Following a look at Google maps i noticed that the Newry by pass is indicated as a motorway and designated as the A1 / M1, which is obviously wrong given it's a primary A road.

However when you click the bypass on street view (well the section i clicked on near the A27 junction) you noticed it's D2M as it has hard shoulders. Is this common for the whole of the A1 between the M1 and irish republic or is it just the bypass. Is there any indication if this will become motorway.

Sorry if this has been answered before, but i have never been to Ireland

It's Google's mistake as the colour of many roads is wrong. As for hard shoulders it seems to be the norm over there.

All looks very new doesn't it!

I drove the old Newry bypass on my one visit to Northern Ireland, does that road still exist or was it tarmacced over for the new road?

Interesting , does Northern Ireland therefore have a local version of the DMRB as very few or our HQDC haev hard shoulders

Its motorway standard, but not labelled as such due to:

-There is already a M1 in the north, running to the megalopolis of Dungannon
-There is a 1km stretch were the old road was incorporated. There has been arguments may times over the definition of what constitutes an alternative route for non-motorway traffic

Realistically from just north of Newry (Sheepbridge junction) to Dublin is motorway standard with the maximum speed limit applied (bar urban restrictions near Dublin)

The RoI M1 ends a few km south of the border, becoming the N1 (to the same standard, but removing some restrictions on traffic) for the final stretch, merging seamlessly into the A1 south of Newry. North of Newry, the A1 remains dualled, though you get some at-grade junctions, so I guess you have to say the motorway-standard stretch ends at the northern end of the by-pass.

Wesley Johnston's (NIRS of this parish) site reveals that there were once plans for an M11 - it would have left the M1 Belfast, looped around the north of Lisburn, then recrossed the M1 and headed south to Newry, there to join whatever road led to Dublin. This plan was dumped in 1969, before the rest of the unfinished/not started schemes were consigned to the archives of history.

This road is of motorway standard, as discussed here before, and it is only an issue of policy that it not be so designated. I imagine the ROI leaving a stretch of the N1 is a related matter, although they could designate easily enough as motorway to the junction 20 (Jonesborough exit).

Pretty much all of the NI A1 has hard shoulders except the Banbridge bypass and the side overlooking the lake at Loughbrockland.

They should just make it A1(M)

I noticed this crossover point just at the border.

Presumably to allow PSNI to do a U turn here?

I guess ROI reserves the right to close it's border at any time?

There's a similar one on the Irish (republic) side.

I think there is just the one gap, and it's bang on the border line, so either police force can use it. Just beyond the gap are the speed limit signs for the new country, the only indication that you've crossed the border.

Look at GSV. There are two: one each side of the border.

My mistake, but they are very close together. Of course, Google Maps thinks the A1 is the M1 :facepalm:

I suspect they could also be used to not break a UK visa say? It would be quite easy to get confused and not realise you are approaching a border.

Trying to think of other scenarios of use

Gritter lorries? There's a turnaround for them on the M62 across Moss Moor.

I've spoken to a couple of Roads Service planners about the imposition (or lack) of motorway restrictions on new road schemes, eg the upgraded Westlink. They seem to take the view that if it makes no different to road users, then there is no point in doing it. When I asked about Westlink the response was "What difference would it make? The road would be no different."

The ostensible reason for no motorway restrictions on the A1 is the lack of an alternative route, but I've come to think that that wouldn't really be an obstacle if they really wanted to do it. The only stretch without a convenient alternative route is this short stretch. However, given there are a number of local roads nearby, surely something appropriate for banned traffic could be cobbled together. The stretch of the Newry Bypass north of that (as far as the A25) was previously the all-purpose S2 Newry Bypass. However, it was only built in the 1990s, so is hardly likely to raise a legitimate "right of way" objection.

One point to consider is that "motorways" are a dirty word in the UK, in a way that it's not (yet) in the Republic. Proposing a new "motorway" is likely to garner more opposition than an identical all-purpose road.

So I think the real reason for no motorway restrictions is basically that Roads Service (a) don't see the point and (b) don't want to create needless hassle for themselves.

What would be the situation if either side DID designate the road a motorway (as it should be), and the other side didn't?

Presumably lots of tractors, learner drivers, mopeds and horse drawn vehicles marooned at the border until a police officer could come out and direct them to continue! It's two different jurisdictions, so they could do that if they wanted. I don't think there's any precedent for what would happen!

If they proposed to re-designate the present road on the grounds that restricting tractors, horses, cyclists etc would improve safety then they would face negligible opposition.

Since allowing these categories use the road does increase the safety risk (however small that increase may be) I think it is unsatisfactory not to re-designate essentially because they couldn't be bothered.