Westlink Belfast
Encyclopedia
The Westlink road in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
is a dual carriageway
throughpass, designated the A12, connecting the M1
to the M2
and M3
motorways which run south, north and east of the city, respectively. The road forms part of European route E01
.
The entire road was built to dual two-lane standard. The southbound section from Grosvenor Road to Broadway was widened to three lanes in 2002. Major upgrade work completed in 2009 extended the third lane to the newly-completed Broadway underpass, where the road now seamlessly merges into the M1 Motorway.
The underpass opened on Friday 4 July 2008 . On Saturday 16 August 2008 it completely filled with water due to several hours of torrential rainfall.
The Westlink was built in two phases. Phase 1, connecting the M1 at Broadway to Grosvenor Road opened in February 1981. Both of these junctions were built as at-grade roundabouts, with a traffic-light junction serving Roden Street and Mulhouse Road half way between. Phase 2, extending the scheme from Grosvenor Road to York Street, was completed in March 1983. This section has two grade-separated junctions at Divis Street and Clifton Street and passes under Peter's Hill. The York Street terminus is at-grade and links to the M2 and, since its opening in January 1995, to the M3.
sliproads provided at Mulhouse Road (for access to the Royal Victoria Hospital
), the closure of access to Roden Street and the provision of a segregated busway from Broadway into the Europa Bus Centre were also completed.
Detractors of this scheme point out that it will merely cause additional bottlenecks at the entry/exit point at York Street, where scheduled redevelopment is not expected to be completed until 2018. Construction is set to begin in 2013 on a complex system of underpases and flyovers linking the Westlink to the M2 and M3.
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
is a dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
throughpass, designated the A12, connecting the M1
M1 motorway (Northern Ireland)
The M1 is a motorway in Northern Ireland. It is the longest motorway in Northern Ireland and runs for from Belfast to Dungannon through County Down and County Armagh...
to the M2
M2 motorway (Northern Ireland)
The M2 is a motorway in Belfast and County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is in two sections, the southern section running from north Belfast to Antrim and the northern section acts as a bypass of Ballymena, with the A26 road linking the two sections. In total it is 22 miles...
and M3
M3 motorway (Northern Ireland)
The M3 is an urban motorway 0.8 miles in length owned by Siac Construction and Cintra, S.A. that connects the M2 in north Belfast, Northern Ireland to the A2 Sydenham Bypass in east Belfast. It is the shortest motorway in Northern Ireland, and one of the busiest, carrying 60,000 vehicles per...
motorways which run south, north and east of the city, respectively. The road forms part of European route E01
European route E01
The European route E 01 is a series of roads in Europe, part of the United Nations International E-road network, running from Larne, Northern Ireland to Seville, Spain. There is a sea crossing between Rosslare Harbour, in Ireland, and Ferrol, but no ferry service...
.
History
Originally planned in 1964 as the Belfast Urban Motorway, the route was to have been fully grade-separated and would have completely encircled the city centre. Due to lack of money and public opposition only the western portion was completed and this was originally not fully grade-separated.The entire road was built to dual two-lane standard. The southbound section from Grosvenor Road to Broadway was widened to three lanes in 2002. Major upgrade work completed in 2009 extended the third lane to the newly-completed Broadway underpass, where the road now seamlessly merges into the M1 Motorway.
The underpass opened on Friday 4 July 2008 . On Saturday 16 August 2008 it completely filled with water due to several hours of torrential rainfall.
The Westlink was built in two phases. Phase 1, connecting the M1 at Broadway to Grosvenor Road opened in February 1981. Both of these junctions were built as at-grade roundabouts, with a traffic-light junction serving Roden Street and Mulhouse Road half way between. Phase 2, extending the scheme from Grosvenor Road to York Street, was completed in March 1983. This section has two grade-separated junctions at Divis Street and Clifton Street and passes under Peter's Hill. The York Street terminus is at-grade and links to the M2 and, since its opening in January 1995, to the M3.
Criticism / Future Plans
A necessary innovation, the Westlink has nonetheless garnered much negative publicity over the years, owing to rush-hour traffic bottlenecks at its major intersections. The major renovation work from 2006-2009 has seen the full grade-separation of the Broadway and Grosvenor Road junctions via underpasses and a third traffic lane is being added in both directions between Broadway and Divis Street. Left-in/left-outRight-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out and left-in/left-out refer to a type of road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. RIRO is usual where vehicles drive on the right, and LILO is usual where vehicles drive on the left...
sliproads provided at Mulhouse Road (for access to the Royal Victoria Hospital
Royal Victoria Hospital
The Royal Victoria Hospital, or as it is popularly known, the "Royal Vic", is located at 687 Pine Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The Royal Vic is located in downtown Montreal, on the slopes of Mount Royal. There are a number of buildings, including the Surgical, Medical, Ross and Women's...
), the closure of access to Roden Street and the provision of a segregated busway from Broadway into the Europa Bus Centre were also completed.
Detractors of this scheme point out that it will merely cause additional bottlenecks at the entry/exit point at York Street, where scheduled redevelopment is not expected to be completed until 2018. Construction is set to begin in 2013 on a complex system of underpases and flyovers linking the Westlink to the M2 and M3.