Minister for Foreign Affairs opens A1/ N1 Newry to Dundalk Road

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., today officially opened the A1/N1 Newry to Dundalk road, with Mr. Conor Murphy, M.P., MLA. At the opening ceremony, Minister Ahern stated:

“It is an historic day as it represents the completion of the first joint North/South road venture- between the Department of Regional Development in Northern Ireland, and the National Roads Authority and Louth County Council in Ireland. It is the first major road scheme to be built as one project across both jurisdictions.”

Commenting on the importance of the project, he said,

“The opening of this dual carriageway is a very significant day in the history of Irish road infrastructure projects. By connecting communities north and south of the border with a world-class road we are transforming the transport landscape in this part of the island. 

“The work on this project is an excellent example of how effective cross border cooperation can lead to safer and easier road journeys in less time and in smoother traffic.”

The Minister looked forward to further cooperation between both jurisdictions on future infrastructure projects,

“This project demonstrates that by working together on the island we can deliver a first class infrastructure in a speedy, efficient and value for money manner.

“It will serve as a useful model for our future joint work on other transport infrastructure projects including the road to the North West Gateway of Letterkenny/Derry and the Narrow Water Bridge.”