The arterial A1 runs around the western side of Newry city and, as of 2009, is being upgraded to dual-carriageway. Another dual-carriageway, the A2 Warrenpoint Road, runs east to Warrenpoint harbour from Newry. However, despite being only a mile apart, on opposite banks of the river, the only way to go between them is to drive right into the centre of the city. Local politicians have long called for a southern relief road to link them up, and this proposal was included in the draft "Banbridge Newry & Mourne Area Plan 2015" published in August 2006, along with a suggested route corridor. A feasibility study was published in August 2009 which found that the road should be built, but also noted the proposed route was not an efficient or easy one and suggested three other routes which were both cheaper and easier to build. Although the scheme has not yet been given an official go-ahead, a further consultation and assessment process is underway (as of September 2009).

Route

No route has yet been chosen. However, the Feasibility Report published in August 2009 identified four possible route corridors which are shown shaded on the map below. The first of these, the blue one, is the original corridor proposed in the Banbridge, Newry and Mourne Area Plan in 2006. The other three are the alternatives proposed for the first time in the 2009 Feasibility Report.

Note that in this map the A1 is erroneously labelled "M1" and the name "Cloghogue" is placed incorrectly at the Ellisholding Road junction. View A1-A2 Newry Southern Relief Road in a larger map.

The 2009 Feasibility Report did not carry out an extensive study into these routes, but did note that the original "blue" route proposed "includes some significant challenges, including proximity to the existing Dromalane Quarry and the provision of suitable access arrangements onto the A1...". They proposed three further routes:

• The Greenbank Corridor, shown in red on the map above, which runs from either the Ellisholding Road junction on the A1 or the Cloghogue junction on the A1 and runs north east to the existing roundabout on the A2 quite close to the city centre.
• The Low-Medium Level Corridor, shown in green on the map above, which runs from Ellisholding Road junction on the A1 south-east across a low-level bridge to the A2 Warrenpoint Road.
• The High Level Corridor, shown in grey on the map above, which is similar to the Low-Medium Level Corridor except that the bridge is higher above water level and swings inland to return to ground level.

All three of these options would require the addition of south-facing sliproads at the existing Ellisholding Road grade separated junction on the A1.

Note on Costs

The cost of the scheme will depend on the option chosen, something which as of Sep 2009 has not been decided. The indicative costs of these four options were reported in 2009 to be:

• 2006 Area Plan Corridor - £178-£186m
• Greenbank Corridor - £104m-£124m
• Low-Medium Level Corridor - £100m-£132m
• High Level Corridor - £211m

The cheapest of these is obviously either the Greenbank or Low-Medium Level Corridor.

Updates

22 April 2012: The Minister was asked about progress on this scheme via three Questions for Written Answer in the Assembly two weeks ago. He said that Roads Service are currently "undertaking further environmental and engineering assessments" and that this work will be completed in mid/late 2012. He added that this would inform the selection of the preferred route, but it sounds as if this could be after the date mentioned. He confirmed that so far Roads Service have spent just under £930,000 on planning for this scheme. However, he also stressed that the scheme has not, and never has been, given a definite go ahead, and that therefore there is no timescale for construction.

26 Sep 2009: The Feasibility Report into the scheme was published in August 2009, and a press release issued five days ago. The report showed significant benefits to proceeding with the scheme and proposed four alternative route corridors. The report however recommended against the route proposed in 2006, for cost and engineering reasons, instead suggesting three alternatives as shown on the map above. The cost estimates vary widely from £100m to £211m depending on the option chosen. On the basis of the report the Regional Development Minister has "asked Roads Service to proceed with further environmental and engineering assessments and to engage in a wider consultation process, considered necessary to identify a preferred corridor for the Newry Southern Relief Road." There are still no firm plans to proceed with the scheme which, if it does happen, is unlikely to happen in the near future and perhaps not for ten years. It is also interesting to note that the feasibility report comments that constructing this scheme, at least if the Low-Medium Level Corridor is chosen, could render the proposed Narrow Water Bridge project redundant.

23 May 2009: According to the Minister of Regional Development (during a question and answer session in Stormont a couple of weeks ago) the feasibility study into the Newry Southern Relief Road has now been completed, but Roads Service want to do additional work "developing its findings" before releasing it publicly. He said "The project is important. Roads Service and the consultants it has engaged have undertaken significant assessment work." and "We hope to be in a position to present the report’s findings soon". The first of these comments suggests that the feasibility study was favourable towards the road's construction, but we shall have to wait and see.