Narrow Water Bridge

For detailed information about this topic, see Northern Ireland Roads Site

The Narrow Water Bridge was a proposed crossing of the Newry River where it meets the top end of Carlingford Lough between points close to Omeath in County Louth (Republic of Ireland) and Warrenpoint in County Down (Northern Ireland).

In Spring 2011, some engineering checks were done, in order to finalise the design, but in July, the project was scrapped, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Leo Varadkar) telling the Dáil on 5 July 2011:

Louth County Council submitted an economic appraisal and the completed Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Narrow Water Bridge project to the National Roads Authority (NRA). These reports were reviewed by NRA on behalf of my Department and the NRA recently submitted their report with recommendations in relation to this project. I have examined this report and recommendations and based on the economic appraisal, the current financial circumstances, competing demands from other local authorities for strategic schemes which have a better benefit/cost ratio, this Department is not in a position to proceed any further with the Narrow Water Bridge project, and beyond 2011 no further funding will be made available for it.

However, in 2021 it was reported that €3m had been committed by the Irish Government to progress the scheme, with construction scheduled to commence in 2023.

Links

• Slugger O'Toole: blog post on cancellation  13.07.2011

Indepdendent.ie

• Unbuilt bridge bill near €2m  27.05.2017

BBC News

• Narrow Water bridge plan is put on hold  09.07.2013

• European funding for Narrow Water bridge plan withdrawn  15.11.2013

• Narrow Water bridge plan 'still alive'  09.02.2018

legislation.gov.uk

• The Narrow Water Bridge Order (Northern Ireland) 2022

• The Newry River (Diversion of Navigable Watercourse and Extinguishment of Public Rights of Navigation) Order (Northern Ireland) 2022