NI Water has announced that works will begin in the new year to restore and protect the century-old Mourne Wall.

GEDA Construction along with local stonemasons from Thomas Rooney & Sons is due to undertake repairs to a section of the Mourne Wall located on the Head Road close to the entrance of Silent Valley.

In order to facilitate the works, the Head Road will need to be closed to through traffic between the junctions of Ballinran Road and Carrigenagh Road from 8 January 2024 for approximately three weeks.

During the works, traffic will be diverted via Carrigenagh Road, Newcastle Road, Mountain Road and Moyad Road.

Michael Donnelly, NI Water Senior Project Manager said: "A section of Mourne Wall in the Head Road area near Silent Valley has been earmarked for repairs in this current phase of restoration works. Our team of skilled stonemasons will have to dismantle and rebuild the wall in places and to do that safely the section of road will need to be closed. Access for residents within the road closure area will be provided from both sections of the closure. Our team will strive to complete the work and have the road reopened as quickly as possible.

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"As part of NI Water's commitment to the 'Protocol for the Care of the Government Historic Estates', we embarked on a programme of work in 2017 and invested £1.5m to assess, restore and protect the 22-mile long Mourne Wall and adjacent paths. NI Water is continuing with its commitment to safeguard historic assets in our care with this latest £2.5m programme of investment for the Mourne Wall and a subsequent programme of work which involves the restoration of other listed structures within NI Water’s estates.

"For the Mourne Wall, our focus is on completing as many repairs as possible within the budget available and carrying out a proactive 'stitch-in-time' approach, which involves careful dismantling and rebuilding of vulnerable bulges in the wall to aid its longevity.

"To date the repairs have mainly been carried out across the 15 peaks within the Mourne Mountains, requiring hikes of around 6km per day. While this next section of repairs on the Head Road is somewhat easier to get to, we acknowledge that the work will result in some disruption to traffic. We appreciate the patience and support from local residents and motorists as our team carries out this restoration work to protect this local landmark.

"As we progress phase two of the Mourne Wall Restoration Project, I would like to thank Mourne Heritage Trust, NIEA, National Trust, Trustees of Mourne and other local landowners for their ongoing guidance and assistance and acknowledge the strenuous efforts that continue to be exerted by our project managers, RPS; contractor, GEDA and specialist sub-contractor, Thomas Rooney & Sons in carrying out this valuable work."