That's according to Lagan Valley MLA Jonathan Craig who this week added his voice to those welcoming recent news that work on the junction upgrade had begun.
The DUP man also welcomed the beginning of work on a similar grade-separated junction a short distance away at the Dromore Road, Hillsborough.
"This work which is commencing at the A1 dual carriageway is good news and is very welcome," he said. "This undoubtedly will save lives and will make the A1 much safer with an overpass at the Dromore Road junction at Hillsborough and an underpass at the Banbridge Road outside Dromore. "These two of four junction upgrades are part of a major investment which is costing £4million and two years work."
Mr. Craig pointed out that, as part of the Eastern seaboard transport corridor, linking the ports of Belfast and Larne to the south of Northern Ireland and beyond, the A1 between Sprucefield and Newry accommodated some 18,000 to 37,500 vehicles a day, a high proportion of them heavy goods vehicles.
That being so, he said, the standards applied at the time of the A1's construction were no longer adequate.
"Much of the A1 north of Loughbrickland was constructed in the 1970s and 1980s," he said, "to standards which allowed for the provision of A-grade road junctions, no safety barrier between carriageways and numerous private central median crossovers.
"Whilst adequate at the time of construction, a number of the junctions are now viewed as being sub-standard and I am glad a programme to upgrade these junctions has commenced.
"All work on this extremely busy road is to be welcomed as this will improve road safety as these are dangerous junctions.
"This investment will also create and maintain much needed employment for contractors."