This Road of National Significance project will create an efficient and reliable motorway connection between Belfast and Pegasus, while supporting economic growth and reducing community severance through Woodend.
SH1 from Belfast to Pegasus is the key freight route to the north of Christchurch, and the growing population and related increased traffic volumes are causing travel time and reliability issues along the corridor.
Growth and increasing traffic numbers using SH1 through Woodend is creating safety and access issues for the local community, and this will only get worse as traffic continues to grow.
Growth and significant commercial developments in Pegasus and Ravenswood have led to high traffic volumes sooner than anticipated, and this is leading to delays and safety concerns for people and children crossing between developments at the Pegasus roundabout.
The SH1 Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass includes a 9km extension on SH1 north of Christchurch from the SH1/SH71 Lineside Road interchange to just north of the Pegasus roundabout. This project has been prioritised for delivery as one of the Roads of National Significance.
Roads of National Significance
The project will help reduce congestion, improve safety and travel times, and reduce community severance in Woodend.
Planning is still underway, and the final costs and funding sources for the project haven’t been finalised at this stage.
Once the funding is confirmed, our first job will be to make sure that what was put in place in 2011-14 is still fit for purpose in 2024 with the additional growth and development that has happened in the area since this time.
CloseProviding a motorway extension and an alternative corridor bypassing Woodend will improve resilience to this nationally significant corridor and significant traffic relief for the community. It will support economic growth and improve local connections for Woodend, Pegasus and Ravenswood.
Key features of the project include:
The Government announced in July 2024 that the SH1 Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass project (B2P) had been prioritised for delivery as one of the first Roads of National Significance (RoNS). The B2P project will make a difference to traffic numbers and the sort of traffic moving through Woodend.
In line with the Government’s transport priorities, our focus now is on delivering safe roading infrastructure via the Roads of National Significance and Roads of Regional Significance, providing enhanced maintenance and highway resilience as well as increased support for Police enforcement.
The combination of refocussing safety investment and prioritising an alternative route to the existing state highway corridor means the plans for SH1 safety upgrades from Saltwater Creek to Cam River will no longer progress to construction. This includes plans south of the Pegasus roundabout to the Cam River.
While we’re working on the design of the new motorway, safety upgrade plans for the area north of Pegasus to Saltwater Creek will be rescoped with the B2P project in mind. Any work on the existing highway, north of the Pegasus roundabout, will likely happen between Saltwater Creek and Tulls Road. This will be very minor in scope and will not include flexible median safety barrier.
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