M3 (Northern Ireland)

Is this the most piecemeal motorway in the UK? It's barely a mile long, but took about eight years to build in three different sections. Ouch.

Northern Ireland had grand motorway plans in the 1960s, with eight single-digit motorways radiating from Belfast throwing off spurs to various provincial towns. Aside from the M1 and M2, none of this happened. The M3 was initially to be the Belfast to Bangor motorway, but as this never got built, the new motorway section across the Lagan Bridge got the number instead.

The M3 is fairly obviously just the last mile of the M2, built in the 1990s when a new crossing over the Lagan was required. It is a continuation of the mainline of the M2 motorway and A2 dual carriageway, which means the three now form a route into the city from the north, looping back out to the north-east on the A2. Why exactly one small part of this route must be called M3 is beyond logical reason. Perhaps the route out to Bangor would have begun by crossing the Lagan here, but if you're only going to build a mile of it, messing about with a number seems picky.

Forgetting its bizarre numbering, the appearance of any new motorway in NI is a cause for celebration, and besides, nobody there actually pays any attention to its number anyway.

Start

Belfast

End

Ballymacarrett

Passes

None

Length

1 mile

Click a section name to see its full details, or click a map symbol on the right to see all motorways opened in that year.

Completed Name Start End
Popham - Winnall J8 Popham J9 Winnall Chronology map for 1985
Lagan Bridge M2 J1A York Street J1 Middlepath Street Chronology map for 1995
Middlepath Street - Sydenham Bypass J1 Middlepath Street Sydenham Bypass Chronology map for 1998

Exit list

Symbols and conventions are explained in the key to exit lists. You can click any junction to see its full details.

Junction   Westbound               Eastbound  
M2 J1A Antrim
Ballymena
Coleraine
Londonderry
M2 Link
Belfast (W)
Lisburn
Craigavon
A12 Link (M1 Link)






A2


A12


A2
WEST
M2


A2
N/A
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
1 mile, 4 lanes  
River or canal River Lagan River or canal River Lagan
  1 mile, 4 lanes
1 N/A A2



A23
A20





A2
EAST
City Airport
Hollywood
Bangor
A2
Belfast (E)
Outer Ring (A55)
Sydenham
A20
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
Routes

Picture credits

With thanks to Wesley Johnston for information on this page.

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