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Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Minister Malcolm Noonan this morning visited the site of the long-anticipated Narrow Water Bridge in Cornamucklagh, County Louth to mark the start of the €145m building project. They were accompanied by Stormont Minister for Infrastructure John O’Dowd MLA.
The landmark Narrow Water Bridge is a longstanding commitment of the Government, reflected in the Programme for Government and New Decade, New Approach agreement. An allocation of €102m + VAT is being made from the Shared Island Fund for the contract to deliver this project.
Marking today’s announcement, Taoiseach Simon Harris TD said “The Shared Island Unit was set up by the coalition for this very reason - to bring about visionary projects for the whole island that had long been sought after but not yet realised. I want to pay tribute to the communities and politicians from all parties and none in both Ireland and Northern Ireland who campaigned for a Narrow Water Bridge for decades. The mountains meet the sea all along this stretch of stunning coastline and this bridge will be a game-changer for commerce, daily life and tourism in this part of our shared island.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin added “When I first established the Shared Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach, there was one project that was always front and centre of my mind - the Narrow Water Bridge. This project is a clear physical manifestation of the philosophy underpinning Shared Island. It embodies our ambition for reconciliation, a closer relationship between North and South, and progress. Today is the realisation of a vision long shared across this stretch of water, delivering on the desire of both communities to reach out, to connect and to grow together.”
This ambitious infrastructure project will provide new tourism and connectivity potential to the east border region and is anticipated to aid local economic development by increasing employment levels and visitor footfall. It will be a lynchpin connection for cross-border active travel and recreational activities in the Carlingford Lough region including greenways, mountain bike trails, walking routes and beaches.
When complete, the 195m cable-stayed bridge will connect Cornamucklagh near Omeath, Co Louth with Narrow Water near Warrenpoint, Co. Down, providing a direct link between the Mourne Mountains and the Cooley Peninsula, where Carlingford Lough meets the Newry River.
It will connect the A2 Newry to Warrenpoint dual carriageway with the R173 Omeath. The bridge will provide for pedestrian, cycle, and vehicular access across its span with links to the new Carlingford Lough Greenway and will enable tall ships, leisure craft and other marine vessels to travel up along the Newry River for accessing Victoria Lock and the Albert Basin in the heart of Newry City.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD said “In linking the Mourne Mountains in Co. Down with the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth, this bridge will serve not just as a physical infrastructure project but a symbol of community, togetherness and hope. It is funded by the Shared Island Fund, and it embodies the vision, values, and purpose of that fund perfectly.”
Minister of State Malcom Noonan TD said “The project is already creating new opportunities and deepening connections between communities on both sides of the border. It is a testament to Louth County Council and officials in my own department and one that will endure as an outstretched hand of friendship between communities.”
Chief Executive of Louth County Council Joan Martin said “I am delighted to welcome the commencement of works at the Narrow Water Bridge site, a project which will provide an unprecedented boost to the cross-border region as a whole. It has been a long-standing strategic priority for Louth County Council, which will deliver a key piece of infrastructure, improving access to the wealth of tourist attractions we have in this area. This historic bridge will stand as a symbol of the connections that bind communities north and south.”
The northern span of the bridge will be a rolling bascule movable span providing, when opened, an unlimited vertical clearance for at least a 20m wide navigational channel. Unfortunately though the Stormont government are at the same time building a fixed bridge over Newry Ship Canal 5k further up as part of the Southern Relief Road Project, a structure which will explicitly do the complete opposite of the Narrow Water Bridge, PREVENTING access for tall ships to Newry City.
Today’s announcement follows a tender process conducted by Louth County Council, in accordance with the Public Spending Code, and overseen by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in consultation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.
The project will be overseen going forward by a Project Board, chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and consisting, inter alia, of the Chief Executive of Louth County Council, the Directors of Services, Finance and Engineering at the County Council, and senior officials from the Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland and the Department of Transport.
The project is governed by a project agreement with specific milestones regarding project progress against an agreed matrix of construction, financial, contingency and delivery risks.
