Ms Joan Martin:

I shall answer some of the questions and then I shall hand over to Mr. Hannaway.

The aim and objective of the southern relief road is completely different from that of the Narrow Water Bridge. The latter has existed since the mid-1970s. It was always about creating the loop where people could drive to the Cooley peninsula, to Rostrevor and around to Newcastle. The aim of the project was to encourage people to disperse around the area and thus spread tourism. The purpose of the southern relief road is to get traffic from Warrenpoint port as quickly and as painlessly as possible and on to the Dublin-Belfast road without going near Newry. The road needs to get over the mountain and on to the North-South motorway so serves a different purpose. If the southern relief road goes ahead, and depending on where its bridge is built, then it may not make sense to build another bridge.

County Louth received money for a greenway along Carlingford Lough that spanned Carlingford to Omeath. We have now received a letter of offer to extend the greenway further under the INTERREG V programme. This year the greenway has attracted enormous numbers of between 50,000 and 80,000 visitors. Cyclists will be able to travel from Carlingford to Lough Neagh on the current greenway, the extension and a towpath along the canal north from Newry. The project attracts many tourists. In many ways the time is more right than ever for a project to support tourism in the area, particularly one that will encourage tourists to travel around the area of Cooley and Mourne mountains.

Senator Black suggested a car ferry for the area and we have just talked about such a project. There has been a ferry concept as far back as the 1970s and early 1980s. Clearance has finally be given for a ferry from the mouth of the lough between Greenore port area over to Greencastle in County Down. A ferry will add to the loop and infrastructure that is already available to tourists. People will be able to take the ferry, travel around the Mourne mountains for the day and then return on the bridge.

A question was asked about costs. We have received tenders in excess of €30 million. We have had something of an argument with the consulting engineers because the original estimate was €17.4 million, which was based on our grant application to INTERREG, and the tender is in excess of €30 million. The huge disparity in cost was explained by the uniqueness of the bridge. Members will have seen the picture of the bridge included in our presentation. The bridge is unique as it requires a lifting mechanism in order to continue to allow access to the important canal and basin in Newry that is being developed as a marina and tourism area. Such an unusually designed lifting bridge would be a risk for a contractor and thus led to an increased cost.

INTERREG IVA is the only programme that offered us an opportunity to apply for funding. Normally there would not be an opportunity for a council to apply for large infrastructural grants in the roads area. That money, on previous programmes, was kept within the Departments located in the North and South. It is the first time in the 30 or 40 years of the project that we have had such an opportunity. Unfortunately, today I must say to the committee that I do not know where the opportunity rests at the moment. There is nowhere for the councils to apply for funding. There is no opportunity with INTERREG V. The PEACE programme does not have that kind of infrastructural money available to it either. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the South does not have an enormous budget. It has suffered a lot of cutbacks and has not retrieved the level of budget that it had. The Department has never been in a position to offer us large funding for the project although it gave us some assistance when developing the designs.

The planning permissions for the bridge are in place. Obviously the project straddles two jurisdictions so it has two sets of everything. The compulsory purchase order in the Republic of Ireland does not have a lifespan and in theory lasts forever. On the Northern side, the permissions are five years in duration. We have moved rapidly through the allotted period as the project is fast approaching four years. Time is running out for all of the permissions, designs and everything we have at the moment. Therefore, we will have to go again and make the investment without some kind of security. I feel we are looking for support. The project is being seriously considered by the North-South Ministerial Council. It has met us and continues to consider the project. There may be some level of enthusiasm for the project at the moment and hard lobbying might unlock the money. The Governments will have to make a move as there is nowhere else for us to go.

Mr. Hannaway will respond to the remaining questions.