A49 (Northern Ireland)
A49 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Lisburn (J269641) | |||
To: | Ballynahinch (J364524) | |||
Distance: | 9.8 miles (15.8 km) | |||
Meets: | A1, M1, A24 | |||
Former Number(s): | B6, B24 | |||
Old route now: | B177 | |||
Primary Destinations | ||||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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Route
The A49 is a relatively short A-road, mostly in County Down.
The road starts at traffic lights on the A1 Lisburn relief road. A49 traffic is forced to turn left onto the A1 as there is a roundabout immediately to the west where vehicles can U-turn. The road heads east and immediately crosses the River Lagan. It runs along Saintfield Road and crosses the M1 at J6 on the edge of town.
The road continues southeast across the fields. We meet the B6 and B178 in quick succession then little else for a couple of miles. Presently the road reaches the outskirts of Ballynahinch. It bears round to the right to reach a T-junction. Right is the B177 and the A49 TOTSOs left. We run into the town centre along Lisburn Street, ending at a gyratory on the A24.
History
The A49 was not one of the original roads in Northern Ireland but came into existence in the mid-1920s. It took over the entire route of the B24.
However, when the M1 was opened in the 1960s virtually all of the A49 was rerouted slightly further north onto a straighter road. The old road was largely declassified, although its eastern end became an extension of the B177. As such the current A49 only coincides with the original A49 at both ends; it has also taken on the original western end of the B6.