documents, but implementation is expected to be more than ten years in the future.

M1 widening - Black's Road (junction 3) to Sprucefield (junction 7)
M2 Sandyknowes Relief Junction with new access to Mallusk and A8
A2 Greysteel Bypass
A2 Newry Southern Relief Road (A1 to Warrenpoint Road)
A3 Northway junction improvement, Portadown
A3 Armagh southwest link (Killylea Rd to Monaghan Rd)
A4 "2+1" sections, Ballygawley to Enniskillen
Blacks' Road Link: Upper Malone Road, Belfast to M1 junction 3
Carrickfergus Spine Road Upper Road-North Road and Victoria Road / Sloefield Road links
Dundonald eastern link road - Comber Road to Quarry Corner
Lisburn: Pond Park Road realignment north of North Lisburn Feeder Road
Lisburn: Knockmore Link - Knockmore Road to M1 junction 8
Londonderry: Queen's Quay widening
Saintfield Road relief road, Belfast - A55 at Belvoir to Cairnshill

 

Schemes proposed but with no definite go-ahead

Schemes listed here have been proposed by various people, but there are no formal plans to proceed. Schemes listed in the Sub-Regional Transport Plan 2015 but which are not referred to in other places are also listed here.

A5 to A6 Link Road, Londonderry
A6 dualling - Castledawson to Dungiven
A21 Ballygowan Road Link, Comber
Antrim eastern Bypass
Ballymena SW and NW distributor
Belfast: A55 Outer Ring extension SW to M1 via Hillhall Road (SDLP proposal)
Belfast: A55 Outer Ring extension NW from Knocknagoney to Fortwilliam (SDLP proposal)
Belfast: A55 Outer Ring extension N of Monagh Bypass to Ligoniel (SDLP proposal)
Coleraine ring road (A29) dualling Lodge Road to Ballycastle Road
Coleraine ring road (A29) grade separation of Lodge Road roundabout
Craigavon: M12 junction 1 to Craigavon Centre direct link road
B62 Cullybackey Bypass
Derry: A2 Buncrana Road widening - Galliagh to Donegal border
Derry: Third river bridge close to former Ebrington barracks
Derry: Waterside link road
Downpatrick eastern distributor road
Dungannon distributor road
Larne western distributor road
Larne area: Glynn Bypass
Lisburn: New junction on M1 to serve proposed National Stadium at Maze
Lurgan: Millennium Way Phase 2
Newtownards: Bowtown Link Road (Portaferry Road to Bowtown Road)
Omagh: Dublin Road to Scarffe's Entry link road
Omagh: Winter's Lane link road
Omagh northern distributor road
Omagh: Tamlaght Road to Clanabogan Road link
 

 

Cancelled Schemes

Schemes listed here were proposed, but have now been cancelled, or superseded by others.
A5 "2+1" upgrade - Londonderry to Victoria Bridge (superseded by A5 dualling scheme)
A5 Strabane Bypass - stage 3 (superseded by A5 dualling scheme)
A5 Omagh Outer Bypass (superseded by A5 dualling scheme)
Ballynure north east link road (superseded by A8 dualling scheme)

 

Visitors' Suggested Road Schemes

This section is to let planners see what schemes the general public see as important.

E-mail me with your wish list of road schemes.

(realistic ones only please, no bridges across Lough Neagh!)

Schemes suggested by three or more people:

Southern link road at Newry connecting A2 from Warrenpoint to the A1 (x3) - now planned

A26 dualling Moira to Aldergrove (x3)

A26 Craigavon to A1 at Banbridge dual-carriageway (x3)

Belfast Outer Orbital from Bangor, via Carryduff, Lisburn, and Ballyclare to the A8 (x3)

Schemes suggested twice:

A1 closure or grade separation of Hillsborough roundabout (x2) - now planned

A1 realignment at Dromore to smooth out tight S-bend (x2)

A12 Westlink <-> M2 direct link (x2) - now planned

A26 Freeflow bypass of Seven Towers roundabout, Ballymena (x2)

Hillhall Road upgrade (Lisburn to East Belfast) (x2)

Newry Bypass <-> A25 Rathfriland link road (x2)

Schemes suggested once:

M1/A1 junction improvements - now planned

M2 bridge connecting Fortwilliam to Tillysburn

M2<>A26 direct links to bypass Dunsilly roundabout, Antrim

A2 Greysteel and Ballykelly bypasses - Ballykelly now planned

A2 Sydenham Bypass - grade separation of Tillysburn (A55) junction

A3 realignment near Middletown

A4 bypasses Augher and Clogher

A5 dualling Omagh to Ballygawley - now planned

A5 Aughnacloy Bypass - now planned

A5 Enniskillen Throughpass - improvement to lane allocations at Lakeland Forum

A5 Dungiven Bypass - now planned

A8 dualling to Larne - now planned

A26 dualling Ballymena to Coleraine - about 50% now planned

A26 grade separation of Antrim to Ballymena stretch

A29 bypasses of various towns in Tyrone and Armagh

A46 improvements Enniskillen to Belleek to mirror plans on Irish side of border

A50 improvements Banbridge to Portadown with local bypasses of villages

A55 Outer Ring Belfast - Grade separation of Newtownards, Castlereagh & Saintfield Rd junctions

A55 Outer Ring Belfast - improvements to sections in West Belfast

A514 Crescent Link L'Derry - extension south to A5

B2 improvements - Dromore to Banbridge

Belfast International Airport to M2 motorway dual-carriageway link road

Bangor Outer Ring Road

Carlingford Lough bridge - now planned

Rathfriland Bypass

Strangford-Portaferry bridge/tunnel

North-south bypass of Lisburn for A49 traffic

Direct link to Sprucefield from the B77 at Hillsborough

Ahoghill Bypass, near Ballymena

Enniskillen Western Bypass (A4 to A46)

Why is my local road scheme not listed here ?

A large number of new roads schemes are always in the pipeline. These fall into three categories:

• Strategic road improvements, constructed at governmental (taxpayers) expense. These types of scheme only involve major roads. The plan for the period 2005-2015 is set out in the "Regional Strategic Transport Plan 2015".

• Local road improvements, also constructed at taxpayers expense. These are road schemes that do not impact on the overall strategic road system, but are still undertaken by Roads Service. Often they are outlined in localised plans such as the Northern Area Plan or Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan.

• Developer-led road improvements, funded in part or whole by property developers or companies. These typically involve local roads to improve access to housing or private commercial buildings.

Only the first two of these categories are widely publicised. The latter are often built and opened without so much as a press statement. Therefore, because I live in Belfast, I may be unaware of developer-led projects outside the Belfast area. I am always interested to know about them, however!