A2 Shore Road widening, Greencastle

 

Status

Construction scheme (completed)

Where
 To widen the A2 Shore Road to two lanes southbound from Longwood Road to M2 junction 2 at Greencastle.
Total Length
0.8 km / 0.5 miles
Dates

Proposed in Belfast Transportation Plan 1969

Included in "Belfast Urban Area Plan 2001" - 1989

Mill Road to Greencastle widening works completed during 2001
Longwood Road to Mill Road repainted to provide 2 lanes south, 1 north sometime between late 2002 and early 2006
Cost

?
Photos / Map
 See below
See Also

General area map - Google Maps

Until the completion of the M5 motorway in 1980, the Shore Road north of Greencastle was the main route towards Whiteabbey and Carrickfergus. It had therefore been the plan since the 1960s to upgrade it. After the completion of the M5, its importance diminished to that of a local distributor road within Newtownabbey. However, the long standing plan to upgrade the road remained. At some point before 2001, the road was upgraded to provide two lanes northbound along the short stretch from the Greencastle interchange to Mill Road. This is shown in the map below.


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This same stretch was further upgraded during 2001 to provide two lanes southbound, ie two lanes each way. This was achieved by encroaching on the land to the east between the road and the sewage works.

Later Work

Later (sometime between late 2001 and early 2006) the stretch from Longwood Road to Mill Road was also upgraded to provide two lanes southbound, although the road retains one lane northbound. However, due to existing development, this was achieved be making the existing lanes thinner rather than actually widening the road.

Photos


Above: The A2 Shore Road just south of Mill Road as seen in a Google Earth image dating from 2001. You can see the upgrade works underway on the east side of the road here (the red and white lines are temporary barriers protecting the site).
Above: The same view today, showing the road now accommodating two lanes southbound, as well as a generous area of central hatching and widened footpaths.

Above: The view north along the A2 Shore Road, near Sanda Road, on 15 August 2002 at which point it had one lane each way - prior to being repainted. [Wesley Johnston]
Above: The same view today (shown in Google StreetView) shows how the road has been repainted to provide two lanes southbound.