Key milestone reached on €102m Narrow Water Bridge project as first bridge structures extend into the River Newry

A key milestone has been reached in the construction of the €102 million Narrow Water Bridge, with temporary structures designed by Belfast’s AM Consulting Engineers (AMCE) now extending into the River Newry from both banks.

For the first time, passersby can now get a sense of how the long-awaited bridge will eventually span the river, as two new 65m structures extend from each bank into the River Newry.

The project is being delivered by Louth County Council in partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Shared Island Initiative, with BAM UK & Ireland acting as main contractor.

Led by the main contractor BAM Ireland, the work marks a significant engineering achievement on the transformative cross-border infrastructure project connecting Counties Down and Louth.

The video above of drone footage from Futur Marketing shows how the work is progressing.

The gap visible in the centre of the new framework has been left to allow the barge that will carry the bridge’s three sections to move into position. Once in place, each section will be carefully lowered from the barge onto the tracks and moved into its final position.

The barge carrying the two major bridge sections and a 98.6m pylon is due to arrive at Warrenpoint Harbour from Belgium in early 2027.

Weighing a total of 2245 tonnes, the sections will then be transported upriver. When the tidal conditions are right, the bridge sections and pylon will be floated into position before being transferred onto AMCE's bespoke skid track system and rolled and jacked into place ahead of the construction of the permanent cable-stayed structure.

When complete, the new Narrow Water Bridge will consist of a 138m cable-stayed deck, a 98.6m cable-stayed pylon and a 56m opening span over the navigable channel of the River Newry for boats to pass through.

The bridge is a flagship initiative under the Shared Island Fund and has been designed to accommodate vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.