About
About the Project
The study area for the proposed greenway project encompasses the Regional Centre of Dundalk and the coastal town of Carlingford, along with the interconnecting road network. The R173 Regional Road is the main route connecting Dundalk with Carlingford. The R173, along with other regional and local roads in the study area have no provision for pedestrians and cyclists. High vehicle speeds, narrow road widths and lack of segregated facilities make the road network unattractive for pedestrians and cyclists.
The proposed greenway will seek to connect with the existing Carlingford Lough Greenway, facilitating a continuous cross-border greenway from Dundalk in Co. Louth to Newry in County Down. The proposed greenway provides the local population and tourists to the area an attractive recreational facility as well as a potential active travel alternative for routine trips.
Project Objectives
Investment in walking and cycling is a key policy objective of the Government. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 recognises the importance of active travel not only in reducing carbon emissions, but also in achieving other national strategic outcomes such as compact urban growth and balanced regional development. Other national policy, such as the Climate Action Plan, the Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways, and the National Physical Activity Plan highlight the multi-faceted benefits provided by active travel investment, including carbon emission reductions, physical and mental health benefits, tourism and improvements to accessibility and social inclusion.
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The objectives for the proposed greenway have been developed in accordance with the seven appraisal headings identified in the Department of Transport’s “Transport Appraisal Framework (TAF) (June 2023)”:
Transport User Benefits and Other Economic Impacts
Accessibility Impacts
Social Impacts
Land Use Impacts
Safety Impacts
Climate Change Impacts
Local Environmental Impacts
What’s Happening Now?
The project is nearing the completion of Phase 2 Option Selection, which has involved the development and assessment of feasible route corridor options to determine the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor.
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Public Consultation No. 3 (Emerging Preferred Route Corridor) is now live. Submissions are requested for the 23rd January 2026. The public consultation material can be accessed at this link.
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The feedback received during Public Consultation No. 3 will help to inform the finalisation of the Preferred Option (PO), as part of Phase 2 (Option Selection). All feedback received during Public Consultation No. 3 will be carefully reviewed by the Project Team and any necessary improvements made.
Once the PO is finalised, this and the accompanying Options Report will be published on the project website. The Options Report will contain full details of the options appraisal. The project will then seek approval to progress to the next stage, which is Phase 3 - Design and Environmental Evaluation.
