The scheme which is being undertaken to improve the safety and structural integrity of the road will cause some disruption to traffic which will unfortunately be unavoidable. Over 35,000 vehicles use the road each day.
For safety reasons, the country-bound road will be closed to traffic on Saturday 12 May 2007 from 6am-11pm, in order to facilitate resurfacing work. The road will again be closed, in a country-bound direction, on Sunday 13 May from 7am through to 7am on Monday 14 May 2007, in order to set up the temporary traffic management system.
The road will also be closed to country-bound traffic on Sunday 24 June 2007 from 7am to 6pm in order to complete the works.
A diversion route and an alternate route will be signed during all of these country-bound closures.
The work will be carried out on a 0.5km stretch of road between Rosepark and Stoney Road, and will be phased to allow one lane of traffic to run in each direction during almost all of the works, with two lanes being open to city bound traffic during the morning peak and to country-bound traffic during the afternoon peak on a tidal flow basis.
A Department for Regional Devlelopment Roads Service spokesperson said:
“Roads Service has carefully programmed the works operations and the traffic management arrangements in order to minimise any inconvenience to the public. Some delays will be inevitable and we would ask those directly affected by the works to be patient.”
To facilitate the traffic management system, it will be necessary to prohibit all right-turn manoeuvres on the Upper Newtownards Road between Rosemount Avenue and Rosepark House, for the duration of the scheme.
For those wishing to make a right hand turn, the following routes will be signed:.
- Country-bound traffic proceed to East Link Road and Comber Road and return via Upper Newtownards Road;
- City-bound traffic proceed to Castlehill Road, Massey Avenue, Belmont Road and Hawthornden Way and return via Upper Newtownards Road.
