Independent South Down candidate Patrick Clarke has called on both Chris Hazzard, the Department of Infrastructure Minister in the North, and Shane Ross, Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport in the ROI, to work over the coming months to prioritise and put in place a financially feasible and preferred option for the Narrow Water Bridge project in Warrenpoint.
Patrick Clarke said:xa0“One of my key election pledges is to seek more funding from Stormont into the roads network infrastructure in South Down to help attract further financial inward investment in enterprise, trade and rural businesses and SME’s as well as the manufacturing industry.
“I am a passionate supporter and advocate for the Narrow Water Bridge project being built between counties Down and Louth. The Narrow Water Bridge project being proposed between Warrenpoint and near Omeath is a crucial infrastructure project needed to improve the current diabolical road transport network in this region of South Down.
“I am acutely aware a key strand of the Narrow Water Bridge project has been the joint engagement between North and South Government Ministers with local stakeholders to review options and to begin to identify a preferred option. I fully welcome this level of engagement into clarifying the opportunities that the Narrow Water Bridge Project offers and the need to consider this in the wider context of tourism development.”
“I therefore believe there is now a very huge onus of responsibility on both Government Ministers Chris Hazzard in the North and Shane Ross in the South to make the Narrow Water bridge project become a reality in 2017.
“There is no question that the people of South Down have waited and been disappointed by ongoing setbacks, political politicisation of the Narrow Water Bridge and successive Ministers who have not to date delivered on the Narrow Water Bridge,” said Patrick Clarke.
