Vol. 426 No. 5
43 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment if he will reconsider the application for a grant under the INTERREG programme for a feasibility study in relation to a proposed bridge at Narrow Water, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
My Department and the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, have concluded their examination of this application and have concluded that the proposed study is not suitable for inclusion in the current INTERREG Programme. In arriving at this decision, account was taken of the fact that the proposed road link has already been the subject of a feasibility study undertaken in 1979 by consultants engaged by the respective local authorities. This study costed the provision of a bridge at Narrow Water and the upgrading of the county roads from there to Omeath and Carlingford at £2.23 million at 1979 prices. Subsequent discussions between the two Departments established that, while the proposal appeared to be technically feasible, there were serious reservations on the extent of the benefits that would be derived in relation to the scale of the costs involved. An update of the study carried out by consultant in 1986 revealed that the cost had increased to £6.15 million. In these circumstances, it is considered that there is no justification for a further feasibility study at this time. The matter will, however, be kept under review.
