The draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Statutory Orders for the Newry Southern Relief Road Scheme will be published this month, Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd has said.

The Newry Southern Relief Road is being developed to provide a strategic link between the A1/N1 Belfast to Dublin corridor and the A2 Warrenpoint Road, bypassing Newry City Centre.

It is one of the three infrastructure projects being taken forward by the Department for Infrastructure within the Belfast Region City Deal, which has allocated £93.4m to the project.

Delivery of the new road is estimated to be between £110m and £130m and will be dependent on the successful completion of the statutory processes and future budget available.

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Minister O'Dowd also announced that a staffed Orders Exhibition Day will be held at Newry Leisure Centre, Cecil Street, Newry, on Tuesday, January 21. The EIAR and draft Statutory Orders will be published on the same day on the Department's website.

The formal consultation will then take place for a period of six weeks where the information will be available to view online and at Newry Leisure Centre and various other locations.

Minister O'Dowd said: "I am committed to the delivery of the Newry Southern Relief Road Scheme, and I am pleased to confirm that I have signed off on the publication of the draft Statutory Orders and the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for this significant scheme.

"The scheme will help to relieve traffic congestion within Newry City centre, reduce journey travel times for strategic traffic, improve road safety and enhance the city centre environment. The scheme will also provide significant opportunities for the enhancement and reshaping of Newry City centre to promote sustainable travel choices."