Ballycastle Leyland Road roundabout closures: exact October dates and diversions

What has been announced?

A £238,000 carriageway resurfacing project will affect Leyland Road roundabout and adjoining sections of Leyland Road in Ballycastle from Monday 19 October 2026. The Department for Infrastructure says the work covers approximately 0.3 kilometres, including the roundabout itself and the approaches and departures. That distinction matters: a roundabout project can disrupt traffic approaching from several directions, not merely vehicles travelling along one straight stretch of road.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins announced the scheme on 14 October. The Department says the work is intended to improve the local road network and has asked residents, businesses and commuters to allow extra travel time. This is an announced works programme, rather than a report that the road has already closed.

Dates and hours motorists need

The Department says daily road closures will operate between 9am and 4.45pm from Monday 19 October until Thursday 29 October. Its announcement also gives Friday 29 October as the intended substantial completion date, although 29 October 2026 is a Thursday. Drivers should therefore treat the listed closure period as the firm announced schedule and check TrafficwatchNI for any correction to the completion-day wording.

These are daytime closures, not an announcement that the road will be shut continuously overnight. Motorists should nevertheless expect temporary signs and traffic management in the wider area and should not assume that normal journeys will run to schedule immediately before or after the published closure hours. The Department states that completion is subject to suitable weather and that changes may be notified.

Diversion one: Leyland Road and the surrounding route

The first officially listed diversion follows Leyland Road, Coleraine Road, Church Road, Straid Road, Whitepark Road and back to Leyland Road, with the reverse route also indicated. This is the diversion sequence published by the Department; individual drivers must follow temporary roadside signs rather than relying on this article as turn-by-turn navigation.

Because the works include a roundabout, drivers approaching from different directions may be sent along different signed approaches. An electronic route planner may not immediately reflect temporary closures. Following an unfamiliar shortcut on minor roads is not necessarily quicker, particularly when several motorists make the same choice.

Diversion two: Market Street and Castle Street

The second signed diversion listed by DfI runs via Market Street, Castle Street, Coleraine Road, Church Road and Ramoan Road, and vice versa. The announcement does not publish journey-time estimates, so any claim of a specific additional delay would be speculation.

Motorists using Ballycastle for shopping, school travel, appointments or onward journeys should take account of the morning closure start at 9am and the afternoon reopening time of 4.45pm. A planned diversion can also affect delivery schedules: drivers should confirm access arrangements directly with the destination where timing is important.

Why the project matters beyond one junction

The £238,000 budget is for a relatively short section of carriageway, but its position at a roundabout makes the works more consequential than the distance alone suggests. Vehicles must negotiate the junction to move between approaches, and resurfacing its entries and exits requires safe working space for road crews and equipment.

The Department has described the investment as a road-network improvement rather than an expansion or new road. It has not claimed that the project will add lanes, alter the junction layout or permanently change speed limits. Readers should distinguish the temporary restrictions during construction from any permanent traffic-order changes, which are not set out in this announcement.

What drivers should check before travelling

Check the live TrafficwatchNI service shortly before leaving, particularly if travelling on 19 October, during the last two days of the published schedule or in poor weather. Allow extra time, comply with closure signs and do not drive past barriers merely because sat-nav displays a shorter road.

For Ballycastle residents, the practical questions are whether a particular driveway or business is accessible and whether the temporary signs change access to the roundabout from a specific direction. The published announcement does not give individual property access guarantees, so arrangements should be confirmed with site traffic management as the works proceed. The source is DfI’s 14 October 2026 announcement, not an independently observed road-status update.