History
A route roughly along the line of the M2 had been planned since the 1930s, but the first concrete plans for the North Approach were announced in 1946. In 1956 proposals for several motorways, including the M2, were announced with the M2 running directly to Ballymena. Part of this alignment became the A8(M). In 1964 the plans were further extended to route the M2 via Antrim to Coleraine, away from its original direct alignment over difficult terrain, which is how the plans for construction were then progressed. The A8(M) was already under construction, so it was left as a spur.
Due to financial restraints, it was decided to prioritise the sections of the road required urgently, with the first stage being started on 2 September 1963. Construction continued until 1975, with the road being opened in the following sections:
- Junctions 1 to 2 opened in 1973
- Junctions 2 to 4 opened in 1966
- Junctions 4 to 5 opened in 1975
- Junctions 5 to M22 opened in 1971
- Junctions 10 to 12 opened in 1969
In 1993 Junction 7 was opened to provide access to Antrim Area Hospital.
The section between Junctions 7 and 10 was to be the next section constructed, but with the onset of The Troubles and then direct rule, nearly all the planned motorway projects were cancelled. The A26 between M22 Junction 1 and Junction 10 of the M2 was progressively upgraded to a dual carriageway and so it is now unlikely that the M2 will ever be completed.
The section between Junctions 1A and 2 is ten lanes (five lanes each way) and, when it was opened, was the widest motorway in the United Kingdom.
Read more about this topic: M2 Motorway (Northern Ireland)
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