A8(M) motorway (Northern Ireland)

Encyclopedia : A : A8 : A8M : A8(M) motorway (Northern Ireland)

A8(M) motorway
Length	1.0 miles 1.6 km
Direction	North - South
Start	Newtownabbey
Primary destinations	None
End	Newtownabbey
Construction dates	1966 - entire motorway
Motorways joined	None

The A8(M) motorway in Northern Ireland is a short spur of the M2 motorway, built as a part the M2, a planned route from Belfast to Ballymena .[Northern Ireland Roads Site - A8(M)] URL accessed 17 June 2006 However, during construction, the terrain which would have to have been crossed was deemed to be too challenging, and the M2 was redirected to travel via Antrim, which meant that the short one-mile section of motorway which had already been built at Newtownabbey was now unnecessary.[CBRD Motorway Database - A8(M) (NI)] URl accessed 17 June 2006 As a result, this section was renamed the A8(M) and connected as the A8, continuing as an A-road all the way to Larne.

The road, opened 24 October 1966, does not meet any other motorways directly, with one end connecting to the A8, and the other connecting to the A6, which links the A8(M) to the M2 .

Although both sides of the road are the same width, the northbound direction has three lanes, one of which is not open to traffic, while southbound only has two. Despite being the shortest motorway in Northern Ireland, the motorway still includes matrix displays [Pathetic motorways - A8(M)] URL accessed 17 June 2006 and is fully classified as a separate road, while other, similar spurs, such as the Walton Summit motorway spur of the M65 motorway, are classified as parts of other motorways. The Walton Summit motorway, for example, is signposted as a part of both the M65 and M61 motorways. [Pathetic motorways - Walton Summit] URL accessed 20 June 2006

References