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Factfile - Images - Timeline - Exit List
The M22 is a direct continuation west from the end of the southern half of the Northern Ireland M2, bypassing Randalstown before returning traffic to the A6 towards Londonderry (or Derry, depending on your views). But it doesn't take over once M2 traffic has left on the A26, it takes over before then. The M2 would have been extended to the Ballymena bypass from a point about half a mile east of M22 junction 1, where there is, even now, a split in the carriageways, leaving room for the M2 mainline to go ahead to Ballymena. This never happened, but it seems very much like the M22 starts at that would-be junction anyway. Approaching the A26 junction, the signs read "junction 1" with M22 straight ahead. Confusing? Just a bit.
Factfile
| Start | Antrim (M2) |
| Finish | Randalstown (A6) |
| Passes | None |
| Length | 5 miles |
| Terminates | None |
| Spurs | None |
| Meets | None |
Images
Views of the M22 from on and off the road. If you have a photo to contribute, contact me.
A piece of Easyjet aerial photography, showing M22 junction 1 (basically the point the M2 ends, though really this happens further back). To the top of the image is the A26 towards Ballymena, to the right the M2 towards Belfast, to the left the M22. The grey area to the right of the roundabout is a Park and Ride site.
Photo by Wesley Johnston
Construction Timeline
When the various parts of the M22 were built, listed in chronological order.
| Open | Jct | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | J1-2 | Dunsilly - Ballygrooby |
| 1973 | J2-3 | Ballygrooby - Artresnahan |
Exit List
All the junctions and destinations along the route.
| Junction | Eastbound | Westbound | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Newtownabbey M2  |
A26 (M2) |
EAST M2   |
A26 |
N/A    |
|||||
| Ballymena A26 |
||||||||||
| Antrim International  A26   |
||||||||||
3 miles, 2 lanes  |
 3 miles, 2 lanes |
|||||||||
| 2 | Randalstown A6 |
A6 (B52) |
 |
A6 | Randalstown A6 Portglenone (B52) |
|||||
| 2 miles, 2 lanes |
2 miles, 2 lanes |
|||||||||
| 3 | N/A |
A6 |
 A6 WEST |
Londonderry Magherafelt (A31) Cookstown (A29) A6   |
With thanks to Jonny and Wesley Johnston for information in this section.
