M5 (Northern Ireland)

As with just about any other Northern Ireland motorway, the M5 was destined for something bigger. It takes four of the M2's ten lanes on the way out of Belfast and then, as if it's not sure what to do without the other six, gives up a mile or so later and stops on a roundabout with the A2.

This road was meant to go all the way to Carrickfergus - but, of course, never did. When Westminster took direct control of Northern Ireland in the early 1970s, all the plans that hadn't yet been started were instantly frozen, and have remained so ever since. The M5 was lucky in that it remained in the roads programme; or rather, a short stub of it did, linking the M2 to the A2 along the shoreline. The motorway opened in 1980, but it's little more than a hint at what was once planned.

Impressively, almost the whole of the M5 is built on land reclaimed from the sea, and for most of its length runs on a causeway between open water and a man-made lagoon.

Onwards from the end of the road, there's no prospect of the M5 towards Carrickfergus or the once-planned M6 into Newtownards being built now. The land set aside for them has been partly built on, and in recent years the A2 has been widened to provide a dual carriageway, a simpler and cheaper way of doing the job the M5 was designed for.

Start

Rathcoole

End

Whitewell

Passes

None

Connects to
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
Greencastle - Hazelbank M2 J2 Greencastle Hazelbank Chronology map for 1980

Exit list

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

Junction   Northbound               Southbound  
1 Rathcoole
A2
Carrickfergus
Whiteabbey
A2



A2
NORTH
A2
N/A
LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
2 miles, 2 lanes 2 miles, 2 lanes
M2 J2 N/A M2



M2
SOUTH
Belfast
Docks Vehicle Ferry
M2 Link
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
Routes

Picture credits

With thanks to Wesley Johnston for information on this page.

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