Contractor Bam has started building a bridge over the Newry River in Ireland linking communities to the north and south of the Irish border.
Costed at €102m, the 195m-long, cable-stayed “Narrow Water Bridge” in County Louth, near the top of the Irish Sea inlet of Carlingford Lough, will accommodate vehicular, cycle and pedestrian traffic.
Funded by the Shared Island Fund, it’s expected to boost economic growth and tourism.
It will connect the A2 Newry-to-Warrenpoint dual carriageway in Northern Ireland with the R173 at Omeath in the Republic.
A section of the bridge will lift to let ships into the Newry Canal.
Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin, said the bridge would provide “an unprecedented boost to the cross-border region as a whole”.
The council wants to promote the Carlingford Lough area as a major tourism destination.
“This historic bridge will stand as a symbol of the connections that bind communities north and south,” she said.
Alasdair Henderson, Executive Director, BAM Ireland, said: “Using sustainable practices, this bridge will offer a safe, green route for cyclists and pedestrians, supporting our own vision of building a sustainable tomorrow.”
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