Belfast 'paralysed' by gridlock thanks to M3 flyover work - councillor calls for action
Belfast was “paralysed” by gridlock at the weekend said a city councillor, as he blamed the Department for Infrastructure for “failure to plan ahead”.
A tailback of traffic stretching well over a mile was observed on Saturday afternoon heading into the city from the north on the M2 motorway.
That is because the M3 flyover over the Lagan River into east Belfast was closed, forcing traffic which had intended to go that way into the city centre lanes instead, jamming them up.
Now SDLP councillor Carl White has called on the infrastructure minister, Liz Kimmins of Sinn Fein, to “act immediately” over the issue.
The disruption is all part of a £400,000 maintenance scheme for the flyover.
Last summer 10 bridge bearings were replaced, and a further eight are now scheduled to be replaced.
This began at 9pm on Friday and ends at 6am on Monday.
During that time the M3 was closed between M2 foreshore to Dee Street, and no access to the M3 bridge from Nelson Street on-slip.
The second weekend road closure will be on the westbound carriageway from 9pm on Friday August 15, until 6am on Monday, August 18.
The Department of Infrastructure has said: “During this time the M3 will be closed from Bridge End to M2 Foreshore, and there will be no access to the bridge from the A2 Sydenham Bypass with all traffic leaving at Bridge End Flyover.
"There will also be no access to M3 bridge from Middlepath Street on-slip during this period.”
Minister Kimmins had said when announcing these closures on July 23 that “these improvement works are essential to ensure that the structure remains in a sound condition to manage current and future traffic levels along this key route”.
“These are specialist works which I recognise may cause some disruption to traffic, however this short term inconvenience will help ensure the safety of the travelling public and avoid more disruptive works to the bridge in the long term,” she said.
Councillor Whyte said: “Once again, Belfast finds itself paralysed by traffic gridlock during the summer holidays – an all-too-familiar scene that highlights the Department for Infrastructure’s failure to plan ahead.
“Major arterial routes like the M3 have been closed with minimal warning, leaving drivers stranded and confused. No additional public transport services have been rolled out to ease the pressure, and there’s little to no visible presence from the PSNI to manage traffic flow at key pinch points.
"This is not a one-off inconvenience – it mirrors the chaos that gripped the city from August to Christmas last year.
“The DfI Minister must act immediately to ensure early communication on road closures, expand public transport capacity during works on key routes, and deploy active traffic management support from the PSNI and other authorities.
"Motorists deserve better than repeated, avoidable chaos. It is vital that the Minister for Infrastructure responds urgently to mitigate the impact going forward.”
The department pointed out it has circulated details on the closure online, and the “Trafficwatch website and social media has been keeping commuters updated all weekend”.