Northern Ireland News - Lord Mayor opens £6m motorway scheme

10 August 2004

Lord Mayor opens £6m motorway scheme

The newly widened £6 million M1 motorway, between Black’s Road and Stockman’s Lane, has been officially opened today by the Lord Mayor of Belfast.

DRD Roads Service’s M1 scheme, which has taken a year to complete, has widened the original two-lane M1 motorway to create three lanes in each direction. These works are the first phase of the M1/Westlink Project, which will eventually create three continuous lanes between Black’s Road and Divis Street.

Welcoming the completion of the scheme, the Lord Mayor Tom Ekin said: “The central theme of my year in office is ‘unlocking our potential’ and these improvements on the M1 motorway will help achieve that goal for Belfast by unlocking the gridlock that many motorists and lorry drivers have faced in recent years.

“The scheme will lead to reduced congestion, reduced journey times and improved journey time reliability. As a businessman, I have no doubt that these improvements will be welcomed by businesses in the greater Belfast area as well as road users throughout Northern Ireland."

Joe Drew, Eastern Divisional Roads Manager, added: “The M1 widening scheme is only the first phase of improvement works planned for this key strategic route.

"The M1/Westlink Project, which is due to commence early in 2006, will address the two remaining major sources of congestion that exist, at Broadway and Grosvenor Road."

(MB)