This scheme exists purely as a "land protection corridor" in the Craigavon Area Plan 2010, which was adopted in 2004. It is not a live road proposal so there is not currently any plan to build it. Instead, it exists simply to keep the option open for future generations. As the plan puts it, this scheme is "...not yet programmed for implementation, however, the Department considers that [its route] should be protected in the interests of longer term strategic planning". A "land protection corridor" makes sure that the planning authorities do not give planning permission for anything that would prevent the road being built at a future date. Having said that, the scheme is quite compelling at first glance when you see it on a map:

However, the proposal takes advantage of the cheap-as-chips ground level roundabout which was added to the M12 in 1991. This roundabout forces all traffic on the motorway to come to a standstill in order to avoid the hassle of building the one bridge that would be necessary to make all the M1 sliproads freeflowing. Once a roundabout has been added to a major road, however, it acts as a siren's call to planners who cannot resist the temptation to attach new roads onto it. So, while this road proposal might well bring advantages, it would pretty much rule out any chance of correcting the mess that the roundabout created back in 1991. At the other (south) end of the scheme, the road would also require a bridge over the existing railway line.

The road might be useful for opening up the lands between Craigavon Centre and the motorway for development. However, as a road link between the M1 and Craigavon Centre alone it's unlikely to achieve a sufficiently good cost-benefit ratio to be worth building on its own. This is mainly because it largely duplicates the existing link between Northway and the M1, ie the M12 itself.

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