This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(June 2019) |
A3 | |
---|---|
Major junctions | |
East end | Lisburn |
A1 in Lisburn M1 Junction 9 A26 in Lurgan A27 in Craigavon A4 in Portadown A51 in Armagh A28 in Armagh A29 in Armagh | |
West end | Outside Middletown, road crosses into County Monaghan in the Republic, becoming the N12 until Monaghan. From Monaghan, the N12 becomes the N54 until Clones, becoming the A3 again in County Fermanagh from there until it crosses back across the border, when it becomes the N54 until back in County Fermanagh in N.I., linking the B533, then crossing the Border again as the N54 (Republic) until Cavan. |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | Northern Ireland |
Primary destinations | Lisburn Lurgan Portadown Armagh Monaghan Clones Cavan |
Road network | |
The A3 is a major road in Northern Ireland. It travels through County Antrim, County Down, County Armagh and parts of southern County Fermanagh.
The route branches off the A1, and from the start of the route at Lisburn to the border near Middletown, County Armagh, it is a primary route. The A3 is also the designated road number for the sections of the Irish N54 secondary route which lie in Northern Ireland. These sections carry secondary route status.
The A3 begins by proceeding ahead at a crossroads in Lisburn city centre, where the A1 veers to the left. It continues through the eastern suburbs of Lisburn before it comes to Junction 9 of the M1, where it intersects with the A26 travelling southwards from Antrim. The A3 carries the course of the A26 through the villages of Moira and Magheralin, before the A26 branches off again upon entering Lurgan, heading towards Banbridge.
The A3 continues through the town centre of Lurgan, and becomes dual carriageway from the outskirts of Lurgan through a series of roundabouts in what was planned as the new city of Craigavon. At "Central Roundabout", the A3 veers north-easterly onto "Northway", a single-carriageway by-pass of Portadown. The A3 also meets the A27 from Craigavon Area Hospital at this roundabout. "Northway" was originally planned to be an extension of the M12 into the centre of Craigavon, but like many parts of the planned town, it was not built. Close to Portadown town centre, the A4 branches off towards Dungannon and Maghery, and the A3 continues to the city of Armagh, bypassing the village of Richhill.
On entering Armagh, the road meets a series of other main roads leading to the city along a half-ring road; firstly the A51 from Gilford, then the A28 from Newry and the A29 from Dundalk. It then continues its route through the villages of Milford and Middletown before reaching the border with the Republic of Ireland and County Monaghan in the townland of Ardgonnell. The road continues as the N12 to Monaghan and then as the N54 towards Cavan.
The Monaghan–Cavan road resumes the A3 designation twice, where it enters southeast Fermanagh: first from the western outskirts of Clones for two miles, before reverting to the N54 in the Drummully salient in County Monaghan, part of the Republic; then again for another short stretch where it meets the B533 from Newtownbutler at a Y-junction at Wattlebridge before reverting again to the N54 until it meets the N3 at Butlersbridge, on the north-western edge of Cavan Town. Whereas the main A3 section from Lisburn to the border near Monaghan is a primary route, the two Fermanagh sections have 'secondary status' as B roads.
At present, the Department for Regional Development plan a series of future road schemes for the A3:
County Armagh is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders the Northern Irish counties of Tyrone to the west and Down to the east. The county borders Louth and Monaghan to the south and southwest, which are in the Republic of Ireland. It is named after its county town, Armagh, which derives from the Irish Ard Mhacha, meaning "Macha's height". Macha was a sovereignty goddess in Irish mythology and is said to have been buried on a wooded hill around which the town of Armagh grew. County Armagh is colloquially known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards.
Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and roughly 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Belfast. The town is linked to Belfast by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. Lurgan had a population of about 28,634 at the 2021 UK census, and falls within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. For certain purposes, Lurgan is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", along with neighbouring Craigavon and Portadown.
Craigavon is a town in northern County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Its construction began in 1965 and it was named after the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland: James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon. It was intended to be the heart of a new linear city incorporating Lurgan and Portadown, but this plan was mostly abandoned and later described as having been flawed. Among local people today, "Craigavon" refers to the area between the two towns. It is built beside a pair of artificial lakes and is made up of a large residential area (Brownlow), a second smaller one (Mandeville), plus a central area (Highfield) that includes a substantial shopping centre, a courthouse and the district council headquarters. The area around the lakes is a public park and wildlife haven made up of woodland with walking trails. There is also a watersports centre, golf course and ski slope in the area. In most of Craigavon, motor vehicles are completely separated from pedestrians, and roundabouts are used extensively. It hosted the headquarters of the former Craigavon Borough Council.
The M1 is a motorway in Northern Ireland. It is the longest motorway in Northern Ireland and runs for 38 miles (61 km) from Belfast to Dungannon through County Antrim, County Down, County Armagh and County Tyrone. It forms part of the route via the A1 in Northern Ireland between Belfast and Dublin as well as being a part of the unsigned European E01 and E18 routes.
The N12 road is one of the shortest national primary roads in the Republic of Ireland, running 6.87 km (4.27 mi) from outside Monaghan to the border with County Armagh, Northern Ireland, at Ardgonnell Bridge outside Middletown. The N12 is part of an overall route running from Cavan Town to Belfast.
A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of census information.
Lisburn railway station serves the city of Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Belfast–Newry line operates from Lisburn station in County Antrim to Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland. The manager for this line is based at Portadown railway station, although the line extends to the border to include the Scarva and Poyntzpass halts and Newry. Newry is on the fringe of the network, being the last stop before the border with the Republic of Ireland. The line follows the route of the northern half of the main Dublin–Belfast line.
The M12 is a 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) length of spur motorway in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was opened in 1970.
The A4 is a major east–west road in Northern Ireland. It travels for 69.2 miles from Portadown to Belcoo through County Armagh, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh.
The A6 road in Northern Ireland runs for 71.4 miles (114.9 km) from Belfast to Derry, via County Antrim and County Londonderry. While stretches of the road before Randalstown have now been superseded by a motorway, the A6 remains one of the most important arterial routes in Northern Ireland, connecting its two largest cities and urban areas. Between Randalstown and Derry, the road forms part of European route E16.
The A26 is a road in Northern Ireland. It travels in a north–south direction from Coleraine, County Londonderry to Banbridge, County Down.
The N54 is a national secondary road in the Republic of Ireland connecting the towns of Monaghan and Cavan, crossing the Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border several times. It is in three sections, separated by two sections in Northern Ireland classified as parts of the A3.
The R162 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking Monaghan Town to Navan, County Meath. The route is 80 km (50 mi) long.
Wattlebridge, sometimes written as Wattle Bridge, is a small hamlet in the south-south-east of County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The hamlet is located almost 3½ miles south of the village of Newtownbutler. The hamlet is in a region known unofficially as South Ulster.