A26 Kilraughts Road roundabout, Ballymoney

 

Status
 Construction scheme (completed)
Where
 Construction of a roundabout on the A26 Ballymoney Bypass at the junction with B16 Kilraughts Road.
Total Length
n/a
Dates

A26 Ballymoney Bypass built - 1979
Scheme announced - June 2004
Construction began - Dec 2004
Opened to traffic - April 2005
Cost
 £600k - £700k
Photos
 See below for map.
See Also

Kilraughts Roundabout - Google Maps

The A26 Ballymoney Bypass was built in 1979. At the time it was future-proofed by making the earthworks wide enough to accommodate a later dual-carriageway upgrade, although this has never materialised. It was equipped with at-grade T-junctions at all but one of the roads it meets (the exception being B62 Ballybogy Road which was constructed as a roundabout in 1979).

The Google Earth image below was taken in historical mode and shows how the Kilraughts Road junction looked back in 2001, before the roundabout was built. It is still in its original 1979 form, ie a staggered crossroads.

How the A26 Ballymoney Bypass / Kilraughts Road junction looked in 2001 [Google Earth].

As traffic levels on the A26 have increased over the the years, so too has the difficulty and danger experienced using these T-junctions. In a study announced in June 2004 Roads Service concluded that "By 2016, however, increased flows on the bypass will cause queuing and delay on the side roads. This stems from a significant level of demand to cross the bypass, in particular to move between Ballymoney and its rural hinterland to the North and East, which is anticipated to increase by approximately 70% by 2016" and "The projected increase in flow on the bypass by 2016 blocks exiting traffic, resulting in traffic on the approach roads - the B16, the B66 and B147 - suffering delay and congestion. Observation of the existing situation suggests that the B16 junction, Kilraughts Road, is likely to suffer worst as it is the most direct route between Ballymoney and Ballycastle and it is reasonable to expect it to carry the bulk of the increase.".

The scheme got underway in or around December 2004 and was opened to traffic in or around April 2005.

Map

The Google map below shows the roundabout (centre of frame) and its hinterland as it is today:


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Photos


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Google StreetView of Kilraughts Road roundabout, seen from the south-east.