A8 road (Northern Ireland)

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The route of the A8 in red from Glengormley (Co. Antrim) to Larne (Co. Antrim). A8 road (Ireland).jpg
The route of the A8 in red from Glengormley (Co. Antrim) to Larne (Co. Antrim).

The A8 in Northern Ireland is a 26.1 km (16.2 miles) route connecting the city of Belfast with the harbour town of Larne. One of the busiest routes in the region, the road forms part of the unsigned European routes E01 and E18.

Northern Ireland Part of the United Kingdom lying in the north-east of the island of Ireland, created 1921

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the UK's population. Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Assembly holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government. Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in some areas, and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to "put forward views and proposals" with "determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments".

Belfast City in the United Kingdom, capital of Northern Ireland

Belfast is a port city in the United Kingdom and the capital city of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast of Ireland. It is the largest city in Northern Ireland and second largest on the island of Ireland. It had a population of 333,871 in 2015.

Larne civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Larne is a seaport and industrial market town, as well as a civil parish, on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,323 people in the 2008 Estimate. The Larne Local Government District had a population of 32,180 in 2011. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is today a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Together with parts of the neighbouring districts of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Causeway Coast and Glens, it forms the East Antrim constituency for elections to the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly. The civil parish is situated in the historic barony of Glenarm Upper.

Contents

Route

For many years predominantly single carriageway, a major upgrade of the road to dual-carriageway was completed in 2015 which grade separated all major junctions between Coleman's Corner roundabout and Larne. [1]

Grade separation

Grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a mixture of roads, footpaths, railways, canals, or airport runways. Bridges, tunnels, or a combination of both can be built at a junction to achieve the needed grade separation.

Beginning at junction 4 of the M2 motorway the road is under motorway restrictions as the A8(M) for around 1.6 km until it meets a roundabout at Corr's Corner. From this point the road is dual carriageway of varying standard for the entirety of its length, meeting roundabouts at Coleman's Corner and just before Larne. The Harbour Highway, bypassing Larne, is dual carriageway, and includes a grade-separated junction with the A2 and provides a direct link to the Port of Larne.

M2 motorway (Northern Ireland) motorway in Northern Ireland

The M2 is a motorway in Belfast and County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is in two sections, the southern section running from north Belfast to Antrim and the northern section acts as a bypass of Ballymena, with the A26 road linking the two sections. In total it is 22 miles (36.2 kilometres). The M2 has the busiest sections of any road or motorway in Northern Ireland. The M2 is one of Northern Ireland's most important motorways, forming most of the main route from Belfast city to both Belfast International Airport and less than a quarter of the way to Derry. It forms part of the unsigned European route E01, E16 and E18 roads.

A2 road (Northern Ireland) road in Northern Ireland

The A2 is a major road in Northern Ireland, a considerable length of which is often referred to the Antrim Coast Road because much of it follows the scenic coastline of County Antrim; other parts of the road follow the coasts in Counties Down and Londonderry.

2015 Upgrade

Beginning in 2012, a major upgrade project costing £133m was undertaken to upgrade the remaining single carriageway section between Coleman's Corner and Larne to High-quality dual carriageway and replace all major junctions with grade separated overbridges or LILO junctions to improve safety on a previously very dangerous road. In addition, the village of Ballynure, for many years a major bottleneck on the route, was bypassed as part of the part the scheme.

High-quality dual carriageway

A High-quality dual carriageway (HQDC) is a category of road in Ireland. It is an all-purpose dual carriageway road type built to near motorway standards, but without motorway classification or motorway restrictions. High-quality dual carriageways have full grade-separated access and do not have junctions with minor roads. Such roads in the Republic of Ireland have been built as part of the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 National Development Plans, including interurban routes from Dublin to other cities.

Ballynure village in the United Kingdom

Ballynure is a village and civil parish near Ballyclare in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and had a population of 677 people in the 2001 Census.

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References

  1. Johnston, Wesley. "A8 dualling - Coleman's Corner to Larne". Northern Ireland Roads Site. Retrieved 18 August 2016.

Coordinates: 54°47′00″N5°56′38″W / 54.78322°N 5.94386°W / 54.78322; -5.94386

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