M2 motorway (Northern Ireland)
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| Route information | |
Part of  E01 and  E16 (northern section) |
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| Length: | 22.0 mi (35.4 km) |
| Existed: | 1969 – present |
| History: | Southern section constructed 1969–1975 |
| Southern section | |
| Length: | 16.5 mi (26.6 km) |
| From: | Duncairn |
| Major junctions: |
  M3 Motorway   M5 Motorway  M22 motorway |
| To: | Antrim |
| Northern section | |
| Length: | 6.0 mi (9.7 km) |
| From: | Teeshan |
| To: | Ballycregy |
| Location | |
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Primary destinations: |
Ballymena, Belfast
Ballymoney, Antrim, Belfast |
| Road network | |
The M2 is a motorway in Belfast and County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is in two sections, the southern section running from north Belfast to Antrim and the northern section acts as a bypass of Ballymena, with the A26 road linking the two sections. In total it is 22 miles (36.2 kilometres). The M2 has the busiest sections of any road or motorway in Northern Ireland. The M2 is one of Northern Ireland's most important motorways, forming most of the main route from Belfast city to both Belfast International Airport and less than a quarter of the way to Derry. It forms part of the unsigned European route E01, E16 and E18 roads.
The route starts at as a continuation of the M3 to the west of the River Lagan at Duncairn. It strikes north past the docks and to the east of Fortwilliam before turning west on slip roads at Junction 2. It now runs through the northern suburbs of Belfast past Whitewell and enters the hill section as it climbs at a gradient of up to 1 in 15, one of the steepest in the United Kingdom. It then passes south of Glengormley before leaving the city behind at Ballyvesy. Entering the countryside, it runs parallel to Ballymartin Water before reaching Junction 5 north of Templepatrick, then crosses Six Mile Water before arriving to the north of Burnside at Junction 6. Running around the north of Antrim, shortly after Junction 7 the road meets an incomplete junction where the motorway would have continued to Ballymena. When the road widens, it becomes the M22.
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