A PROPOSED ‘Southern Relief Road’ linking the A1 motorway from the Dublin Road at Newry to the Warrenpoint dual carriageway on the northside of the Clanrye River has been met with a mixture of both adulation and criticism.
The project is expected to cost between £110 million and £130 million, with proponents outlining the benefits of reduced congestion into Newry city centre, stimulation for the local economy, as well as improved access to Warrenpoint port.
Around £94 million has been earmarked as part of the Belfast Region City Deal, which was announced at the end of 2021 and is set to bring in around £1 billion in public infrastructure spending for Northern Ireland.
Opposition to the Newry Southern Relief Road, meanwhile, has been flagged in relation to the impediment that a fixed bridge could cause for the Newry Ship Canal as an active shipping lane, while residents in the Fathom area of Newry, as well as the rural Flagstaff region in south Armagh, have voiced concerns about a major arterial route affecting their quality of life.
Michael Savage from the Newry Chamber of Commerce told BBC NI: “From day one the chamber has been fundamentally behind the delivery of this very key piece of infrastructure for the region. We fully support the Southern Relief Road, and we want it delivered as quickly as possible.
“It's about relieving the lungs of the people of Newry and removing thousands of HGV vehicles coming from Warrenpoint port out of the city centre and also creating great access for the development of our port to the eastern seaboard and the A1 corridor between Belfast and Dublin.”
The proposed route will be around 2.5 miles (4km) in length, though there are challenges to the project in the form of Newry’s complex topography.
Critics have pointed to the fact that the Warrenpoint dual carriageway runs parallel to the river on the Co. Down side, and that the new road would necessitate rising sharply up a steep incline on Flagstaff Mountain on the Armagh side of the water.
Stormont Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins is a Sinn Féin MLA for the area, who has previously spoken about the possibility of installing a lifting bridge over Newry Canal to allay some local fears.
A statement from the Department for Infrastructure said this morning: “The minister will... consider responses as part of the consultation process, including whether or not to move forward to public inquiry.”
See More: Belfast Region City Deal, Newry, Newry Canal
