Barge brings in pieces of Bridge over Narrow Water.
Structure will act as physical link between the north and the south of Ireland
THE first sections of the eagerly anticipated Narrow Water Bridge have been shipped from Belgium into the Carlingford bay.
The bridge, which has been a long sought after amenity for half a century since it was first proposed in the late 1960's, is expected to be finished by late 2027.If constructed the structure will serve as a vital physical link between the north and south of Ireland easing traffic congestion within Newry.
Describing the shipping of the parts into the bay as an historic day was Jim Boylan chair of the Narrow Water Bridge Community Network.
"This is a great moment for the whole area because it was a fierce campaign to win this. It is an historic day for the whole of the Carlingford lough region. The Bridge has been fought for from the early 1960's right up until now"
It will go onto the Quayside, it will then come of the Quayside of Warrenpoint Harbour onto the Bouelvard side onto the site where they are building the crane that will lift it.
The second part is due later on this week.
They will be working on it hammer and tong from now on. They are all set. Although the Narrow Water bridge may act as a physical link between the north and the south of Ireland, the underlying symbolism of the arterial link cannot be understated with Jim saying that the two communities will be united as one once the bridge is finished."
The bridge is due to be finished in the last quarter of next year in 2027. It is on time. It was a three year project and we are half way through this three year project. It is an amazing amount of work already done.
The control house is done at the far side, the pier and pillars are waiting for this span to come in. This is a great achievement, it has enhanced employment in this area. It is the greatest infrastructure project in the Newry Mourne area. It is one of the biggest investments in this area, all funded by the shared Island.
"This is amazing. Out of this funding we have given lectures in the local schools and brought the local schools together and this will join the two communities together and we can already see signs of them working together in the sporting front and the community front."
The project, which is valued as being worth 102million euro, will when completed provide a physical link over where the Newry river meets the Carlingford Lough connecting both the north and south of Ireland
The outworking of contracting company BAM Ireland the bridge will serve as the main arterial route between the Coley Peninsula in Louth and the Mourne Mountains.
The bridge is set to be a 195m, two span cable stayed bridge that will connect the A2 Newry to Warrenpoint dual carriageway with the R173 in Omeath. The structure is due to be completed in late 2027 with preliminary construction work having first started in 2024.
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