Narrow Water Bridge: Project receives €3m from Irish government

The Irish government has committed €3m (£2.55m) to progress work on the cross-border Narrow Water Bridge project.

The proposed connection between Warrenpoint, County Down, and Omeath, County Louth, has faced a series of delays and shortfalls in funding.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said more money from the Shared Island Fund would be allocated once final costs are determined.

Contractors will soon be able to bid for the project.

The bridge would connect the A2 Newry to Warrenpoint dual carriageway in Northern Ireland with the R173 at Omeath in the Republic of Ireland, linking the Mourne Mountains and the Cooley peninsula.

It will also allow better access between the villages of Warrenpoint and Rostrevor in Northern Ireland and Carlingford in the Republic of Ireland. The area around Carlingford Lough is a major tourism destination in Ireland.

Construction is expected to begin in 2023.

It is understood the plans involve establishing a subgroup of the North-South Infrastructure Group, which will include Louth County and Newry, Mourne and Down District councils, to oversee the development and delivery of the project.

The 280m cable-stayed bridge will feature lanes for car and cycle traffic and will be anchored by two towers at either end.

It would also have the ability to allow for the passage of ships onto the Newry Canal.

Previous plans to build the bridge were scrapped in 2013.

At the time, Louth County Council said tenders had been significantly above the figures expected to complete the project, ranging from 26m euros (£22.4m) to 40m euros (£34.5m).

It had been hoped the bridge would be built using funding from the Northern Ireland Executive, the Irish government and the European Union.

Northern Ireland's Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the funding announcement was "crucial" to reaching "delivery on the ground" and would help finalise the ultimate cost of the scheme.

She told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme the taoiseach's announcement was "fantastic news" after people in the area had been "let down for far too long".

"The Narrow Water Bridge brings with it the potential for huge opportunities for tourism and connectivity to the local area of Carlingford Lough and right across our island," she added.

"Today's announcement of funding will be crucial in moving the project forward and getting delivery on the ground."

On Tuesday, the taoiseach said plans for a bridge at the crossing stretched back "almost half a century" and it was a "long standing and highly symbolic government commitment".

He said it would bring "huge tourism and connectivity boosts in the east border region".

"The Narrow Water Bridge is a true all-island project, with strong cross-party political support north and south," he continued.

"I welcome the renewed momentum and energy which has been breathed back into this project."

The Irish government's Shared Island Fund was designed to fund strategic north-south projects "that will support the commitments and objectives of the Good Friday Agreement".

Mrs Mallon said the project would benefit visitors and locals alike.

"This iconic landmark will be a physical connection between communities across the border as well," she added.