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 Altnagelvin junction, Derry | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 71.4 mi (114.9 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| East end | Belfast |
| West end | Derry |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | Northern Ireland |
| Primary destinations | Antrim Randalstown Toome Maghera Dungiven |
| Road network | |
TheA6 road inNorthern Ireland runs for 71.4 miles (114.9 km) fromBelfast toDerry, viaCounty Antrim andCounty Londonderry. While stretches of the road beforeRandalstown have now been superseded by a motorway (theM2 andM22), the A6 remains one of the most important arterial routes in Northern Ireland, connecting its two largest cities and urban areas. Between Randalstown and Derry, the road forms part ofEuropean route E16.[1]
The A6 begins at Carlisle Circus, a roundabout with Clifton Street and the Crumlin Road, running up theAntrim Road pastBelfast Royal Academy towardsBelfast Castle,Cavehill andBelfast Zoo and onwards throughGlengormley. Much of this section is urban in character and there are many two-lane stretches, allowing vehicles to overtake or bus lanes operating at peak times or rush hour. Outside of Belfast, the majority of the road is nowdual carriageway.
On the outskirts of Glengormley the route passes through Sandyknowes roundabout (M2 Junction 4) where it connects with theA8(M) route towardsBallyclare andLarne. The A6 then passes through the suburban district known asMallusk which forms the outer-most periphery of the Greater Belfast urban area, characterised by industrial estates.
Thereafter the A6 becomes markedly rural in aspect. It passes under theBelfast-Derry Railway Line, throughTemplepatrick village (via a multiplex with the A57Ballynure-Aldergrove road),Dunadry and then enters Antrim town. Passing the Antrim Forum and the ruins of Antrim Castle, the A6 forms a multiplex with theA26 (Coleraine-Banbridge road) and crosses theSix Mile Water.
Leaving Antrim town the road passes Massereene andShane's Castle and then heads towardsRandalstown. Until this point the A6 runs parallel with theM2 andM22 motorways, which since their construction in the 1960s/1970s have removed the vast bulk of the cross-country traffic from the A6. However, approximately one mile west of Randalstown, the A6 meets with the M22 motorway and from this point onwards the A6 carries almost all traffic bound for Mid-Ulster and the North West.
The A6 enters intoCounty Londonderry after this, crossing the Bann between Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, and following the course of theMoyola toward Castledawson, where traffic forMagherafelt andCookstown veers off southwards along the A31.
After Castledawson, the road reverts to single carriageway for the duration of the section known as the Glenshane Road. The A6 goes over generally flat agricultural land near the hamlet ofCurran and the village ofKnockcloghrim, passing the town ofMaghera and cutting through the Sperrins mountain range via theGlenshane Pass. AtDungiven, the A6 reverts to dual carriageway along a bypass built to avoid the town itself which for many years caused a significantbottleneck on the route.
The A6 then passes Foreglen,Claudy, Burntollet, crossing a series of bridges to reach the eastern outskirts of Derry city. Upon entering the Derry urban area, the A6 goes throughDrumahoe and passesAltnagelvin Hospital where it then continues via the Dungiven Road to the city centre.
The A6 ends at the bottom of the Glendermott Road at a traffic-light controlled junction with theA2Limavady Road. City-bound traffic then follows the A2 along King Street and Duke Street before crossing the double-deckedCraigavon Bridge over the River Foyle into the city centre.
Investment in the northwestern region has greatly improved and modernised the route. As of 2023, 26.5 miles (42.6 km) ofhigh-quality dual carriageway on stretches of the route between Belfast and Randalstown and Derry and Dungiven have been constructed through the A6 Dualling Scheme at an estimated total cost of £420m.[2]
| Motorways |  | |
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| Main 'B' roads | ||
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54°52′07″N6°46′55″W / 54.86856°N 6.78191°W /54.86856; -6.78191