Rogers Bridge, Upper Fathom Road, Newry, Co Armagh

Rogers Bridge carries Upper Fathom Road over the double-track Belfast-Dublin railway, located east of the main Dundalk road, near Newry. It is of architectural interest due to its design and the high standard of its construction, and holds historical significance linked to Sir John Macneill and William Dargan, often recognised as the "father" of Irish railways. The bridge forms part of a cohesive group of rail-related structures associated with a 3km-long rock-cut excavation, a significant civil engineering undertaking.

Constructed in 1851 by the Dublin & Belfast Junction Railway Company to designs by Sir John Macneill and built by William Dargan, Rogers Bridge (number 180) is a single semi-elliptical span constructed from coarsely-dressed granodiorite blocks. The blocks are regularly coursed, with the exception of the irregularly laid parapet. The abutments are embellished with tooled edges, the rock-faced voussoirs (also with tooled edges) feature a rusticated string course at spring level and just above the arch’s crown. A rusticated, slightly advanced parapet coping further adorns the bridge. Shallow buttresses with tooled edges are present on the approach walls, continuing upwards to form slightly advanced facings for the parapets. The east end of the south parapet and the west end of the north parapet curve to follow the road’s angled approach, terminating in out-projecting piers.

The completion of Rogers Bridge, alongside the Craigmore Viaduct in 1852, enabled full operational service between Belfast and Dublin. The bridge remains in use as a road bridge, and possesses considerable industrial archaeological interest.