The M3 is a short section of urban motorway 1.3km (0.8 miles) in length that connects the M2 in north Belfast, Northern Ireland to the A2 Sydenham Bypass in east Belfast. It was built in two stages: the Lagan Bridge section connecting to the M2 opened on 22 January 1995 while the link to the A2 opened three years later in May 1998. It is the shortest motorway in Northern Ireland. However, as of 2005 it was one of the busiest roads in the city and carried 60,000 vehicles per day. A motorway (in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and some Commonwealth nations) is both a type of road and a classification. ... The M2 motorway in Northern Ireland runs a total of 23 miles, forming two sections of the route from Belfast to Ballymena, bypassing Antrim on the way. ... Belfast (Béal Feirste in Irish) is the second-largest city in Ireland. ... Royal motto: Quis separabit (Latin: Who will separate?) Northern Irelands location within the UK Official languages English, Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Area  - Total Ranked 4th 13,843 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 4th 1,685,267 122/km² NUTS 1... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The M3 was originally planned in 1956 as the Eastern Approach, named the M3 the following year, which would run from east Belfast to Bangor. The plan was extended to include an orbital Belfast Urban Motorway, close to the city centre, in 1964. However due to a combination of financial cutbacks and public opposition construction of the M3 never took place and the Belfast Urban Motorway was downgraded to the A12 Westlink dual-carriageway and only partially completed. Traffic had to make do with crossing the River Lagan on the Queen's Bridge and using the A2 to Bangor. 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Places Called Bangor Bangor is the name of several places: In the United Kingdom: Bangor, a town in County Down, Northern Ireland Bangor, a city in Gwynedd, Wales (and home of the University of Wales, Bangor) Bangor-on-Dee (a. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ... The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles (60 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. ...

However in 1987 the government announced a plan to build a new bridge across the Lagan connecting the M2 directly to the A2. Despite being a completely different project, the Roads Service decided to resurrect the designation M3 for this road when its first stage was opened in 1995. The M3 was an anomaly in the United Kingdom since at the time of its construction it was against government policy to construct new urban motorways. The M3 shares junction numbers with the M2 onto which it flows: the Lagan Bridge junction is designated 1A along with the York Street / Westlink junction. 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See Also

• Roads in Ireland
• List of motorways in the United Kingdom
• UK Roads Portal
• Northern Ireland Roads Site - M3
• CBRD Motorway Database - M3 Northern Ireland