25 Oct 2012, 17:19
The Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, Joe McHugh TD, has welcomed the announcement last night of €17.4 of EU funding for the Narrow Water bridge project.
25 October 2012
The Special EU Programmes Body approved the funding, under the INTERREG programme.
It is envisaged that the project, which spans the Newry River at Narrow Water, will be completed by 2015. With €900,000 of Irish government funding already invested, local authorities on both sides of the border last week granted planning permission for the project. Some additional funding will be required from both sides of the border, with the estimated total cost of the bridge around €18.3m.
Deputy McHugh says: “On behalf of Committee Members, I warmly welcome the decision of the Special EU Programmes Body to approve €17.4m for the project. This is a major step towards delivery of a bridge at Narrow Water, first proposed back in the mid-1970s. I commend all the local individuals and organisations who have campaigned for the bridge, on a cross-border and cross-party basis, over the years.
Our Committee, for its part, wrote to the Special EU Programmes body to offer its full support to the project as a strategic cross-border investment, with the potential to bring great economic dividends to the region. Acknowledging the additional funding required, this bridge will be one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the border region for many years. The construction phase will undoubtedly provide a significant local stimulus, and the bridge itself will be an important addition to the region’s burgeoning tourist sector around Carlingford Lough.”
Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
F: +3531 618 4551
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Members of the Committee:
Deputies Seán Conlan, Seán Crowe, Clare Daly, Regina Doherty, Peter Fitzpatrick, Frank Feighan, Martin Ferris, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Dominic Hannigan, Michael P. Kitt, Joe McHugh, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Joe O’Reilly, Brendan Smith and Joanna Tuffy.
Senators Jim D’Arcy, Maurice Cummins, Martin McAleese, Mary Moran, Mary White.
Chairman: Joe McHugh, TD Vice-Chairman: Joe O'Reilly, TD