Newry Bypass Fast-tracks Dublin-Belfast Link

The final cross-border link in dual carriageway or motorway travel from Belfast to the Irish capital has been opened today.

The new Newry bypass was officially opened this morning by the Stormont Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy.

The official unveiling of the 12.7km (7.9 miles) Beech Hill to Cloghogue dual carriageway brings to an end almost 20 years and £150m worth of work to develop a continuous motorway, or dual carriageway, between Ireland's two largest cities.

From today, roundabouts outside Lisburn as drivers exit the M1 from Belfast will present the only stop on the 104-mile journey.

The new A1 Beech Hill to Cloghogue dual carriageway has been completed five months ahead of schedule with the 12km scheme extending around the northern and western outskirts of the city of Newry.

It replaces the final single carriageway section of the A1 Belfast to Dublin road with a dual carriageway.

The construction project has not been without incident however, as both lanes in a section of the newly-completed carriageway had to be dug up in June, after they began to subside.

Work to excavate and rebuild the lanes at a section north of Sheepbridge lasted around six weeks, but did not impact on the completion date.

At the time, a spokeswoman for the Department for Regional Development said there were no additional costs for the blunder.

(BMcC/KMcA)