The name Lurgan comes from the Irish for a "long, low ridge". Lurgan's main street runs along this ridge with the land sloping away to both the north east and the south west. The north east is occupied by Lurgan Park, while the area to the south west was until recently a largely underdeveloped area of derelict or poorly maintained industrial building. The half-mile long Millennium Way was built to traverse this area parallel to the main street and stimulate its redevelopment. Beginning at traffic lights on Edward Street it runs south east, crossing Union Street, before terminating at lights on Malcolm Road. The map below (not to scale) shows the route:

The road has been a success, with many new shops opening in the area, most notably a new Tesco store. It also acts as a quick route for traffic to bypass much of the congested town centre. At the time of writing (Dec 2007) there was a plan to extend the road to Gilford Road. See Futures for the latest information.

Photos

The view north west along the A99 Millennium Way early on a Sunday morning from half way between Malcolm Road and Union Street in February 2006. Note the new retail premises on the left. [Wesley Johnston].