B505 (Northern Ireland)
B505 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
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From: | Belfast (J356735) | ||||||
To: | Knocknagoney (J380761) | ||||||
Via: | Strandtown | ||||||
Distance: | 2.8 miles (4.5 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A23, A20, B170, A55 | ||||||
Former Number(s): | A2 | ||||||
Old route now: | A23 | ||||||
Primary Destinations | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
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Route
The B505 is an urban B-road to the east of Belfast city centre.
The road starts at traffic lights on the A23 Castlereagh Street and heads east along the largely residential Beersbridge Road. The road bends to the left to cross a stream and continues northeastwards to cross the trackbed of the Belfast to Comber railway line, now a footpath, before reaching the A20 Upper Newtonards Road.
There is now a multiplex west along the A20 for over a quarter of a mile before the B505 regains its number. This occurs at traffic lights - but as traffic may not turn right here, through traffic on the B505 (if it ever existed) has to rat-run along a side road. Traffic heading the other way may turn left onto the A20. On the left is CS Lewis Square, which includes a statue of the man himself looking into a wardrobe.
The B505 continues northeastwards along Holywood Road, which is the original route of the A2. It runs through Strandtown, bending slightly to the left at its junction with the B170. After a short semi-rural section (passing between a park and a school playing field), the road widens and ends at traffic lights on the A55. That road TOTSOs here and continues north along the ex-A2 briefly.
History
In the 1923 Road Lists the B505 is described as Belfast: from A2 to A20 (Mountpottinger Road, Beersbridge Road to Upper Newtownards Road). This means that the B505 started on the A2 Middlepath Street and headed southeast along Mountpottinger Road. This section ended on the A20 Albertbridge road and then ran along a useless multiplex on the A23 Castlereagh Street to pick up its present route on Beersbridge Road and run back to the A20, which is its original eastern end.
The detached section along Mountpottinger Road was quickly upgraded to become an extension of the A23. Later, the A2 Holywood Road was bypassed and renumbered as a northern extension of the B505.
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