Narrow Water Bridge - Yes or No

[armaghniac]

This bridge is not designed for HGVs, indeed it may have a weight restriction. It may well be used by regular motorists to avoid traffic in Newry.

[BennyCake]

40 years in the pipeline, and we'll probably still be talking about this bridge being built in another 40 years.

[T Fearon]

They've made a real balls of this project.Going to look very silly handing millions of euro back to EU

[BennyCake]

I think big Sammy released the funds because he knew it wasn't going to happen.

£10 million though, is it really that much to find, when you think of the cost of the twelfth alone.

[babarino]

Barbarino, if a series of lorries are going to go over the Omeath/Ravensdale Road, or go through Carlingford, there's two very good reasons not to build the bridge. Some things in life are more important than haulage arriving a whole 5 mins earlier.

I could also be losing the plot here with logistics but why would anyone from Newcastle, Downpatrick or Castlewellan go out of their way to divert to Warrenpoint and sit on back roads over the border, instead of taking the main road to Newry then the motorway to Dundalk? Anyone coming from those directions has no reason even to enter Newry at present.


This bridge is a waste of money unless there's an accompanying relief road over the mountain.

I agree that there has to be an accompanying relief road to connect the bridge with the M1 and of course HGVs through Carlingford/Omeath isn't on. The accompanying relief road is a next step and shouldn't be used as an argument against the first.

If the current plans don't allow for HGVs it needs to be looked at again. If it takes a few more years to do it right then it should be done. You only have to look at the bypass around Omagh to see an upgrade that needs another upgrade on completion.

Downpatrick/Castlewellan/Newcastle traffic currently goes through Hilltown/Mayobridge/Newry (B8) to get to the M1. The road is totally unfit for the volume of traffic currently using it and major upgrades are required. Newry is a major problem and the bypass hasn't improved matters for traffic from the east. Large volumes of traffic are going through estates with big humps to avoid the town centre.

In the event of the bridge being built, I'd head to Rostrevor/Warrenpoint from Hilltown (about 7 miles to Narrow Water). Work would be needed to divert traffic away from Rostrevor and Warrenpoint town centres, which would probably be more cost effective than the work required on the B8.

[Applesisapples]

This bridge is not designed for HGVs, indeed it may have a weight restriction. It may well be used by regular motorists to avoid traffic in Newry.

It actually is designed for HGV's

[orangeman]

Is it a bit late for focusing minds ?


European funding for a proposed cross-border bridge that would link counties Down and Louth has been withdrawn.

The Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) had pledged £14.5m (17.4m euro) towards the Narrow Water project.

But it has withdrawn its offer because additional funding had not been found.

South Down MP, the SDLP's Margaret Ritchie, said she was "extremely disappointed" at the announcement.

A SEUPB statement said: "Following comprehensive discussions on the financial viability of the Narrow Water Bridge with the project's lead partner (East Border Region Ltd and Louth County Council), the SEUPB has decided to withdraw the letter of offer. The additional funding required to deliver the project has not been secured."

Ms Ritchie said: "I am extremely disappointed that the SEUPB find themselves in this position of withdrawing funding.

'Political will'

"I am still of the belief that the Narrow Water Bridge would be an important economic stimulus for the local area of south Down and County Louth in terms of job creation, investment and tourism opportunities.

"I would still hope that it would be possible for both governments together to bring forward a scheme for funding this important project."

She also questioned the timing of the announcement, which comes ahead of a meeting on the issue with Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers at Stormont on Monday.

Caitríona Ruane, Sinn Féin MLA for South Down, said: "The project can still go ahead in the near future if the political will exists.

"The funding necessary to make the bridge a reality was already in place. All that was needed was a commitment for a 6m euro (£5m) funding package from the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) and the Department of Transport.

"At a time when the construction industry desperately needs investment this project can create 270 jobs for a relatively small investment by the government."

Focus minds

The proposed development was by Louth County Council in association with Newry and Mourne District Council.

The cable-stayed bridge, 195m (640ft) long, has been in the planning for at least five years and would have connected Cornamucklagh near Omeath, County Louth with Narrow Water near Warrenpoint, County Down, at an historic crossing point.

The entire build would have been 620m (2,040ft) long and it had been hoped it could be open by 2015.

Backers of the scheme claimed it was crucial to the prospects for economic regeneration and reconciliation of the border community in Louth and Down.

Declan Breathnach, chairman of Louth County Council, said the decision should focus minds.

[BennyCake]

The Narrow Water Bridge Project is dead in the water. The EU have withdrawn £15 million in funding.

Not surprising. £30+ million on policing fleg protests and orange marches, and stormont can't find a few quid for this project. It's time the whole lot of them useless ballbags in stormont and Dublin were strung up from the lampposts. A shower of useless pricks, the lot of them.

[armaghniac]

Declan Breathnach, chairman of Louth County Council, said the decision should focus minds.

The engineers couldn't price it within an asses roar of what it was going to cost.

I'll come back around in a couple of years, a slightly less elaborate bridge design and a bit more money about.

[Lecale2]

I don't think the bridge is really needed. That's the problem.