M1 Westlink Improvements
The M1/Westlink is a strategic traffic corridor, which forms part of the Trans-European Road Network and the Eastern Seaboard Corridor (identified in the Regional Development Strategy). It is the main access route to the south and west of the Province and to the Republic of Ireland. It provides access to the largest commercial area in Northern Ireland, Belfast, as well as the major commercial and passenger Port of Belfast and the George Best Belfast City Airport.
The M1/Westlink Improvements involved:
Widening of the M1 to provide a dual three-lane motorway from Stockman’s Lane to Broadway;
Replacing the bridges at Stockman’s Lane junction and improving the roundabout;
Widening Westlink to a dual 3 lane road between Broadway and Divis Street junctions;
Constructing a vehicular underpass at Broadway and partial vehicular underpass at Grosvenor Road;
Closing the Roden Street junction with Westlink;
Introducing bus priority measures between Broadway and Roden Street; and
Providing a segregated cycleway/footway between Broadway and Grosvenor Road.
This scheme was built using Northern Ireland's first Public Private Partnership (PPP) for road improvements. The PPP uses the Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) approach, where the road improvements were designed, constructed and financed by a private sector consortium. Highway Management (NI), which comprises of John Graham (Dromore) Limited, Northstone (NI) Ltd (formerly Farrans Ltd) and Bilfinger Berger is the private sector consortium who constructed the M1/Westlink project.
Road works started on the project in February 2006 and were completed in March 2009.
