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Devonshire Close, BELFAST, BT12 4JS

A grassed area between the houses off the Cullingtree Road (left) and the Westlink Image It came about after the replacement of the Grosvenor Road roundabout by a flyover Image The absence of landscaping could generate a conspiracy theory that it might become a northbound sliproad at some future date.

The Westlink road in Belfast, is a dual carriageway throughpass, designated the A12, connecting the M1 to the M2 and M3 motorways which run south, north and east of the city, respectively. This view is from Grosvenor Road.

See Image The bridge across the Westlink has this well-designed fence. Whether it will deter the behaviourally different from the noble and ancient practice of dropping bricks and other objects on passing traffic is another matter.

See Image Two lanes of the underpass are now open in each direction. The old temporary alignment of the Grosvenor Road is on the right although hardly recognisable. The scheme includes another underpass at Broadway on the Donegall Road and the widening of the Broadway – Stockman’s Lane section of the M1 to three lanes – while keeping the road open for all traffic. The overall completion date is currently given as March 2009. In the meantime queues such as this are common throughout the working day.

See Image The temporary bridge Image carrying the Grosvenor Road across the Westlink has now been removed. The “new” Grosvenor Road is now open to traffic but there are lane restrictions pending completion of surfacing and other work. The view is outward.

See Image The off-slip, at the Grosvenor Road, used by traffic from the M1 heading towards the Falls Road (left) and the city centre. Continue to Image

See Image There is no southbound exit from the Westlink to the Grosvenor Road (and the city centre) here mainly because of the proximity of the houses in the background. The view is towards the M2.

Grosvenor Road. Fra McCann, Pat Sheehan, Rosie McCorley, Jennifer McCann and Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin).

The slightly inconspicuous direction sign for the Westlink, at the Grosvenor Road underpass Image

A variable speed limit (retaining the existing overall limit of 50) came into operation over the Westlink during the month. According to the official announcement “The implementation of this traffic control system on the A12 Westlink will be the first time that variable mandatory speed limits have been applied to a road here [ie Northern Ireland]. New legislation has been put in place to enable enforcement of the variable speed limits by the police. The speed limits will be recognisable as mandatory as there will be a red ring around the speed limit being displayed on the gantries.” This sign is at the southbound on-slip at the Grosvenor Road.