M1 Service Area (Dungannon) services
A4 at Dungannon
(close to the M1
Signposted from the road? Badly
BT70 1AE
map and directions
Single site located at a junction..
This page is about a particular brand of restaurant, rather than motorway restaurants in general - the whole website is dedicated to that!
Until 2015, Northern Ireland didn't have any official motorway services. What it had instead was very odd - and the service area at Dungannon is testament to that.
Firstly, it doesn't have official signs directing people to it, but the new A4 does have several non-standard signs pointing to a place called "Motorway Restaurant". Other sources claim that the place is called M1 Services, M1 Service Area or M1 Service Station. Any of those could be correct title, but it doesn't change the fact that the nearest motorway is almost two miles away!
Facilities
Catering: Template:Website Forecourt: BP, LPG
Contact Details
đ˘ Address:
M1 Service Area
100 Woodlough Road
Dungannon
Co. Tyrone
BT70 1AE
Trivia and History
Until 2008, the site was a pair of BP petrol stations on the single carriageway A4. The westbound side was expanded and gained a Subway.
The larger westbound side also had the Motorway Restaurant, which despite the proximity of Cohannon could still boast that it was one of Northern Ireland's only restaurants near a motorway. This was re-built in 2008.
Also this year, work started on upgrading the A4 to a dual carriageway. This required the eastbound petrol station to be closed and eventually demolished, although its footprint can still be seen.
As part of this project, the westbound petrol station lost its direct access to the A4, and would instead be accessed via a new roundabout. To take advantage of this, a new petrol station with a large sales shop (two-storey with space for several retailers) was built close to the roundabout. However, for reasons unknown, this project was never completed, and the new facility stands empty while the original petrol station quietly continues behind it.
With a possible replacement looming, work on maintaining the old petrol station appears to have ceased. Its rough surface and old branding sticks out like a sore, unloved thumb. The old Subway counter in the back of this âshopâ (more like a dirty cold warehouse) has a sign that says âThis Subway store Is(crossed out)WAS proudly owned by...â
In 2019, work commenced on the abandoned site. It is a Texaco Petrol station, gaining and Subway (again), 24hr fuel, a Centra store and space for other retailers to open up. The Motorway Restaurant confirmed on Facebook on the 18th August 2019 that they would close and move into the new site. The new site is confirmed to open on Thursday, 22nd August 2019, with the restaurant opening a few days later. The old bp is history.
Alternatives
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