Will new road be 'key infrastructure' or 'insanity'?
Now a public consultation on the Newry Southern Relief Road has come to an end.
The road would link the main A1/N1/M1 Belfast to Dublin road with the A2 Warrenpoint to Newry dual carriageway.
If it goes ahead, the project is expected to cost between £110m and £130m, much of which is due to come from the Belfast Region City Deal (£93.4m).
Those in favour of the road say it will reduce congestion in Newry city centre, stimulate the economy, and improve access to Warrenpoint port.
But opponents have raised concerns about a fixed bridge crossing Newry Ship Canal, while residents of the rural Flagstaff and Fathom areas do not want a major road sweeping through the countryside.
Michael Savage from Newry Chamber of Commerce spoke to BBC News NI in the centre of Newry, standing by a stretch of road that perhaps best represents the rationale for the relief road.
A junction there sees HGV traffic from Belfast, Dublin, and everywhere trying to make its way through the relatively narrow Kilmorey Street on its way to and from Warrenpoint port.
"From day one the chamber has been fundamentally behind the delivery of this very key piece of infrastructure for this region," Mr Savage said.
"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."
Mr Savage said it would take thousands of HGV movements each year out of the city centre.
The preferred route is around 2.5 miles (4km) long, but the geographical layout of Newry means it is far from straightforward.
That is because the Warrenpoint dual carriageway effectively runs flush with the shoreline on the County Down side of Carlingford Lough.
To get to the Belfast-Dublin road (on the Armagh side of the lough), the new route must rise quickly up the steep inclines of Flagstaff and Fathom, with a river and canal in between.
As a result, not everyone is happy with the plan.
Brian Clelland, a member of the Newry 2020 campaign group, which was originally established to drive plans for a City Park, takes issue with the plan for a fixed bridge across the ship canal.
He said it would block the canal, which is nearly 300 years old and is the oldest working canal in Ireland.
"The Southern Relief Road in its current form will block that permanently, so they'll destroy access to Newry for tall ships and, in fact, most masted vessels," he said.
"It's also well known that the Dublin government is building the Narrow Water bridge just outside Warrenpoint, and the insanity of it is that they are spending millions to have a beautiful opening bridge that would allow tall ships up, but the Southern Relief Road that is being built by Stormont is building a fixed bridge that would block tall ships."
Higher up along the route is Roisín Morgan, who has lived in the Flagstaff area for most of her life.
Ms Morgan said the road would destroy the rural area.
"The ground I'm standing on, we're going to lose," she said.
"The road is going through several plots of land, and it's going to come up through the field below us.
"They have to dig down, so there'll be a lot of blasting through granite if the road goes ahead, which I hope it won't be.
"Then it goes into Benson's Glen, which is a historic woodland; there are trees there that are hundreds of years old."
Ms Morgan said the proposals would "put 7,000 vehicles a day coming up this hill".
"I know they are talking about the air pollution in Newry, but they should be reducing air pollution, not moving it," she said.
The new Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins is from Newry, and in the past she has spoken about her preference for a lifting bridge over Newry Canal as part of the project.
A Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said: "The minister will... consider responses as part of the consultation process, including whether or not to move forward to public inquiry."
They said Kimmins was unavailable for interview.
Newry bypass bridge won't open for passing boats
Newry regeneration scheme a bridge too far?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Major east-west thoroughfare in Monroe County to be completed in August. What you need to know.
An east-west thoroughfare that includes a new 500-foot bridge is scheduled to be completed in early August, though an unexpected amount of rock removal is making the project more expensive than expected. Here's what you need to know. What's the thoroughfare that's being completed? It's the long-planned connection between West Gordon and West Fullerton Pike. When will the Fullerton Pike project be finished? Lisa Ridge, director of the Monroe County Highway Department, said via email she expects the project to be largely completed by Aug. 4, just before classes start for Monroe County Community School Corp. 'We are meeting weekly on this project due to the time crunch,' she said. What else does the project include? The roundabout at the Batchelor/Clear View/Gordon Pike intersection. A raised median measuring between 6 and 10 feet. A 10-foot multi-use path on the north side. A 5-foot sidewalk on the south side. Will work at the roundabout be completed in time for the start of school? 'We expect most of the roundabout to be completed, but there will still need to be some work on the west portion of it after it opens,' Ridge said. 'Opening it to the library and school is the main focus.' How much will the project cost? Ridge said total cost has risen to $19.5 million, in part because of an additional $481,000 in unexpected expenses related to rock removal. Construction crews ran into more rocky terrain than they expected. Ridge said removing rock, rather than soil, is more difficult and expensive because rocks have to be broken before they are hauled away. Ridge said crews excavated 9,165 cubic yards of rock, or nearly five times as much as expected when the project began. Local officials in 2023 estimated construction costs near $17 million, though Ridge raised concerns at the time about inflation pushing bids so much higher that the project might have to be simplified. Who is paying the additional dollars for the rock removal? The county. Commissioners approved the expenditure last week. Ridge said she has asked the Indiana Department of Transportation to cover 80% of that extra cost, but said Tuesday 'there is no extra funding' at this time. The county may use funds from its major bridge fund, which contains about $10 million, though that also is earmarked to pay for bridge replacements on Dillman and Mount Tabor roads and to help pay the debt on the Fullerton Pike extension. Who is paying for the total project? The project is being paid mostly with local funds, including $8 million the highway department borrowed, additional funds from the local road and street fund and about $3 million in federal dollars. Why did local officials pursue the project? Local officials have discussed the connector for more than 30 years, and they have said they hope it will provide easier access to and from Interstate 69 and spur development in that area. Many people currently use I-69 and the Ind. 45/46 Bypass to get from east to west. The new connector would give them a direct east-west route. Ridge also has said the project will make it much easier for people to head from the city's southwest side into Bloomington, including to Batchelor Middle School and the southwest branch of the public library. In the other direction, residents will be able to more easily access Monroe Hospital, Leonard Springs Nature Park and neighborhoods west of I-69. What are local officials saying about the project nearing completion? Monroe County Commissioner Julie Thomas said, "We are grateful to the area residents for their patience and their input throughout this process." Thomas thanked Ridge and the highway department for making sure the work is completed before the school year begins. Ridge said she is "thrilled" to see the project coming to fruition. "When I took this position in 2015 Fullerton Pike Phase I was getting ready to be built, so seeing it to the end and (making) the final connection to (Interstate 69) is something I'm very proud of that I was able to get it constructed and funded," she said. Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@ This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Major east-west thoroughfare in Monroe County to be completed in August Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Journalists among at least 13 arrested during immigration-related protest in Cincinnati
Police in Cincinnati arrested at least 13 people, including two journalists, after demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of a former hospital chaplain blocked a two-lane bridge carrying traffic over the Ohio River. A reporter and a photography intern who were arrested while covering the protest for CityBeat, a Cincinnati news and entertainment outlet, were among those arraigned Friday morning in a Kentucky court. Other journalists reporting on protests around the U.S. have been arrested and injured this year. More than two dozen were hurt or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. A Spanish-language journalist was arrested in June while covering a 'No Kings' protest against President Trump near Atlanta. Police initially charged Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway. A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him. Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati on Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground. Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Covington, Ky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV. Police in Covington said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest's organizer were threatened and met with hostility. Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat. A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested. The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at its office near Cincinnati. Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read, 'Build Bridges Not Walls.' Covington police said that 'while the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved.' Seewer writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
Journalists among at least 13 arrested during immigration-related protest in Cincinnati
A Advertisement A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground. Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Kentucky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV. Police in Covington, Kentucky, said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest's organizer were threatened and met with hostility. Advertisement Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat. A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested. The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office near Cincinnati. Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read 'Build Bridges Not Walls.' Covington police said that 'while the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved.' Associated Press reporters Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
