26/06/2012

Cross-Border Bridge Plans Gathering Pace

Plans for a cross-border bridge between Northern Ireland and the Republic are gathering pace, the Examiner newspaper has reported.

Chief executives from Newry and Mourne Council met their counterparts from Louth County Council to discuss the €17m Narrow Water bridge project, which would connect the A2 near Warrenpoint to the R173 near Omeath.

The bridge would span the Clanrye River about a mile north of its entrance to Carlingford Lough within sight of the 16th-century Narrow Water Castle tower house.

This meeting in Warrenpoint Town Hall was the first time the chief executives discussed the plans in public.

The project is competing for cash from a €30m funding pot from the Special EU Programmes Body and its backers want to make sure planning permission is in place as soon as money is gathered.

Supporter Jim Boylan heralded the co-operation inherent in the plans, saying this was "the first cross border bridge project since the creation of both states and the first simultaneous planning application for an infrastructural project on both sides of the border".

He said the next stage would be to progress to compulsory purchases.

Political supporters include South Down MP Margaret Ritchie of the SDLP, South Down MLA Catriona Ruane of Sinn Fein and Louth TD Gerry Adams.

The only currently available route between the two sides of the river is a half-hour drive north, through Newry, and south again.

(NE)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

17 June 2016
NI Executive And Irish Govt To Review Narrow Water Bridge Project
The NI Executive and the Irish Government have agreed to undertake a review of the Narrow Water Bridge project, the Finance Minister has confirmed. Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir visited the site and met with local representatives to discuss the project.
04 June 2024
Alliance Welcomes Start Of Narrow Water Bridge Project
The Narrow Water Bridge project represents a major opportunity for growth in the regional economy and enhancement of the wider Carlingford Lough area by connecting communities. This was the message of Alliance South Down MLA Andrew McMurray as he welcomed the start of construction on the project.
01 February 2010
Omagh Riverbank Gets £4m Investment
Contractors in Co Tyrone are to get a fillip soon as a major contract to improve the riverbank area of Omagh has been approved. The £4million face lift will take place over the next two years with Omagh District Council receiving 100% funding from Europe as part of the 'OASIS Project.
04 January 2012
Recognition For First APM Register Project Professionals
The Association for Project Management (APM) has recognised the first Northern Ireland recipients of its new APM Registered Project Professional (RPP) designation.
10 July 2013
Cross-Border Bridge On Hold
A cross-border bridge project to link counties Down and Louth across Carlingford Lough has been put on hold. The development had been given the go-ahead, however Louth County Council now says construction of the Narrow Water Bridge will have to be delayed after tenders received from construction companies ran above the allocated budget.