Official opening of A2 Shore Road

Transport Minister Michelle McIlveen, Kevin Monaghan from Transport NI, and Leo Martin from Graham Construction are joined by elected representatives at the opening ceremony. INCT 50-724-CON Photograph by Declan Roughan

The A2 is a vital link in the strategic road network between Belfast and Carrickfergus, carrying on average around 35,000 vehicles each day.

The scheme widened approximately one and a quarter miles (1.9 kilometres) of the A2 Shore Road between Jordanstown Road and Station Road, upgrading the section of road to an urban dual carriageway.

An entirely new dual carriageway of approximately one mile (1.6 kilometres) was built between Station Road and Seapark. Four roundabouts connect the new section of road to the existing road network.

The new route resolves the problem of a major bottleneck for peak-time traffic travelling between Belfast and Carrickfergus, the Minister said.

“Drivers are now benefiting from reduced journey times; I would hope traffic jams here would be a thing of the past,” she added.

Construction of the scheme began in March 2013 and the new dual carriageway became fully operational in September this year.