When the new Sprucefield Park retail park was being built in 2003, it had the potential to so greatly increase the volume of traffic at the M1/A1 interchange that it was made a condition of planning permission that a new interchange for the A1 be constructed on the M1. This was junction 8, which opened in October 2003 and resulted in the partial closure of junction 7. Junction 8 is about half a mile west of junction 7.

The A101 was built to link the new junction 8 back to the existing A1 dual-carriageway. At 600 metres it is not long, but it is impressive - wide, well made and perfectly straight. It begins at a new roundabout on the A1 and terminates at a dumbbell interchange with the M1. Regular M1 users will remember that the motorway was temporarily diverted to allow construction of the bridge that would let the A101 pass beneath.

It has to be said, however, that a large volume of A1 traffic still uses junction 7 despite the road signs that try to encourage local traffic only to use junction 7!

Future plans include extending the A101 past the M1 into the western end of Lisburn at Knockmore. Whether this road will be a dual-carriageway, however, is uncertain. Another plan to create free-flow links from the M1 to the A1, bypassing Sprucefield, is also in long term planning.

Diagram

This is the layout of the M1/A1 interchange as of 2005. The A101 is the road that runs from junction 8 south east towards the A1.

Photos

The A101 seen looking towards the M1 in February 2006 [Photo by Wesley Johnston].