A1 - Newry Bypass Dual Carriageway (NOW OPEN)

Pictures guys, pictures. Please.

Folks,

Here are some photos, taken travelling northbound last Sunday.

1. Just after the merge of the northbound on-ramp at the Newry south exit. Lots of blasting was done in this area to make space for the northbound carriageway we're on.


2. RCS northbound after the Newry south exit. There should really be a reminder here that these distances are in miles.


3. Check out the view over Newry city to the Mournes from this viewpoint.


4. Approaching the junction with the A25. This is the exit I'd use for Newry on a Sunday morning, as the Newry south one has fairly long tailbacks on the old A1 when entering the city.


5. Signage at the exit.


6. We're now offline from the old A1. Up until the Camlough Road exit, the existing A1 was dualed. North of here it's all new build.


7. The countryside around here is quite rolling.


8. Note the viaduct on this bend.


9. Quite bendy here.


10. Approaching Sheepbridge junction.


11. On-slip at Sheepbridge. We're approaching the route of the old A1, north of Newry.


12. RCS north of Sheepbridge.


13. Newry bypass section ends shortly after this bridge. The next few km until Banbridge are a recently-completed upgrade of the low-standard road that existing previously. However, the upgrade still has at-grade crossings, the first you'll have encountered since the traffic lights at Whitehall in Dublin city.

Your substantive points about roads are sensible but your username is the best I've ever read!

Aontachtoir wrote: »

Agree that a better road to Belfast is a necessity, but let's be realistic about the united Ireland thing. Did you follow the RIC commemoration debacle this week? We can't even share a history, let alone a country.

Anyway. Is it really necessary to build a new motorway for the Northern Ireland part? The A1 has a broad grassy strip down the middle - about 7 metres wide. Chop that out, put in a concrete divider like on most modern Irish motorways, and you have enough room for a 4-lane motorway with a hard shoulder all the way from Newry to Lisburn without buying a square metre of land.

The rather large amounts of money saved can then be partially spent on bridges/underpasses to grade separate the important junctions and close the rest (with accessory roads where needed).

I'd be glad to have my figures checked, but wouldn't that be cheaper and easier? Especially with the challenges the A5 faced under NI planning law?

Aontachtoir wrote: »

Sight lines can also be improved when needed, or the road can just keep its 100 km/h speed limit.

Most of the road has the default UK dual carriageway limit of 70mph, with the crossing-heavy sections on the Banbridge and Dromore bypasses at 60mph. There are much worse sight lines in the 70 zones than in the 60 zones.